Airlock fell off

[AztecMatt]

So my buddy and I decided to leave a batch at his place whilst fermenting. About a week in, he told me he found the airlock on the ground and he hadn't checked the beer in a few days so he doesn't know how long it was off for. Assuming the worst and it was off for a few days, what can I do to help/save my beer? That was 5 days ago and the airlock has been on ever since. It's an Irish Red.

 

[unionrdr]

Nothing you can do but wait & see if it'll be ok. And take it back to your own house to keep watch on it. He didn't brew it,so it seems he dosen't care much beyond drinking the final product.

 

[bigelowsbest]

You should be fine. CO2 is heavier than air and usually stays in the bucket. This provides a level of protection from oxidation. Also the airlock is such a small hole that the likelihood of any nasty bugs getting into your beer is remote. I had a barley wine blow the whole top of the bucket due to a clogged airlock. It ended up being one of the better beers that I made. As they all say, relax, don't worry, have a homebrew