Airlocks and Blowoff Tubes for Brewing
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- Airlocks and Blowoff Tubes for Brewing! If you don't know what an airlock is or when to use a blowoff tube, you need this video. Seriously, don't trust balloons or loose lids when for pennies or a few dollars you can have a secure, safe airlock or blowoff tube. I never make beer, wine, cider, mead or any fermented anything without an airlock or blowoff tube and neither should you! Now watch the video and hear me preach about airlocks and blowoff tubes even more!
Some links to items used in brewing:
* 1 gallon Carboy:
amzn.to/2CygpVx
* Wide Mouth Carboy:
amzn.to/2DiRTt7
* 1/2 gallon glass wide mouth jars:
amzn.to/2Dju3NU
* Swing Top Bottles:
amzn.to/2Dkafdq
* Airlock:
amzn.to/2sBeoDw
* Self stirring cup:
amzn.to/2W5e1in
* TRBOS (sanitization bucket):
amzn.to/2VZpQGC
* Star San: amzn.to/2RTlqBX
* Cleaning Brushes:
amzn.to/2DlGadt
* Hydrometer:
amzn.to/2Dj8oWd
* Graduated Cylinder:
amzn.to/2TYgmJO
* Baster: amzn.to/2DlIu4b
* Auto Siphon: amzn.to/2FIxAHl
* Bottling Wand:
amzn.to/2Czor0q
* Degassing wand: amzn.to/2RXVMvO
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Love your videos. One small tip on airlocks, particularly the s-type ones. Sometimes when they are made the two halves don't align properly and a ridge is formed on either side of the stem that gets inserted in the fermenter's cap (plug or grommet). These ridges, if large enough can cause a leak, and results in the fluid in the airlock showing pressure but never actively bubbling, or bubbling slower than expected. I once had a makegolli that looked like it had stalled, but this was the cause. Just take a razor and scrape down the ridges. My SOP now is to do that to all my airlocks just to be sure.
Or use a box cutter? Thanks explaining that makes sense. Brilliant comment.
A bought a fair few of the 3 piece ones recently because of the cleaning aspect and was much easier to clean when I had one batch blow out. Upon using them however, I realise I like the S type better for a visual check on how the brew is holding pressure.
So you know. I put you on FULL screen or down stairs on my TV.... You put Effort into the quality, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Waiting for my Airlocks in the mail..... Purchased 2 bottles of Concord Grape Juice this time. Apple juice was ok, but i think i like darker red wines. We'll see THANKS TO YOU.
Somehow I knew I would find an explanation for my airlock mystery. I just finished the set-up for my Coffee Mead and went to town getting oxygen in it and all was right in the world. I installed my airlock and put it into my fermentation area and checked back a bit later and I had some negative pressure going on. What really amplified this was it is sitting right next to my Basic Mead I started on the 23rd which is bubbling positively like a champ. I am going to go with the temperature explanation because I did warm the honey and the cold brew was room temp when I put it all together. What I won't do is worry about it because who wants to drink a bunch of worry? Not this guy.
I made my blowoff tube from a garden hose! Perfect solution! It worked swimmingly!! :D
Gotta be honest, yall are life savers. I got into home brewing avout 3 weeks ago, my first batch is almost done already and I started my second one the day before yesterday, its actually the mango mead recipe where I replace the water with mango nectar. Had to add a little bit of water bc it was too thick and exploded on me through the airlock. So far you guys have been teaching me everything I know about homebrewing. Thanks for your efforts in teaching us! Know your teachings are helping me, and Im sure many others, brewing succesfully❤
Happy to help! Welcome to your new obsession!
I cut the threads off of a clear plastic bottle and hot glue or silicone it to the cap / bung, and drill a hole in the top of the bottle (which was originally the bottom) to fit an o ring with the airlock. Works awesome as a no losses burper of sorts for over filled containers and over active ferments. It's great insurance with no waste.
