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Like I said, we've seen all permutations "of my airlock is doing or not doing x on here" worries every day.

Yes, but I'm sure you've seen way more threads where people said something to the effect of "it started bubbling after x hours". You may get tired of it, but no one said you had to post 36K times. Btw, your comments like "And therefore the thousands of "children" who..." are why I've called you arrogant before. Plus, I call BS on your 50% air-lock failure rate...though I've noticed in general that you seem to think that if you don't need something (e.g. larger than a 5 gallon cooler for a mash tun) then others don't, or that in this case most people are going to have anywhere close to a 50% failure rate.
 
usfmikeb said:
We'd have to go back and check their posting history, but I'm pretty confident they didn't hyperventilate when they didn't see activity 20 minutes after making beer.

I think you meant to say etching history.
 
Y"And therefore the thousands of "children" who..." are why I've called you arrogant before. Plus, I call BS on your 50% air-lock failure rate...

If you notice it was in quotes...go back and read the OPs original rant. He was the one that used the term "scaring the children" I was just calling him out on HIS use of the term. in case you missed it, which obviously you did. :rolleyes:

OP said:
Quit it, right now, you’re scaring the children.

As to calling BS to my 50% airlock, that's your choice. I don't give a flying **** what you believe or not. You can call it "aunt nelly's panties" if it floats your boat. It's still the truth.

Like I'd have a reason to lie about something like that. :rolleyes:

As to the cooler size or whatever, too many people say "X way is the only way...." And I try, in my life, and not just on here, to show people options. I talk about what works based on my experience, and I try to explain why. SO that the person can choose for themselves. As I've said on here daily, there's no one way of doing things, there's usually no one BEST or RIGHT way to do things.

I'm not going to play "feed the troll" anymore. I don't see you on here every day helping new brewers out. So why should I have to justify anything to you.
 
I'm not going to play "feed the troll" anymore. I don't see you on here every day helping new brewers out. So why should I have to justify anything to you.

Apparently I'm a troll because I think you're wrong? As for not helping new brewers out? Well, maybe I don't do it as often as you, but certainly do try to help brewers out. Granted, I don't tend to go in the beginning brewers section.
 
I'm sure the Egyptians were diligent with their hydrometer readings because everyone knows they didn't use airlocks.

This is an excellent point. We probably shouldn't use propane or electricity or wort chillers either. :p

I'll say it again: If you want to KNOW, use a hydrometer. If you're ok with guessing, stick with the airlock bubbles.

(Full disclosure--I often wait til bubbling stops to check my hydrometer. But when I want to be SURE, I measure.)
 
Piratwolf said:
Full disclosure--I often wait til bubbling stops to check my hydrometer. But when I want to be SURE, I measure.

I do the same. If I don't see signs of activity within 72 hours, I get the hydrometer out as well.
 
How does an airlock fail? I’ve been using the same ones for years.

Maybe if you’re brewing in a basement in Michigan it freezes. If you don’t care about bubbles, you could use a crumpled up paper towel. That’s what I do with my starters.
 
How does an airlock fail? I’ve been using the same ones for years.

Maybe if you’re brewing in a basement in Michigan it freezes. If you don’t care about bubbles, you could use a crumpled up paper towel. That’s what I do with my starters.

They usually don't. It's possible for the bucket to stop sealing after a while, I suppose, but I rather doubt that's all that common. That's why I find it hard to believe someone could have a 50% failure rate. That's just unlucky...not really a reason to preach against airlocks as fermentation indicators. Plus, I don't believe anyone has said that they're anything more than a rough indicator.
 
I'm sure the Egyptians were diligent with their hydrometer readings because everyone knows they didn't use airlocks.

So, according to your 'logic', we should still be enslaving our enemies, keeping large slave harems, chopping off children's hands for stealing, etc. Not to mention we sure as $hit shouldn't be using any modern amenities.

What is with all these people lately saying we shouldn't do this or that because 'thousands of years ago' brewers didn't? It makes ZERO sense. Not sure if you people have gotten the memo, but humanity has learned a thing or two in the last couple thousand years. :drunk:

And to whoever thinks they're the man because they think they're calling peoples 'BS'..... guys like you are a dime a dozen on this site. They come n go from the hobby like flys on a cow pie. It seems that whenever someone with a lot of posts and a straightforward manner says something they don't understand, they call 'BS' or cry, or make up some asinine cr@p to get their $.02 into a thread. I'd really like to see what guys like that would do, or how they would figure out anything, if members like Revvy, myself and others who regularly have to put up with this adolescent behavior decided to stop posting.
 
And to whoever thinks they're the man because they think they're calling peoples 'BS'..... guys like you are a dime a dozen on this site. They come n go from the hobby like flys on a cow pie. It seems that whenever someone with a lot of posts and a straightforward manner says something they don't understand, they call 'BS' or cry, or make up some asinine cr@p to get their $.02 into a thread. I'd really like to see what guys like that would do, or how they would figure out anything, if members like Revvy, myself and others who regularly have to put up with this adolescent behavior decided to stop posting.

