Airlock Wasn't Sealed Proplery... Am I screwed?

[ziplock1406]

Just to clear the air, I'm a Noob! Just brewed my first batch this past Saturday, and noticed my airlock was never bubbling even though it had been around 96 hours since brewing. I noticed today that like a total noob I didn't put the third piece of the airlock on, just the piece that goes into the carboy and lid that let's the CO2 escape. I did not put the third piece in that goes in the water in airlock. I have remedied this now, but not sure if the batch is screwed now.

I see a yeast bed on the bottom of the fermentor, and some "floaters", which I'm not sure if this is a sign of krausen or not.

My question is, should I wait it out and see what happens, or is most of the Oxygen we needed to ferment gone now? Any advice for a noob like me from someone who has done this a few times would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Shawn_Brewin]

The Oxygen is Diluted in the solution, its not a pressure thing so you don't have to worry about that running away on you. as for if your fermentation has started/happened yet, do you see a ring of debris just above your wort's surface on the side of your fermentation Vessel? after 96 hours its makes sense that your Krausen would have built and depleted already. Give it another 5 days and take a hydrometer reading. Should be all good though IMO, good luck and welcome to the Hobby!

 

[saazall]

You should be ok. The oxygen is only needed at the start of the ferment. After it gets going you want keep air out...hence airlock. The CO2 will force air out and keep a blanket over the krausen so things should be just fine. Hopefully the fruit flys didn't' figure out that you missed putting the riser in.

 

[kh54s10]

It is not best since the opening is pointing straight up so any falling nasties can enter, but during the fermentation co2 gas coming out should have kept anything bad out.

Oxygen it good while the yeast are reproducing to cell counts sufficient to ferment the wort. After that oxygen is bad and could give your beer a wet cardboard flavor "oxidized".
At this point you don't want any oxygen getting to the beer. That is to say, no splashing, or anything that will put oxygen in the beer. During the normal processes the beer will necessarily come into contact with air. Without something drastic it will not oxidize the beer.

I feel you don't have much to worry about.

 

[jparrette]

You're fine. You're going to want the airlock assembled as fermentation slows.

When I use airlocks, I give the base of the plug a quirt of Star-San and then wrap the plug and the carboy opening in Saran Wrap. That keeps the risk of infection down when you take off the airlock.

 

[Komodo]

You are plenty safe. If I understand, you had the airlock barrel and the cap on it. Just not the inner piece. What you most need to protect against is dust falling that has bacteria on it. The beer has a bed of CO2 over it that protects it from most stuff. Lots of people freak out and try to keep it hermetically sealed. I'm fermenting in buckets and while I don't muck about in it daily, there is nothing wrong with cracking it for gravity readings or sugar additions, etc. I don't say this often, but RDWHAHB.

 

[ziplock1406]

Thanks for the replies guys, that makes me feel much better. I thought I might be screwed! Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

 

[GT944]

Since this is a current thread - I have a situation that will make the OP laugh. I pulled a newb mistake and let my airlock dry up while letting my Belgian Tripel sit in secondary for 2+ months. Not sure when it went dry, but it's been a long time!

Any thoughts on how to diagnose if it's worth bottling and trying to save?

 

[Sammy86]

Since this is a current thread - I have a situation that will make the OP laugh. I pulled a newb mistake and let my airlock dry up while letting my Belgian Tripel sit in secondary for 2+ months. Not sure when it went dry, but it's been a long time!

Any thoughts on how to diagnose if it's worth bottling and trying to save?

Only one way to diagnose...now many a home brewer have attempted this, so don't be scared it won't kill you...all you have to do is...

TASTE IT!!!

If it tastes good bottle and carb if it's nasty dump it.

Good luck and brew on!

 

[Shawn_Brewin]

Totally agree with Sammy86, taste is the only true way to know, but i wouldn't worry. like many other people have stated, you should have a blanket of CO2 over top of it protecting it from oxygenation. There shouldn't be any real hazard of pulling anything in through your airlock if it is all there just ran dry. unless you cold crashed it... that will create a slight vacuum inside the fermenter and draw in "some" air.

 

[PGEduardo]

RDWHAHB

I rarely use an airlock these days, just good sanitation and a mostly closed fermentation chamber with some tinfoil over the carboy mouth. Many large breweries employ open fermentation. If you're fermenting/conditioning for more than one month, you need to start worrying about really sealing it up.

Not one infection for me yet, knock on wood...

 

[GT944]

Right on - thanks for the feedback, all. No cold crashing, Shawn_Brewin, so I should be good on that front. It has been over one month, so there is a chance - Guess I'll pick an evening to taste test, take a gravity reading, and bottle up!

 

[vennge]

Same situation. I just acquired a new beer kit to get back into things. I noticed by day three not a single bubble in my airlock. So as I get closer the hole that was drilled out for the airlock was not a nice smooth circle but jagged. So the bung even though pushed in missed a couple of spots. I removed and used some medical tape I had to wrap around the bung to make a solid seal. Of course I am panicking. But after reading this thread I will relax as all should be ok. There is sediment at the bottom and a small head on the top. At day 7. About 7 more to go and woo hoo. So stoked. This forum rocks!

Vennge