I have a two piece airlock that resembles your three piece type. I selected it for the ease of cleaning. For confined spaces I like to use small diameter stainless steel ball bearings. They can be poured in and remove residue with a little bit of shaking. I catch them with a sieve after the job is done.
Discovered this channel today. It's just so fun to watch and listen. So informative and funny too 😃 love from North East India
Great video, but made even better with Derrica's look when Brian mentions rayguns 08:14... classic!!
It’s been a long time since I used one. Nice refresher. Good information for when I try fermenting veggies also. Thanks!
Thanks for the great explanation, I have a mead still in the first 24h, was worried I had too much residential no-rinse sanitizer left in the carboy. Glad its just an overactive ferment.
Hey guys on your blow off tube, use an old sealer from canning, drill a hole just big enough for the tube to fit but stay secure, and put the ring on the jar. Punching a hole with a nail might work too if one doesn’t have a drill. Keep up the videos!
The Video I've been waiting for, because I never understood what the seemingly magical Blowoff Tube is, that everyone keeps preaching in the FB Group :D
Bearded Berzerker I was wondering what he was talking about too
Started a strawberry wine, I used 71B (y)east, inverted sugar and a yeast nutrient, it's started foaming aggressively after no time at all :)
Found this video and learned what to do, Thanks for the video guys
Love your videos! I’m currently making my first brew off of your earl grey mead video, and I’m so glad I saw this video because I was worried about the sanitizing fluid being all on one side. So relieved to know that it means it is working! Love you guys and what you do
Good morning City Steaders. Yesterday I pitched the yeast into my first 5-gallon attempt. I'm using an "S" type air lock. The original specific gravity of my blueberry wine was 1.142. I'm hoping to make a sweet dessert wine. I used the last of my frozen blueberries from last year (17 pounds). Wish me luck.
What yeast did you use ? Good luck !
@@saxonsoldier67 , I used 17 pounds frozen blueberries, 12 pounds sugar, 7.5 teaspoons acid blend, 4.5 teaspoons pectin enzyme, 5 campton tablets, enough water to make 5 gallons, and let set overnight. The next day I added 1 packet of Red Star Premier Classic wine yeast. Tonight it is almost a constant stream of bubbles in the airlock.
Thank you for the well wishes.
@@nathanielsizemore8594 When you start getting those bubbles from fermentation, it's like watching your child take his first step. Congrats !
Why all the chems? No need. Just use the fruit, sugar, water and yeast and you will make a better brew. Some will argue differently, but... I've done it this way for years and so have thousands of people in our group and here on the channel. No need for all that other stuff. The enzyme is the only one that will "help" and even then.... maybe. It helps clear a bit, but that's all. Not a big deal imho.
@@CitySteadingBrews, I was following a recipe (except the 2 extra pounds of berries) that I was given and wanted to see if it made a difference from Paw Paw's recipe (never had a failure with that).
It is bubbling away nicely and I hope it turns out well.
Thanks for the advice and I'll keep you updated.
You can fill up the windy ones and blow hard through them to get rid of debris. Works really well.
That stopper was unstoppable.
These kind of vids are great. When you are new and all of the sudden you need a blow off tube and don't know how... you search for it on youtube so it comes with instructions. LOL at least it keeps in with LOTS of content. :) Have a great day!
1 minute in and you guys have made me laugh. Thanks guys. :)
It took us that long? We have to work on that!
Thanks so much for this video! On my 4th batch and it became very active. Was scratching my head if I did the blow-off tube correctly. Thanks to you, it's all set and I'll check in a couple of day to see if I can go back to a normal airlock.
Terrific job, Folks and great spirts in your presentation....!!! (Pun intended!!!) Really helpful and well done......
Man, im so glad I found this video. I've heard tou guys talk about blow off tunes but I didn't know what they were.
