New member and 'did I ruin it' all in one!

[MrWiggles]

Hey all, I'm new here and fairly new to the homebrew scene. I'm 21 and currently reside in Tuscaloosa, Al attending the university. So far I have made a few small 1 gallon batches of cider and apfelwein with satisfactory results. I even made a cyser(if you can call it that) with agave nectar rather than honey. But on to my obligatory 'did I ruin it?' post. Today was my first attempt at making a beer. I ventured down to my 'local' homebrew supplier, "ALABREW", and splurged on a 5 gal bucket and a recipe mix for a Newcastle brown ale clone. I followed their instructions to a tee with only a few roadbumps i.e. boil-over. My biggest mistake was when I had everything done and in my bucket, lid on securely, I was putting the airlock on and apparantly pushed too hard/too quick and the grommet fell into my bucket (Oh no!). So without a spoon long enough I had to go in after it bare-handed. I washed up to my elbow with near scalding water and dawn dish soap beforehand but I just gotta know, did I ruin it?

 

[ChshreCat]

yesitsruinedsendittomeforproperdisposal

Ok, now that that's out of the way... No, odds are your beer is just fine. Next time that happens (and it probably will since it happens a lot) just leave the grommet in there. You can just set the airlock in the hole, or you can wrap it with a little sanitized plastic wrap to make it fit snugly and then rescue your grommet after your done fermenting.

And as a name for the batch, can I suggest "Bareknuckle Brown"?

 

[MrWiggles]

Yea, I figured it should be fine after reading the extensive list of "did I ruin it" Q's but I figured wth, I might as well ask. Thanks for the tip for future reference too. And yes! Bareknuckle Brown sounds great! I actually lol'd when I read that. Plus I can go one step further, Brett's Bareknuckle Brown, just to make it a bit more personal.
Thanks

 

[Shooter]

Yes, definitely ruined. You are the FIRST person I've ever heard about who has done this. You are DOOMED!!!!

 

[copper]

"Without a doubt the single and most dramatically significant thing that can spoil the taste of your beer is...worrying." -Charlie Papazian

Welcome to HBT, MrWiggles.

Note: I could not write the previous line with a straight face.

 

[MrWiggles]

Good, that's the point in the name. I don't remember why I came up with this particular nickname but, I remember in middle school when people asked about it I would tell them "Well, because I'm.. I'm impotent.." and have a good laugh later at their reactions (yes, I was quite the oddball). I'm honestly not too terribly worried about it though, especially after the great name ChshreCat suggested. I just had to get the 'did I ruin it" out of the way now so as to not worry over subsequent batches.

 

[buffalobrewer]

future tip: install airlock, install lid. in that order.

 

[Noodle]

I did that exact same thing to my first beer and ever since I attach the airlock to the lid before putting the lid on the bucket.

 

[ChshreCat]

I did one better. I took out the grommet and used a stopper that fit the hole instead. Works a lot better.

 

[shelly_belly]

Greetings fellow Alabamian and don't worry, it'll be fine. I had a similar experience today:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/dropped-my-pipette-my-fermenter-ruined-190054/

Alabrew's New Castle clone is pretty good but this is much better- I've done both.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/nut-brown-ag-30187/

Welcome, and War Eagle, my friend.

 

[MrWiggles]

First off, we say "Roll Tide" 'round these parts! (J/k, I'm not too worried about the whole school spirit thing) and secondly, I'm not quite prepared to move on to all grain just yet. I will, however, keep that recipe for future reference. I'm an unemployed college kid (I'm workin' on getting a job) so all I have to work with is 5 1gal glass jugs and a 5gal fermenter bucket, as well as a 12quart pot. I'm almost certain my brew is doing just fine though as it is going about 2 bubbles per second in the airlock (yea yea, I know the airlock isn't a reliable means of keeping tabs on the fermenting process). I can't wait though 'till I have the money for more equipment because I see this becoming a full time hobby. Hopefully I can brew a legitimate "Bareknuckle Brown" of my own recipe, rather than a clone of another brew.

BTW - Racking my Apfelwein mit Pfirschen tonight! Hope it comes out as delicious as it sounds(and looks). Also I had a minor blowoff with my Cyser-esque apfelwein (using agave nectar rather than honey) so I had to dump some of the airlock's contents so it wouldnt fall back in. I really need to invest in a hydrometer as well...