I've done just fine without you or Revvy, thank you. Apparently I'm a dime a dozen, though. I personally don't see how your comment is not adolescent behavior as well (I suppose you didn't actually say it wasn't, though.). I call BS where I see it. Apparently I'm immediately wrong just because a member has a high post count. (I'm assuming you're talking about me since you mentioned 'BS'.)
 
NordeastBrewer77 said:
What is with all these people lately saying we shouldn't do this or that because 'thousands of years ago' brewers didn't? It makes ZERO sense. Not sure if you people have gotten the memo, but humanity has learned a thing or two in the last couple thousand years. :drunk:

Can you just imagine what that beer REALLY used to taste like without sanitation, temp control, and today's raw input quality? I bet it tasted like a cross between camel $hit and rocket fuel.

Yummy, let's all go back to using true historical processes in a desert.
 
I've done just fine without you or Revvy, thank you. Apparently I'm a dime a dozen, though. I personally don't see how your comment is not adolescent behavior as well (I suppose you didn't actually say it wasn't, though.). I call BS where I see it. Apparently I'm immediately wrong just because a member has a high post count. (I'm assuming you're talking about me since you mentioned 'BS'.)

It's one of those, 'if the shoe fits' things. And in your case, it seems to be your size. You can call BS all ya want, the thing is, just saying something is bull$hit without having any fact to stand on is BS in and of itself. As far as adolescent behavior, I'm referring to trolling. Ya know the thing my teenage son does on Facebook to get a reaction from his schoolmates? Kinda the same as the folks here who pop in with silly one liners or to 'call BS' for the sole purpose of riling up others on this site.
Let's be real, man.... before your post on this thread, I'd never seen you here. And I sure haven't seen you kindly answering question after question with solid advice as I've seen the member you started hounding on earlier in this thread do. People Like Revvy take time out of their days to help other brewers out because it makes them feel good. People like you take time out of their days to pick on people because it makes them feel good. Very different takes on life, and really, the folks in the latter group are pretty offensive, IMO.

Can you just imagine what that beer REALLY used to taste like without sanitation, temp control, and today's raw input quality? I bet it tasted like a cross between camel $hit and rocket fuel.

Yummy, let's all go back to using true historical processes in a desert.

I know right?! That's right up there with the guy on another thread who's claiming we don't need to use star san because medieval monks didn't. I think someone opened up the gates on Troll Island and let them all loose.
 
It's one of those, 'if the shoe fits' things. And in your case, it seems to be your size. You can call BS all ya want, the thing is, just saying something is bull$hit without having any fact to stand on is BS in and of itself. As far as adolescent behavior, I'm referring to trolling. Ya know the thing my teenage son does on Facebook to get a reaction from his schoolmates? Kinda the same as the folks here who pop in with silly one liners or to 'call BS' for the sole purpose of riling up others on this site.
Let's be real, man.... before your post on this thread, I'd never seen you here. And I sure haven't seen you kindly answering question after question with solid advice as I've seen the member you started hounding on earlier in this thread do. People Like Revvy take time out of their days to help other brewers out because it makes them feel good. People like you take time out of their days to pick on people because it makes them feel good. Very different takes on life, and really, the folks in the latter group are pretty offensive, IMO.
.

Again, apparently disagreeing is classified as trolling. Look at my original post in the thread. I was voicing my difference of opinion, but apparently that's trolling. You say you've never seen me answering questions, but that doesn't mean I haven't (I certainly have.). Answer me this, how is your comparing me to your teenage son not trolling behavior? Is it OK because you have more posts than me? How is Revvy's posting of the picture of the woman clapping not something that could be seen as trolling? I'm sure people could easily see that as an intent to annoy people (e.g. it could annoy the OP).
 
Again, apparently disagreeing is classified as trolling. Look at my original post in the thread. I was voicing my difference of opinion, but apparently that's trolling. You say you've never seen me answering questions, but that doesn't mean I haven't (I certainly have.). Answer me this, how is your comparing me to your teenage son not trolling behavior? Is it OK because you have more posts than me? How is Revvy's posting of the picture of the woman clapping not something that could be seen as trolling? I'm sure people could easily see that as an intent to annoy people (e.g. it could annoy the OP).

:rolleyes:

I'll give ya your first post, aside from the way you started it, it was totally on topic and appropriate.

Yes, but I'm sure you've seen way more threads where people said something to the effect of "it started bubbling after x hours". You may get tired of it, but no one said you had to post 36K times. Btw, your comments like "And therefore the thousands of "children" who..." are why I've called you arrogant before. Plus, I call BS on your 50% air-lock failure rate...though I've noticed in general that you seem to think that if you don't need something (e.g. larger than a 5 gallon cooler for a mash tun) then others don't, or that in this case most people are going to have anywhere close to a 50% failure rate.

But your second seems to be badgering someone for responding to your first.
Not to mention you jump on me for pointing out a flaw in someone else's post about ancient Egypt.
I'm sure you do answer posts and whatnot, but judging from your posting here on this thread, the bulk of what you do is argue with folks who're answering posts.
Call me what you will for pointing out that some of the posters here are doing the same thing my son does, but really..... like I said, it's an 'if the shoe fits' thing.....
 