Also my cider I started yesterday had neutral pressure and I wasn't sure why. You pointed out the obvious lol. Not there's a hair tie holding it in place. (Learned that from you guys too 😉)
I know I’m late to the party here. You had me sold to your channel in the first 3 seconds! LOVE the friendly “brutalness” of your vid’s. Bought my wife everything in your top 10 vid and am on my own second 3 gallon batch of your Vicki’s Blood 2020!
*Vikings Blood. “Vicki” had NOTHING to do with this and NO I’m not aware of her awareabouts!
Lol and welcome!
Thank you so much for this video. It explained everything I needed to know about using an airlock. This is my first time making wine. Thank you.
Tou are very welcome!
I like the 3 pc air locks because you can attach a blow off tube right to the inside piece.
I am now tasting some Welches' grape wine I started June 30 and it has been done for the last couple of days, and it tastes fine, albeit dry, but that is on me as I used less sugar to make it, and I like it fine. It has a very nice deep purple color and is very clear. I have several others that I started at the same time, although I used more sugar in those and they are still chugging away. and I actually made more over the entire week following June 30. Some were doing exactly like you describe...foam coming up through the airlock. I believe it happened because the temperature got up to 85 in my room and they went nuts. I like both sweet and dry wines, and now I have a bunch of other combos brewing. I think my next project will be some white wine...need to make one sweet and one dry so I figure out which I like best!
Lol, Derica's face when Brian talks about ray-guns... my wife feels your pain... 🤣
Just started brewing my first two gallons of mead because of you guys!!! Thanks for all the awesome videos
The Grumpy mug is adorable.
Love your mug . Describes my attitude most days .
Great video & I also express my annoyance of the dislikes. Imparting knowledge is always a good thing
There’s always a few. But comments like this make up for them!
Thanks for this video I’m making that starter mead that y’all made and I had no clue if I was doing it right or not with the airlock. Hope y’all have a great week
Thanks again, you two are an inspiration ❤. Had my first blowout and your wisdom saved me from an anxious mess. I've started a simple cyser with EC11-18 and 8 hours in breached the airlock.
Amazing video as always, and gotta say, I've been homebrewing for the better part of ten years. You're videos are what got me into mead (that and the meadery that's 5 minutes down the road) and I guess I was surprised that some don't use airlocks. I remember watching your first Viking blood video and traditional mead and when you said get an airlock I really thought, "wait why wouldn't you use one?" I had to ask the owner of the supply store I go to if that happens and boy did he get a laugh, ended up telling me stories about balloons and cheesecloth disasters he's heard of for an hour, when he was done laughing he just said "always have more airlocks than fermentation vessels it's just a safe tip I tell everyone."
I found your guy's youtube channel a few months ago on the cider making. Amazing stuff It was exactly what I needed to get the confidence in starting my own. I just finished up my first brew of Cider. It turned out pretty good, but I didn't carbonate this round. Next round carbonation is coming :)
Love the blooper at 1:05 of Brian launching the stopper
I like the 3 piece airlock best. But there is a drawback to them that you did not mention: you have to keep more of them around the house than you do S-types. Why? No matter how careful you are, sooner or later you are going to drop the cap and it will roll across the kitchen and lodge under the stove or refrigerator. This always happens when you need an airlock right now. So you have to have extras, because this WILL happen.
I would like to see what fermentation looks like in its most active state with both styles of airlocks!
Camelbak made a brush for cleaning out the drink tubes of their water bladders. That might work for scrubbing out your twisty airlocks. 🙂
Good idea!
Thanks, guys! The neural spirits think literally had me go "Oh..duh!" out loud
Great vid... I've been curious about blow off tubes.. I was literally thinking about that form before I found my local brew store, and got an actual air lock.
When I was in the war I made my airlocks out of out of date IV tubing any port in a storm captain!
Not video related question - I added a juice mix during the back end of my primary and i'm not sure how to calculate abv now. My must started at 1.114 and got down to 1.030 before I added in my juice mix(1.040 I think). My new mix of 1qt juice to 3qt must now has a SG of 1.035. I'm not sure what math I need to do to get a ballpark ABV. Thank you guys for all the videos and information they have gotten me into a new hobby and i am really enjoying it.
Just take your OG-FG, then the "new" gravity after adding juice - your FG and add that to the oG-FG number to calculate it. Essentially just add up the gravity differences.
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you for that I was worried i would need to buy a chalkboard and have Einstein-like formulas scribbled. Again, thank you for the videos.
@@andrewtoney675 nothing stopping you from doing that. Might impress someone by your random formulas, lol
The 3pc one I seen someone take the cap off it, and the center piece and just stick the hose down on the center stem making a blowoff tube out of it.
You normally can just put the tube right into a stopper too.
Don't do what I did, didn't leave enough room in the carboy and the yeast clogged the bottom of the airlock so when I tried to fix it the pressure exploded my partially fermented brew all over me, my kitchen, and the ceiling. My kids thought it was funny and luckily my wife was a good sport about it.
I made some, Pill bottle and 2 different size straws. Small one through Juice Cap and bottom of pill bottle more then half way up inside the CENTER. Then Hot glue to seal. Then Bigger straw from Pill bottle lid in CENTER , hot glued. Fill up with water half way or less and sllidd lid straw over top smaller middle straw. and twist closed. I put a knife tip pin hole in Pill ottle lid. Co2 comes up little straw into bigger and then pressure it's self down into the water an up into the pill bottle like the 3 pc one you showed. Seen it online, i didn't come up with it.
Yay new video! And lol i agree with the twin bubble style I used the 3 piece for lactofermented stuff and didn't know I'd like the twin better till I got one with my carboy and saw the magic and that it takes less liquid too
Btw what about using demerara sugar or mountain salt that dissolves slowly to clean a stubborn twin bubble?
Sure? Not sure I'd use sugar to clean it, but salt maybe.
I like the S type , it is more pleasing to watch , but find them a bit noisey for any of my larger brews that wont fit in the cupboard. so i use the 3 piece type for anything that will be in earshot of my bedroom.
2 things.
Airlocks at LHBS, $1.29 and $1.39. 3 piece is more expensive.
Quite a few years ago, I was working at another HBS, (owner
has since lost the business, and he deserved that) We had a
5 gallon batch of traditional hefeweisen fermenting in the back
room. His day off, second day of fermenting. the carboy was
sitting in a kiddie pool, full of sanitizer mix, and had a chiller
hooked up to it. (San water from the pool, went into this cooler,
which worked like an air conditioner, to keep the ferment below
60 degrees.) I was in the front of the store, heard a pop. Airlock
was in the pool. Put it back. A few minutes later, I heard a POP,
and thump. Airlock hit the 16 foot ceiling! Got a 1.25 inch blow
off tube, and it fit inside the mouth of the carboy. No more issues.
steve
Another great video guys!
HA! "over active ferment"... I had a brew that I thought stalled, so I mixed up a fresh batch of yeast a good bit of nutrients and pitched it in... IT FROTHED UP AND FOAMED EVERYYYYYYWHERE! ALL over my carpet... Should've done that in the kitchen! 😱 You'd think I'd "learn" too, that's TWICE I've done that now... 🤣
One time I had to toss $200 in late syrups because fruit flies got in the tiny holes in the dispensers we thought were plugged. I cam vouch the buggers find all the ways in. Firmly cementing my belief in proper equipment and not taking shortcuts.
Ouch!
Viva La Airlocks!
On a side note. Is it possible to add a FAQ to the City Steading FB page? It may help keep Paul sane. His patience in unparalleled.
Maybe.
