Dropped a rubber plug in my brew

[BrewNectar]

I didn't buy a beginners brew making kit so I decided to brew inside a 5 gallon spring water bottle. I widened the hole on top of the plastic cap that comes with the bottle to get my rubber plug to fit. Upon placing my air lock into the plug I pushed down to hard and the rubber plug slipped through the hole and fell into my brew. I did the right thing and bought a plug that fits the entire diameter of the hole, like i should have in the first place, but the other plug is still in the brew. It's impossible to see where the plug could be since the stout is so dark. Will the plug deteriorate and ruin my brew? Thanks

 

[idigg]

No idea, but my guess is at worst you will get plastic/chemical off-flavors. If the plug wasn't sanitized that is a whole different story.

 

[Nugent]

Ha ha. Nearly everyone on this forum has done the same thing. You'll be fine. I did it twice, proving that some of us don't learn quickly. I'm sure that you've figured out that you put the airlock into the bung first.

Like the last poster said, if the bung wasn't sanitized, you'll have to wait and see if any beasties made it in. I doubt that it'll be the deciding factor in the quality of your beer.

 

[shamrockdoc]

I did it to a smoked IPA and it won 1st in a local contest. You will be fine.

 

[PVH]

I've done it. I sanitize my stoppers prior to use, so it didn't cause any problems with the brew.

However, I had a hell of a time getting it out of the carboy after I racked the beer. I took a clothes hanger and made a little hook on the end. I had to pull hard enough that slapstick hilarity ensued when the stopper came free.

 

[BrewNectar]

Thanks guys, I hope you are right and it comes out fine. Unfortunately the plug wasn't sanitized. What's the worst thing that can happen to a beer with an unsanitary stopper?

 

[PVH]

What's the worst thing that can happen to a beer with an unsanitary stopper?

An infection by bacteria or wild yeast. But it probably won't happen. Most have gotten away with a lot worse.

 

[BrewNectar]

An infection by bacteria or wild yeast. But it probably won't happen. Most have gotten away with a lot worse.

What are the sign of an infected brew? Thanks.

 

[shamrockdoc]

An infection by bacteria or wild yeast. But it probably won't happen. Most have gotten away with a lot worse.

What are the sign of an infected brew? Thanks.

Way to scare him dude. Look you will be fine the alcohol in the brew will kill the nasties. RDWHAHB! your rubber plug will not infect your beer then in turn create the zombie apocalypse.

 

[PVH]

Way to scare him dude. Look you will be fine the alcohol in the brew will kill the nasties. RDWHAHB!

Yeah, I should have held off there. Just reflexively answered the question straightforwardly.

Shamrockdoc is right. The beer will almost certainly be perfectly fine. You should relax and stop worrying, as the brewer's worrying has been shown to negatively affect the performance of the yeast.

 

[starrfish]

Way to scare him dude. Look you will be fine the alcohol in the brew will kill the nasties. RDWHAHB! your rubber plug will not infect your beer then in turn create the zombie apocalypse.

 

[92greenyj]

as long as its sanitzed you should be fine. I dropped a transfer hose into one of my kegs while racking the beer into it (hose somehow slipped off the spigot on the bucket into the keg) rather than try to fish it out I just left it in there. I'll get it back when the keg blows.

 

[thedirtystayout]

I did this on my most recent brew, a holiday brown. I opened my first bottle last night with no discernable problem. I'm sure you'll be ok too. Good luck!

 

[superjunior]

most everybody here has done it including myself. smartest thing to do is NOT try to fish it out.

 

[92greenyj]

most everybody here has done it including myself. smartest thing to do is NOT try to fish it out.

that was what i decided. figured i would risk more infection/problems by trying to fish it out of the keg then if i just left the tube in there.

 

[BrewNectar]

most everybody here has done it including myself. smartest thing to do is NOT try to fish it out.

That's what I figured and didn't bother trying. In any case, it's a very inexpensive experiment. I most likely will start brewing another batch alongside this one.

 

[starrfish]

lol don't worry about it! Zombie post was just a joke we've all done it you'll be fine... BUT if your really worried about your beer just ship it to me and I'll put in in a safe environment with the proper amount of Co2... LOL tap that brew!

 

[BrewNectar]

lol don't worry about it! Zombie post was just a joke we've all done it you'll be fine... BUT if your really worried about your beer just ship it to me and I'll put in in a safe environment with the proper amount of Co2... LOL tap that brew!

No worries lol.:rockin: