blowoff tube slipped above sanitizer.

[jvh261]

I made an ESB yesterday. Everything went great. Pitched British Ale yeast, no starter, just straight from a fully swelled Wyeast smack pack, and sealed up my bucket. Inserted a blowoff tube through the gromit and into a growler half filled with sanitizer. Put a hooded sweatshirt around the bucket and let it be. Went back to check on it about 8 hours later and noticed that the end of blowoff tube in the growler had somehow slipped above the liquid level. Don't know if the cat hit it or what happened...even though it was clipped in, it slipped somehow. Quickly fixed it and went to bed. Not fermenting yet this morning, but it still hasn't been quite 24 hours since pitching yet. I'm hoping its bubbling by the time I get home.

Did I do much damage? Worst case scenario is that the tube was open to air, even though it was inside the growler, for up to 8 hours. Never happened to me before so just doing the homebrewer freakout a little.

 

[Donasay]

Don't worry, if normal fermentation sets in within the next day or so the yeast should out compete whatever could have possibly gotten in through the small tube.

 

[blacklab]

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be bubbling away soon enough.

If you properly sanitize, it's way harder than you think to infect your beer. Unless the cat actually opened the fermenter and took a drink, you're most likely fine.

 

[e lo]

Bacteria or wild yeast can't move up the blowoff tube of their own accord. You're fine. Look up Pasteur's original goose-neck flask experiment that disproved spontaneous generation -- it was open to air the entire time.

 

[San_Diego_Matt]

Bacteria or wild yeast can't move up the blowoff tube of their own accord.

Is this because, as I read in another thread, that bacteria and yeast don't actually fly, but are only carried via the breeze?

 

[cheezydemon]

Yes! And that mother farger is still sitting there however many years later, still unspoiled. Just don't lift the hose up above the carboy before detatching.

 

[e lo]

Is this because, as I read in another thread, that bacteria and yeast don't actually fly, but are only carried via the breeze?

They're single-celled organisms without the means for any significant locomotion, other than some w/ flagella for some local wigglin' around. They can be carried by the breeze or by foreign objects, but they really aren't going anywhere on their own.

 

[rubble]

No big deal, Don't worry- have a home brew

 

[paranode]

Yeah I had a mini explosion once when I used an airlock and should have used a blow-off tube. That sat exposed for hours directly but turned out fine in the end.

 

[jvh261]

Yeah, figured I'd be ok and have been following the RDWHAHB rule. Theres a first time for everything I suppose.

thanks for the feedback and info.