Paul, or hell anyone can link to this video any time there is a question about airlocks and blow off tubes from now on. 😏
my adventure with the hot sauce was a success I definitely recommend fermenting it longer so that the vegetables break down more and make more of a sauce than a paste
One key difference though I also made a habanero one
The habanero one comes highly recommended
Nice of you to take the time to explain to the folks how airlocks work. However, I am wondering if you are up to a challenge so to speak. When brewing beer, cider and ginger beer in Australia I was enticed to use glad wrap ( plastic wrap) to cover the top of my brewing vessel, no lid ,no airlock just the plastic in place of the lid . Which was taped around the top of the container with electrical tape or duct tape if you have money to burn. A single pin-hole made by a needle in the top and sit back and let the magic happen. The gas expells through the hole and you can easily see what stage your brew is going through. The whole time I used this method I had zero issues with any bad seals also it allowed me with a glance to observe where the brewing process was. Give it a whirl sometime, I think you may be pleasantly surprised. Thanks for your candidness. Cheers.
Obviously for the large brewing recepticle.
Since you appreciate my candidness.... that works fine until a bug finds its way into your brew. It may not happen every time, but it will, and you'll wish you used an airlock. Seriously... it's such a safe, easy thing, why do people rebel so hard against it?
@@CitySteadingBrews I am not rebelling there are alternatives that work. Even your airlocks as you have admitted fail. So how about trying it .Pretty sure thats all I asked. I certainly did not say what you have said to people is misleading them or wrong in any shape or form. If you do not want to try it that is fine.
Not going to argue, but... when did I say an airlock failed? Honestly... a hole in plastic wrap can't really be considered safe. It's the same theory as a balloon. Sure, might work, but, as I said... something will get in at some point. Just not a risk worth taking if you ask me. Thanks for the discussion though, I appreciate it.
Fermenters and Carboys video next...?
You guys are awesome thank you so much for all the informational videos easily my favorite CZcamsrs
Thanks Tyler!
Here is my airlock question. I noticed that the tubes have seams from the mold. And at the seam there is a bit of plastic protruding from the seam. This is typical of plastic injection molds. So, when my brews are fermenting I'll sometimes notice slight liquid/moisture where the tube is inserted into the rubber grommet. When I examined one of the airlocks it occurred to me that the plastic ridge all along the seam is probably causing a gap, albeit very tiny, allowing some pressure to escape. I lightly sanded an extra airlock, smoothing down this seam and cleaned it up. I added sanitizer and replaced it. Now this batch is in its 5th day of primary fermentation and i had been noticing slowing fermentation for the past day or two. But when I replaced the airlock with the smooth one, wow, a lot of activity. In my rookie brewing mind, I did the right thing by making sure there is a good seal. What say you?!! Have I done something good or ..... not?!! Thanks.
Yup, you did right :)
@@CitySteadingBrews Thanks. I'm guessing the next batch that I'm going to make tomorrow is going to exhibit some very busy airlock activity and in the 2 gallon bucket it will probably sound like an old coffee percolator !!
Yes, thank you.
1] I started my very first cider-fermentation last evening (1/2 gal jug -with 3in headspace- using a 3-piece fermentation trap)
And came in this morning to find the the space at the top of the jar and the fermentation trap completely filled with foam.
So now, thanks to your video, I know, first, this isn’t the total disaster I thought it was;
and, second, what a blow-off tube is, how to use it, and how it fixes my problem. So, thanks again.
2] Please forgive a couple of newby question about yeast.
First, as should be clear, I know nothing about this topic and everything I know “I learned from CZcams”.
-The information I found said 1 teaspoon of yeast per quart/liter of cider. Does this seem right?
- The video I saw said any kind of brewing yeast should work, so I tried (Red Star) champagne yeast.
(I’ll note that I don’t drink alcohol -this is the first step in a vinegar-making project- so I figured “Champagne?
That’s the best stuff, right?”
Could either of these things have contributed to my unexpected over-flow?
Yes. Champagne yeast is intended to create carbonation in a brew that has high alcohol content. So it could certainly be the culprit to the foam. That said, a "Happy" fermentation tends to get over excited and foam out regardless of what type of yeast you use. It is just the yeast being yeast and doing their thing. In vinegar making you need a low ABV brew as Acetobacters can't create vinegar well in brews beyond the 10% ABV range. That makes you choice of champagne yeast a bit over kill. As long as you have limited fermentable sugars to keep your ABV range low, you should be fine.
