airlocks

[dannyboy]

silly question possibly, does the brewing bin need to be airtight for it to brew properly? should a airlock need to be used? and if not airtight what would happen to the brew?

cheers all

 

[Wez]

It doesn't need to be airtight, in fact many breweries use open fermenters.

My fermenters are buckets with an airlock fitted, this set up needs the lid to be snapped on tight so that the c02 escapes the correct way i.e. through the airlock :thumb:

 

[dannyboy]

cheers mate, thats good to know, have a hole in the top of the bin but never put an airlock in it. hopefully then the brew should be ok.

many thanks. :

 

[Wez]

If the hole has a rubber grommet you should be able to but stick an airlock in it. :)

 

[BrewStew]

i've got 3 fermenters with holes for airlocks, and three without... the three with i tried using airlocks to start with... was a complete waste of time IMO... the gas still found a way of leaking out elsewhere so the airlock didn't bubble.

in the end i just taped up the hole and just put the lid on tight, then snap loose a small bit to let the gas out as i did all the time with the previous 3 buckets.

the bucket stays full of CO2 while fermentation is in progress. this layer of CO2 is difficult for bacteria to multiply in so if you do this everything should be fine it's when fermentation stops that you have to get it racked to a more sealed container to prevent risk of infection.

 

[jamesb]

I've started using the 4" neck fermenters (the Youngs ones) instead of the normal buckets. These have a hole in the lid for a bung and airlock.

They're a lot easier to move and more impressive to watch than the normal buckets.

 

[kage72]

I don't know about your climate and the bug life in your area, but if I were to leave the airlock off my fermeneter, I would be looking at a goopy layer of mold atop my beer in 7 days. In the early stages of fermentation, the CO2 flushes all the air out of the fermenter, however as the fermentation calms down, the air (with mold spores) will work it's way in. The air where I live (Southern US) is very humid and rife with mold spores. Also, I'd likely have some small winged insects floating on top also.

An airlock is a small investment for the beneift of not worrying about contamination!

Kage

 

[falafael]

i was going to ask the same question, i have 4 bins, all with rubber bungs in for airlocks, which i use, however i also have another 5 gallon bin, with no hole in it, therefore i never used it, as unsure about fermenting in it, i wanted to use it for when i start wine, but didn't know if i could use it with the lid slightly 'off'.

 

[MEB]

I currently use an airlock but Frings micro use open top fermenters and he has said i should ferment without a lid on. I'm not yet brave enough to do so as i still get up to 24hrs lag time. Once i've got him to tell me how he gets no lag time i'll go open top.

 

[BrewStew]

i was going to ask the same question, i have 4 bins, all with rubber bungs in for airlocks, which i use, however i also have another 5 gallon bin, with no hole in it, therefore i never used it, as unsure about fermenting in it, i wanted to use it for when i start wine, but didn't know if i could use it with the lid slightly 'off'.

i've done the "snap lid on, then loosen one edge" method for wine in primary.. it's all good :) the only difference in my method is i put wine in a carboy with airlock for secondary.

 

[Rabmaxwell]

I currently use an airlock but Frings micro use open top fermenters and he has said i should ferment without a lid on. I'm not yet brave enough to do so as i still get up to 24hrs lag time. Once i've got him to tell me how he gets no lag time i'll go open top.

I tend to use closed fermentations but have done open many times in the past without problems.If you have access to a micro see if he will give you some yeast it will probably be a top fermenter if he is open fermenting & should have a very low lag time.Micro brewers normally pitch more yeast than the average homebrewer & repitch with very healthy yeast skimed from the top or from the slurry

 

[percival]

i also just snap the lid shut then unsnap at one point. my lid has no hole for an airlock and my bin is not transparent so i miss out on lots of viewing fun during primary.

 

[MEB]

I currently use an airlock but Frings micro use open top fermenters and he has said i should ferment without a lid on. I'm not yet brave enough to do so as i still get up to 24hrs lag time. Once i've got him to tell me how he gets no lag time i'll go open top.

I tend to use closed fermentations but have done open many times in the past without problems.If you have access to a micro see if he will give you some yeast it will probably be a top fermenter if he is open fermenting & should have a very low lag time.Micro brewers normally pitch more yeast than the average homebrewer & repitch with very healthy yeast skimed from the top or from the slurry

I'm going to get a starter going a few days before i brew and hopefully get enough yeasties going to over-pitch. Hopefully this will decrease my lag times. I'm fairly sure some of my yeasts are top fermenting. The micro i have become friendly with uses bottom fermenters W23 i seem to recall as he only produces lager style beers. He's keen to give me some of his yeast to try but i've never brewed a lager as i'm not keen on the commercial lagers i've tried. So perhaps i should have a go at brewing one one of these days.