Forgot to put water in airlock

[alexchaskell]

Hey guys, beginner brewer here again. My room mate and I brewed beer on Sunday. In the mist of everything we both forgot to fill out 3-piece airlock with water. It was just around 48 hours when we realized that there was not water in it. Is this going to severely screw up the taste of the beer? I am really worrying about it. If you guys could let me know if this is a huge problem please let me know, and if there are any remedies? I doubt there is, but just a shot. Thanks

 

[LakewoodBrew]

No worries.. everything should be fine.

Now the dirty wash rag you left in the fermenter before pouring the wort in, that may be a problem.

 

[milesvdustin]

Was it bubbling away as soon as you got water in it? If so, then it has been pushing co2 and it should be ok. The yeast will take over and kill any intruders hopefully. Rdwhahb

 

[alexchaskell]

Yes, the second I put water in, it was bubbling like crazy! Thanks for the reassurance guys!

 

[brewanew]

I just did the same thing for four days(did not put water in the airlock). Am I in any danger of bacteria ect? And the second I placed the water into my airlock it has been bubbling every 10-12 sec or so. Does this sound about normal or have a screwed up this batch? Also just a thought if you boiled down the brew after fermentation would kill out "any intruders"
Many thanks for your help!!

 

[Hoosier-Brewer]

You're fine, but I would suggest sanitizer or vodka instead of water in case you get any suck back for whatever reason.

 

[brewanew]

Thanks for the quick response! Next steps for a rookie??

1. I have read about hydrometers so I'm going to wait out the airlock bubbling then get a reading of specific gravity with the hydrometer till it is steady reading for a few days. Then should I bottle?? I have heard people leaving it in the primary for weeks then going straight to bottling?

2. Ok try not to laugh at this one. I was thinking of using large 1 gallon spin top plastic bottles of water to bottle the brew in? Leave them in a very dark cabinet in the house to keep em away from the sun for a week of so. Am I dumb for attempting this?

I appreciate any advice on where I may be going wrong with my approach.

Thanks

 

[mpenn35]

Thanks for the quick response! Next steps for a rookie??

1. I have read about hydrometers so I'm going to wait out the airlock bubbling then get a reading of specific gravity with the hydrometer till it is steady reading for a few days. Then should I bottle?? I have heard people leaving it in the primary for weeks then going straight to bottling?

2. Ok try not to laugh at this one. I was thinking of using large 1 gallon spin top plastic bottles of water to bottle the brew in? Leave them in a very dark cabinet in the house to keep em away from the sun for a week of so. Am I dumb for attempting this?

I appreciate any advice on where I may be going wrong with my approach.

Thanks

1. I would leave it in primary for a minimum of two weeks. Maybe after 10 or 11 days, take gravity reading. If it's close to where it should finish, check again the next two days to see if there is any change. If it's still dropping, it needs more time.

2. I don't know about the bottles. I guess it depends on if they can withstand the pressure that will be forming inside them. It may work, or you may end up with a very dark and beer covered cabinet. I know some guys use plastic PET bottles to bottle, but I've never bottled in anything but glass. Also, if you're bottling in one gallon jugs, you may have to drink that entire gallon when you open or it may go flat. Again, I've got no experience with that, just my uneducated opinion/guess.

 

[brewanew]

What about cheap carbing bottle options? Found these for .70 that's $14 total bottling per 5 gallon brew vs pet which is $40 bottling 5gallons. These bottles seem have nice caps and could handle the pressure. What do you think?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Clear-American-Pineapple-Coconut-Sparkling-Water-1-l/16767877