No Air Lock Need Plan Two

[bellery]

Man - in the middle of brewing an IPA and discovered that my airlock is broken. No back up. Any suggestions or solutions to hold me over until I get an air look to replace it. I am not close to a brew store so it will take a few days to get one here online. Help. What do you do when you have no airlock ?????

 

[homebrewdad]

If no airlock, and no blowoff, sanitize a piece of aluminum foil and place it lightly over the opening. The CO2 pressure from fermentation will keep the nasties out.

 

[TyTanium]

Agreed - just cover it with something sanitized. Foil is great.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

If you are fermenting in a bucket, plug the airlock hole and only close one side of the lid leaving enough space for CO2 to escape, but closed enough that nothing can get in. I have never tried this but have heard several people have with great success... There is one poster here that does not ever use airlocks, just this method with a solid lid.

 

[TopherM]

There are brewers that ferment in open containers with no lid and rarely have problems with infection. It's much harder to get an infected batch than the impression some on this page may give.

Just lightly cover your opening with some aluminum foil until you can get another airlock, or go up to home depot and get some tubing, stick one end of the tubing in your airlock hole and the other in some water or starsan water - much cheaper and probably more effective than an airlock. Should cost you about 75 cents.

 

[bellery]

Great thanks. For now I will try the sanitized foil and watch closely to see if it blows off. On vacation and this IPA is my vacation brew. Broke the airlock in travel.

Excited to see if it comes out. I might be a noobie but love this hobby. Now I have a memory.

Thanks for the quick responses.

 

[bellery]

And longer term I am going to do that home depot thing. Thanks TopherM! That makes perfect sense and won't break!

 

[TopherM]

Sound like a beer name in progress to me:

No Lock IPA
Foiled IPA
VaCa IPA
Aired Out IPA

 

[bellery]

I love VaCa IPA. With your permission that is my new nickname.

 

[rifraf]

If you're worried about it, tape down three sides of the tinfoil square. It won't blow away, will let air out, and nothing in.

 

[vmaxinid]

I use a sandwich baggie and a hair tie on carboy. keep out the critters, and let the co2 out.

 

[bellery]

LOL Here is the update. The Foil air lock approach is working and just my luck I am having a rather violent fermentation. Bubbles coming out of the top. So things are going well. It smells absolutely wonderful in and around the bucket. No time to get to home depot so I will have to go with the foil for a few days. I think it is all going to turn out great. What fun. CO2 barriers are cool. This one is going to be a memory. Thanks again.