Call me what you will for pointing out that some of the posters here are doing the same thing my son does, but really..... like I said, it's an 'if the shoe fits' thing.....

Is that a yes, it's OK for you to troll? You didn't answer my other questions about your trolling? Would you mind telling me why they're not trolling? You obviously dodged my question about your own trolling as far as your son comment.
 
Is that a yes, it's OK for you to troll? You didn't answer my other questions about your trolling? Would you mind telling me why they're not trolling? You obviously dodged my question about your own trolling as far as your son comment.

:confused: huh? I didn't answer your questions so you're sad? C'mon man, the last thing I care about is making sure I've thoroughly answered leading questions asked by some dude on some thread on the intertron.... I didn't 'dodge' your question(s), I simply chose not to respond to your juvenile questions because I think your questions were actually the answers you were seeking. If you think I'm trolling, please, please report me.
 
Wow, I never thought I'd see this, but one poster has chased two of the most vocal members of this site off of the same thread on the same day.
You guys enjoy the 'blind leading the blind' mentality on this thread, I'm unsub'd..... off to troll other threads for unsuspecting newbs who're in need of all the bad advice I'm known for propagating here on HBT. :rolleyes:
 
NordeastBrewer77 said:
So, according to your 'logic', we should still be enslaving our enemies, keeping large slave harems, chopping off children's hands for stealing, etc. Not to mention we sure as $hit shouldn't be using any modern amenities.

What is with all these people lately saying we shouldn't do this or that because 'thousands of years ago' brewers didn't? It makes ZERO sense. Not sure if you people have gotten the memo, but humanity has learned a thing or two in the last couple thousand years. :drunk:

And to whoever thinks they're the man because they think they're calling peoples 'BS'..... guys like you are a dime a dozen on this site. They come n go from the hobby like flys on a cow pie. It seems that whenever someone with a lot of posts and a straightforward manner says something they don't understand, they call 'BS' or cry, or make up some asinine cr@p to get their $.02 into a thread. I'd really like to see what guys like that would do, or how they would figure out anything, if members like Revvy, myself and others who regularly have to put up with this adolescent behavior decided to stop posting.

There is more than one way to reach the same result. Also, don't throw out your shoulder while patting yourself on the back and if I ever act like an adult please shoot me.
 
This thread is like a bad beer that didn't improve with time. It sucked from the start and got worse the longer it went on.
 
That is it for me reading anymore. I have learned who to listen to and who to ignore in the future though.

Humility...oh well.
 
i know what you mean.. if you're brewing an ale.. you should be getting airlock activity within a day. its a good sign of the primary ferment.. there is no way something creating that much gas is not going to bubble.. after 3 days or more you will not be seeing as much activity but it is still bubbling...
a simple answer to the question why it isn't bubbling would be. either your past your primary or you have a leak.. but it does not mean your beer is done..
but the answer i typically see around here is.. WTF are you an idiot, you dont know anything, airlock has nothing to do fermenting its a valve and thatss all, barometric pressure bla bla bla look how smart i am...
but 100% of my brews the bubbling starts alot in primary ferment. then it dies down a lil.. i don't touch my beers for 3 weeks and they are always done, so i dont worry about it much.. but to tell people not to look at the airlock for activity is wrong.. after the first week yes, dont use the airlock as a guide.. in the first week it is an excellent guide to know when your primary fermentation has started/stoped.. not if the beer is done
 
Greenbasterd said:
.. in the first week it is an excellent guide to know when your primary fermentation has started/stoped.

First, let me say I don't really give a rat's tail which side people are on. It's America and it's your beer.

But here's the thing: this quote is flatly untrue as stated.

EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE: At this very moment I have a robust porter fermenting (day 5) in plastic bucket w/ an airlock. I've watched at least 5min straight on a few occasions, but the airlock has not bubbled once. So, as I stated earlier, I decided to KNOW and took off the top for a hydro reading. Didn't need to take one, however--thick krausen and strong CO2 smell/stinging.

Is the lack of bubbles a rarity for me? Yes. Is it unheard of? No.

Does it underscore the fallacy that an airlock is always a useful gauge of fermentation? Only if you adhere to scientific method.

Like I said, I don't really care. I'll brew me, you brew you. But while people can have different interpretations, what they can't have is their own facts.
 
I'm going to cancel my cable. This thread is all the entertainment I need, you guys are hilarious!
 
Can we let this thread die now, please? As the OP, I watched this thread get interesting, resolve the issue, get ugly and then sort of get back to the original point.

My original point was that people should quit saying that “airlock activity is meaningless” because it’s not true. I have a lot of fun watching the bubbles and it gives me a pretty good idea of what’s going on with my beer. Case made, we’re done. Or are we? The case was not closed, but rather; afoot.

As it turns out airlock activity is always meaningful. Lack of airlock activity not so much. You might have a leak.
 
I knew the airlock police would just destroy this thread as soon as i read the title! And I agree with you Revy!
 

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