Grandaughter pulled airlock out of bung

[aftermath]

I was wondering if my first beer kit is ruined, my granddaughter must have pulled out the airlock from the bunk, i found the airlock lying on the floor.

This must have happened between 3.30 and 4.00 p.m, i found it about 7 pm, so there would have been a hole in the rubber bung in which the air could get in.

The kit is a better brew czech pilsner, it was syphoned off first fermentation 6 days ago to add the extra hops, overall its been going 13 days.

I hope it wouldnt have let the air in and damage it ?

Another question is , if the kit will still be ok, i intend to syphon off to another fermenter prior to bottling from the tap. How much brewers sugar do i need to mix up with a little water prior to syphoning off to the container prior to bottling, and do i need to give it a good mix, or leave without mixing it up ?

 

[calumscott]

Forget it - your beer is fine!!! The chances of anything getting in are slim to start with, then they would have to be the right type to ruin your beer, then they'd have to contend with the CO2 blanket that now covers your beer and if they made it through that lot they would have the alcohol already produced to kill em off...

 

[jonnymorris]

Don't worry about the airlock. You'll have a protective layer of CO2 over your brew and besides, many don't use an airlock at all.

As for priming, mix 100-120g of sugar into some boiled water and add it to your bottling bucket. Rack the lager on top (you might want to give it a little stir but I don't bother) and bottle.

 

[ScottM]

I was wondering if my first beer kit is ruined, my granddaughter must have pulled out the airlock from the bunk, i found the airlock lying on the floor.

This must have happened between 3.30 and 4.00 p.m, i found it about 7 pm, so there would have been a hole in the rubber bung in which the air could get in.

The kit is a better brew czech pilsner, it was syphoned off first fermentation 6 days ago to add the extra hops, overall its been going 13 days.

I hope it wouldnt have let the air in and damage it ?

Another question is , if the kit will still be ok, i intend to syphon off to another fermenter prior to bottling from the tap. How much brewers sugar do i need to mix up with a little water prior to syphoning off to the container prior to bottling, and do i need to give it a good mix, or leave without mixing it up ?

It will probably be OK. CO2 is heavier than oxygen so the layer created should still be protecting the top of the beer from the air.

It depends how much fizz you want really. For a lager I would probably go with 1 even tsp per bottle which would be 200g total if it's a 40 pint batch. Being a pilsner generally means you can get away with a bit more gas without worrying about the head being too thick.

 

[calumscott]

Oh, and on the other point - take a look at the OMG how to for instructions on batch priming...

 

[jonnymorris]

...200g total

Good point. You'll want more fizz and hence more sugar for a lager.

 

[RobWalker]

It might be alright but taking it into a secondary always carries risks. Your primary has a nice big co2 cloud protecting it, secondary probably has quite a weak one as you havn't had a big fermentation (if any) in there. if it hasn't infected, it could have been exposed to oxygen which will have it tasting a little crap, I always pour a little into a glass through the syphon tube to check i'm not, er - wasting time. hahah.

You have a few better choices the way I see it...

if you've only got a very small amount of trub at the bottom of your secondary, just stir the priming sugar into there, clouding crap up in the process. that way there's less risk of a good amount of air exposure, and bottles are usually clear well before they're ready to drink anyway. mine usually clear in 3 days, but you want at least a week in the warm and a week in the cold to carbonate.

otherwise i'd consider priming the bottles themselves. it's not a preferred method but you can easily sanitize and prime them with plenty of time to beer and cap them. your carb might be a little inconsistent, but meh...

aside from that, your method will be fine, but you won't have a big co2 cloud protecting it like you usually do, so it's a risk. By no means will it get infected during that time, but it can easily oxidize, and you'll be fighting to drink it instead of enjoying it. i'd want to minimize any chance of ruining beer myself.

also, you need to give it a decent mix, but don't go tidal waving the whole thing - try not to splash about, just mix it "quite well."

just my 2c...

(4 posts after mine, i did scan but hope this helps. hahah.)

 

[aftermath]

Thanks for some great posts and as always very helpfull, i am glad i still am on track and being patient on my first kit.

@ Callum, that link you posted above to your tut is very good, i have bookmarked it for future reference until i am confident i can brew without having to constantly read different and various views on brewing.

Thanks guys

 

[dennisking]

+1 for leaving it alone, I have never used an air lock in over 30 years.