Something Strange

[huckbof]

I have a 9.2% ABV Tripel that finished fermenting awhile back and is aging at 50F in the garage in secondary. Well, a heavy object fell from a wall and knocked some other objects on the bench. Well something fell directly on the airlock and crushed it and forced it into the carboy. It was a real strange thing - but it happened - and the carboy was not damaged. I immediately put another sanitized airlock on the carboy. The airlock that is now inside the carboy was filled with vodka. Who knows what critters were on the outside of the airlock, but I am hoping that the high alcohol content of the beer might protect it. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

 

[antony]

I'd agree that the high alcohol content of the finished beer probably means you're good. Have you given thought as to how you'll get the airlock out afterward?

 

[huckbof]

The airlock was crushed so it should come out in pieces. I was going to hook the airlock stopper with a bent hanger through the hole and maybe squeeze it back through.

 

[Teromous]

I would call Ghost Busters.

 

[FatDragon]

Glass carboy? Might want to retire it... That sort of thing might not break it or cause any visible cracks, but it might still weaken the carboy's structural integrity and cause problems down the line.

 

[WayFrae]

That is crazy! You are lucky the carboy is okay!

 

[huckbof]

Looks like this might be OK, no fermenting going on at all.
I have reconstructed what happened here. I had this sitting in a 10 gal tote full of water on the garage floor to cool it down to 50 because it was displaced from the temp controlled chamber by a new munich helles. I had put the tote lid and a towel on top to keep the light out and the propane burner fell on the tote lid and smashed and shoved the air lock into the carboy. So, I am guessing the plastic tote lid saved the carboy from getting smashed.

 

[ted464]

I hope there is no possibility of small plastic (or glass) shavings or shards being left in the beer... definitely not something you want to ingest.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

I hope there is no possibility of small plastic (or glass) shavings or shards being left in the beer... definitely not something you want to ingest.

Sure it would be possible. It wouldn't be exciting if it weren't.

They should sink to the bottom of the fermenter and then to the bottom of the bottle bucket if any make it that far.

 

[huckbof]

I can see them floating, they are large and would probably not get past the black cap on the end of the racking tube or through the spigot on my bottling bucket

 

[1977Brewer]

Plastic shards are delicious, but I chew on pens.

 

[masskrug]

Sounds like it will be fine. I doubt any particles will make it through the bottling wand. I had a thermometer break in my bucket and leak lead BBs everywhere. Although the beer sucked, I did not ingest any BBs.

 

[BuffaloJohn]

Wow. crazy. They make these nylon covers for Carboys now that can contain the broken glass in the event it breaks. I can see this being good insurance for any carboy that is potentially damaged.

As for the cork, that could be a little tricky. I think you'll need to fashion something to cut it into pieces. A dowel with an exacto taped to it or something.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[huckbof]

2 of us made 2 IPAs and an Irish Red and bottled a Tripel and a Strong Scotch Ale today, busy 11 hour brew day. I pulled the rubber stopper out of the Tripel with a wire hanger in about 3 minutes by bending it into a long narrow u shape and hooked it through the broken plastic tube in the stopper. The larger plastic pieces just pulled out by hand.