When you realize you keep track of the week by the shirts they wear.
SAVE FERRIS mean it's time to shower....
Great and informative as always two thumbs up
Thanks for the information, just formulated my decision re airlock/blowoff/none. I have a height restriction with my fermenting fridge so I'm going to have to use a blow off tube I think.
Never thought of you guys as "Ant-man and Wasp"
I tried using ever clear in my air lock the next day it was gone or mostly gone I now use sanitizer water
Thanks for the video!
See, you didn't think it need splanin...... it needed splanin (never underestimate how basic some of us need it hehe)! Great video tho guys, seriously. Hand a man a beer and he drinks for 30 seconds, teach a man how to brew and you drink free at his house for a lifetime!
Thanks for this! Is there a video you have done that talks about overactive fermentation? I've been having that a lot (and I didn't used to) and never sure if it is a "bad" thing. (I love watching the dynamic between you both! It is great as well as informative.)
It’s not a bad thing :)
My local brew supply store suggested not to even use an air lock for the primary fermentation in the bucket. They suggested to just leave the lid on loose on the top of the bucket. They said they have done this for the last 27 years without fail. I can't imagine their practice is ineffective, as they also perform in house custom brews for hundreds of clients. Has anybody else ever tried this technique before?
Sure, you can do that, but, bugs like to crawl through tiny spaces, and I have cats. I prefer no cat hair in my brews.
@@CitySteadingBrews valid point. Alright, I guess I'll use an airlock afterall.
Balloons also can release chemical backwash into your brew. (you mention this in other videos)
I enjoy the 3 piece and hearing the clicking as the fermentation is going. I've had a few super active beers and have now upgraded to 7.9 gallon buckets to avoid any krausen overflows.
well for bloopers here ya go i have been using vodka in the first three bubblers sitting in closet, i got my star san in and made my 4th mead and i was like they said use sanitizer so i put star san in it.. next morning it had snot bubbles all around the lid of the bubbler and most the star san was gone and all over the lid of the fermenter lol.. it now has sanitizer WATER ( which Brian said) you said it right i heard it wrong. i blame marriage lol.
As an alternative if we have a brew that is fixin' to spew, can't we just overnight the brew to you so that Derica can place it in Brian's closet ? I heard it from the grapevine that his closet is a great place to be for overactive brews.
First off, great channel. I am just getting into home brew and got a couple of starter kits and was curious to get other users views on the newer version of fermenter from coopers which does not have an air lock, instead uses a three part system - bucket, top inner ring, and lid.
If possible I’m hoping I can have some feedback. I started 2 brews. The first one was 1 gallon and it had 1000g honey and 1 cup of rasins (uncut). Since my experience brewing before this consisted of reading a recipe on food network, I did not know such things as hydrometers and gravity. So today (started Jan 17) I took a reading and it’s 1.07. All I’m asking is will it brew enough alcohol to be safe?
My second brew is 3 Gallons and consists of 2gal apple juice, cinnamon, and about 1-2 cups of each rasins and dried blueberries, and 1000g honey. My gravity on that one is 1.04 and it seems to be very active. Should I consider adding sugar to it? I’m looking for a dry product but I also want to ensure enough brewing comes to kill off anything else that may find its way in. ( I did sanitize everything and heated the honey to about 140).
Thanks started my first batch of honey mead and did not realized liquid was needed in airlock…..vodka it is
Ok, i'm late to the party, but started my first brew a week ago. definitely going to use an airlock next time! got a funky layer on top of what's left of the krausen. going to extract a sample for the hydrometer here soon.
anyway, on to my real point here, love the hidden trinkets hiding in the background! 4th edition MTG starter? 2nd Edition Encyclopedia Magica? You guys are awesome!
