Oops, there goes the stopper...

[andre the giant]

Last night I brewed a batch, and when I went to put the stopper in the carboy, it slipped right on through and into the wort. The stopper had been soaking in sanitizer for hours, and I used a quart of starter, (8 hours later, lots of foam and constant bubbling from the blowoff tube) so I'm not worried about contamination... I just am wondering how I'm going to get the thing out of there.

 

[uglygoat]

i fished one out with a butter knife...

someone else here used a coat hanger to hook the hole...

 

[homebrewer_99]

After you rack use a metal coat hanger with a little hook (the diameter of the opening in the stopper) on the end to go into the center hole.

Try to hook the smaller end first so it slides through the opening (the reverse of how it got in there).

 

[Born Brewing Co.]

My buddy did this. So, everytime I cap my carboy I remember to be extra careful. Use Hombrewer's technique. I would also have the carboy lip wet, perhaps with sanitizer, acts like a lube, stopper should pull right out.

 

[homebrewer_99]

The "trick" here would be to put the airlock into the stopper BEFORE plugging up the opening.

 

[andre the giant]

All very good suggestions. Wetting the lip of the carboy should help. The lip was wet with sanitizer (slippery) when I tried to put the stopper in. It wouldn't stay "seated" and would just pop right back up. So I tried to push it in a little farther when.... splash one stopper. I would have put the airlock in, but I planned on shaking the carboy pretty vigorously first.

Oh well. The beer will be fine, it smelled and tasted wonderful. Nice and hoppy. Here it is, 15 hours and a couple showers later, I'm at work, but I still can "smell" the boiling wort. Maybe it's all in my head, but boy does it smell good. Ahhhh, I love homebrewing.

 

[sudsmonkey]

Bust the carboy ! Better yet, fin a relly little man, really little, and get him in there to push it back out for you. Afterwards , get a bigger stopper. I dropped my siphon hose into a carboy the other night and played Hell getting it back out. A coathanger is a valuable tool around the brewery ! If you can't get it out, rest easy with the knowledge that every time you clean the carboy , that stopper gets clean too.




Sudsmonkey

 

[andre the giant]

It wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't a carboy I borrowed from a friend.

 

[Sir Sudster]

SUDSMONKEY, have you been sippin suds again? What would we do with out coat hangers? We use to use bailing wire.

 

[seanhagerty]

Get a piece of rope and tie a knot in it, then slide the knotted end into the carboy. Tip the carboy up till the stopper is over the hole..then pull the rope out slowly. The stopper should come out. May take two or three tries, but good luck.


Oh yes, wait till the beer is out

 

[AlaskaAl(e)]

It wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't a carboy I borrowed from a friend.

So he just got a free stopper! What more could a friend ask for?

 

[Sasquatch]

Andre, this sounds insane but it works... when you're done here, take a dish towel, not too fuzzy... just cotton towel, and push an end down into the empty carboy.... roll things around until the "cork" is laying in the towel, then just pull the works up through the hole. If you can fold the towel over the bung then it'll work even better. Yank er' out.... works on wine bottle corks... can't see why not in a carboy.

Good luck.

 

[rixport]

Last night I brewed a batch, and when I went to put the stopper in the carboy, it slipped right on through and into the wort. The stopper had been soaking in sanitizer for hours, and I used a quart of starter, (8 hours later, lots of foam and constant bubbling from the blowoff tube) so I'm not worried about contamination... I just am wondering how I'm going to get the thing out of there.

The most obvious way to do it would be to smash the carboy.. pick up the stopper and sweep up the glass.. of course, this would require a trip to the homebrew shop and some money from your wallet..

Ken

 

[user 574]

Ah just leave it in there. Kind of like one of those Guiness thingies in there cans. Might also aide in aerating the next batch for the yeasties.

 

[andre the giant]

Ah just leave it in there. Kind of like one of those Guiness thingies in there cans. Might also aide in aerating the next batch for the yeasties.

I gotcha... kinda like the ball in a can of spraypaint. Hmmmm so many good suggestions, I especially like the idea of smashing the $20 carboy to retrieve a 10 cent stopper.

Its about time to rack to secondary. I'll let you know what happens in a day or so.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I gotcha... kinda like the ball in a can of spraypaint.

Extra Point Question:

What's the ball in the spray paint called?

Hint: There was a rock band in the '60s called The _ _ _ _.

Check back tomorrow for the answer.

 

[andre the giant]

"The agitator?" They were my favorites....
What do I win?

 

[andre the giant]

I racked to secondary yesterday. While rinsing out the carboy the stopper plugged up the neck from the inside. It was oriented the right way and everything. (tapered side pointing out of the carboy.) I grabbed the nearest coathanger, made a little hook, stuck it in the stopper hole and presto... The stopper came right out. So I had a couple beers to celebrate.

 

[Sasquatch]

Hurray!!! I'll have a beer too!

 

[andre the giant]

One week until my beer party extravaganza.... I think I'll drink a beer to celebrate!

 

[Sasquatch]

What a coincidence... I'm celebrating too!!! Grab me another beer, mother?

 

[patrck17]

Yeah I am at work, so no beer extravaganza's for me till the 4th.