So I woke up this morning and couldn't hear my airlock

[user 29674]

Yea yea I know, airlock activity is not an indication of fermentation. But when I went to bed last night it was gurgling like a drowning man. Walked over to the carboy and the airlock was empty except for one tiny little drop in the crook of the S-curve keeping a seal. While rushing for my spray-bottle of starsan so I can pour some in to refill it, I comtemplate on how it could have gotten emptied. The kids haven't been in there to mess with it, and there wasn't a big temperature drop overnight to create negative pressure and suck it in.

5 seconds after filling back up with starsan and reinstalling into the carboy bung, I had my answer...



Every bit of it foamed and oozed out from under the cap in under a minute. I boiled a some water to refill this time.

Man those little WLP013 guys are hungry! I've never had a fermentation this active without blowing off, but this barely has a 1/2" krausen. Weird.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

Vodka is good airlock filler.

 

[user 29674]

Vodka is good airlock filler.

Yea, I rummaged through the liquor cabinet looking for vodka before deciding to boil water. I have just about every liquor except vodka or grain alcohol. How's that happen?

 

[danorocks17]

i use cheap vodka too, i think someone left it here after a party. it's the $10 for a half gallon kind, but it works for airlocks!

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

That's what I get, whatever is cheapest.

It is cool to watch the looks on the cashier's face when the wife and I roll up to the checkout with nice wines, beer and liquor and a two dollar bottle of vodka.

 

[justflow1983]

My parents keep cheap vodka around for my Uncle Tony. There's a bottle of Stoli full of whatever's cheapest in the house for when he comes around, since he'll empty the whole thing and can't seem to taste the difference. The get the same look in the liquor store.

I use a bottle of undrinkable whiskey someone left over here for my airlock filler. Its called Sir Edward's single malt and its in a 2-litre plastic jug.