I was sitting here waiting for UPS and was binge watching unwatched CS videos. As I watched this one, I had an idea that combines both a blow off tube and an airlock. Using a container of appropriate size with a lid, drill two 7/16” holes and line with a grommet with a ⅜” inside diameter. Take your airlock and place it in the blow off container and run the tube from it to the fermentation vessel. Boom. Instant chamber for expansion. What are your thoughts?
That's pretty much a blowoff tube.
CS Brews It looked like your blow off tube was open ended though, so there’s no protection from incoming icky things.
You remind me of one of the guys from Mythbusters lol 👍
James Hind?
It's pretty easy to start with the 3-piece until you know you aren't going to need a blow-off, and then swap out to an S-bend for convenient monitoring after the danger of foaming up is past.
I heard that you can use rubbing alcohol and salt as a way to clean inside the s-lock. Because the salt doesn't dissolve in rubbing alcohol, it can more ruffly rub against the mess you are trying to clean like rocks it water. Though I still have yet to try this myself.
Never heard this. I'd be cautious with rubbing alcohol and anything near a brew though.
@@CitySteadingBrews True. I still might try this for a mess I can't get to (when cleaning only), then rinse a bunch until I feel safe using it again.
Is the cap on top of the air lock supposed to be all the way sealed? Does air still get out? Or am I supposed to keep it kind of loose?
Some airlocks seem to not have holes in the caps.... this makes no sense to me. Ours have holes so maybe poke tiny needle holes if yours doesn’t have any. You want air to get out.
3 peace should have holes in the cap
I had a geyser after adding nutrients that went into my airlock but I took the airlock off and resanitized it, hoping it's okay!
So is the interior piece on the 3 piece meant to rest against the top cap or rise and fall?
Your description makes it sound like it should rest against the cap.
I will switch from using filtered water in my airlock to using sanitizer fluid, thank you.
It generally will rest against the top yes.
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you. I have airlocks to fix
And absolutely amazing you responded to a comment on a 1.5yr old video, and so quickly
A couple years ago I got a Mr Beer brew kit as a gift. I never used it because it didn't have an airlock or way to add one without cutting into the lid, which I may do some day if I run out of primary fermenters. The lid on it is supposedly engineered so that a separate air lock isn't necessary, but frankly, I don't trust it. a bit too on the cheap side for me.
The Mr. Beer primary fermenter is manufactured to release the gases that the yeasties make through very small open channels in the threads that the lid attaches. If you make a hole in the Mr. Beer fermenter lid for an airlock you'll have to figure out a way to seal the lid other than it's original manufactured design. The Mr. Beer Fermenter works fine as is if you follow their directions. It's designed for a novice making beer. Two-week fermentation, then rack and bottle. Not designed for long fermentation, clearing, or aging anything.
@@SirGolfalot- Yeah, I was planning on just running a bead of food safe silicon around the base of the threads to create a proper seal. It's a good, usable size for experimental batches, and I know that the "seal" it comes with is supposedly effective. I just don't trust it.
@@torjones1701Good idea let me know how that works.
Had an overactive fermentation on a blackberry melomel that I made with blackberry puree. Only a little came out the top and I just switched to a different airlock. I'm just wondering what I should do about the dried blackberry on the neck of my carboy I don't want it to mold but it is actively fermenting. So idk if it will based on it being covered in CO2 vs Air. Any suggestions? When should I rack it into a secondary?
so i've noticed that my air lock bubbles have significantly slowed down, I know this is normal but its only been about two week for my mead? i never had the change to take an initial reading so how can i tell if its stalled? i dont think it has but im not sure!
You can take a reading now.
I just started my first brew today and my air lock is showing negative pressure. I've wrapped it in a towel hoping to fix it. If that doesn't work what would you recommend?
I've used codoms, balloons, the partially unscrewed cap methods... None of these work as well as airlocks. If you can make your own go for it, but the others are trash and not worth the risk.
Why sanitizer water and not regular water? Is it likely for bugs of some sort to make it through regular water and into the brew?
Bugs and bacteria yes.
Well just chucking my 5 cents in but id figer you could wing airlock/blow of tube with about 1.5' of 1/4" nylon tubing and an old jame jar and you can get a 10' section of nylon tubing for 6 bucks so like 10 air locks for 6 bucks
Like the grumpy mug! What did they do before plastic airlocks ie hundreds of years ago? Just open wild yeast affected brews all the time?
Cloth most likely.
I suspect they made a lot of vinegar.
Larger batches were often open fermented regardless of how long it was going to be stored. Defence against wild yeast was boiling the mash if water was used and having a nice strong yeast culture to work with. Folks took more risk than we do, but they didn't have the choice or really even the scientific understanding of what was really happening so that they could avoid all the problems.
Thank you very much for all your videos, started brewing mead two days ago with your recipe for a simple one. I have a question though, what happens if you overfill your 2piece airlock? would it be a problem or would it work just the same? thanks again in advance, love your work
so, the cap on the s-type ones, are they supposed to have holes in? my first ones just arrived and the caps are solid, should I take a drawing pin to them or something? Edit: Also, is using a cheap scotch or vodka really the way to go? at first sure, seems fine, but if you're leaving this for 4-8 weeks, would the alcohol not evaporate out?
If it evaporates, add more. And yep, poke holesz
Several weeks ago I started my first batch of mead in a 5 liter carboy with S type airlock. A simple 3.75lb honey, handful of chopped raisins (20-30), water and oenofrance CR-1 yeast. Being completely new to brewing I didn't realize how nice it is to use Starsan and I sanitized everything by boiling. I have a few questions.
1. I've since started a few more batches and used starsan water in the airlock, however that first batch, not knowing any better, I used water in the airlock. Everything seems to be fine. I assume the reason for not using water is risk of bacteria? Is there anything I should watch out for when I rack that first batch? Am I correct to assume that it is likely it won't be ruined?
2. For the first batch I got a SPGR reading of 1.100 after the yeast was in and everything was mixed thoroughly, does that sound like it is in the right neighborhood for the above recipe or does it sound significantly off like I need to work on my hydrometer reading skills?
3. After starting the first batch I noticed on the instructions for my hydrometer it says in big capital letters "DO NOT BOIL HYDROMETER". Which having already boiled it when starting my first batch concerned me a bit. I am thinking this is to keep the hydrometer from cracking/breaking due to temperature shock? I brought it up to temp slowly and mine doesn't seem to have any damage from the boiling, I was mostly wondering if there is some other way this may have altered the accuracy of my hydrometer? and ultimately should I just go ahead and buy a new hydrometer just in case? (they are not expensive here, about $5)
1) If it doesn't seem infected, it probably isn't.
2) Sure.
3) Many hydros have wax in them. It's possible you ruined it, but an easy test is to take a reading on plain water. If it shows 1.000 you're 'probably' fine.
Hi Brian and Derica, I'm brand new to the game but have become engrossed in your videos they are awesome and I've learned so much thank you, quick question though I've just had my brew overreact and didn't have a spare airlock so I just removed it with the bung to clean and sanitise this took around 30 mins to replace, have I ruined my brew?
Nope, it’s pushing out co2, you’re fine.
PHEW I thought it would be OK but just needed a little reassurance Thanks Guys and thanks for the fast response 👍 the Brew I'm making is a unknown variety of Red fleshed apple I found into a cider I've been told that it's rare to find a wild red fleshed apple tree is this true? I'm from the UK. Thanks again
@@tracktime1196 I don’t really know!
Great video but i have to disagree, 3-piece and S-type have a very nice and welcome difference: S-types work both ways, and 3-Piece only positive.
When cold crashing, pressure gets really negative, because water will compress, S-types can let some air inside, whilst 3-piece will have the sanitizer sucked in. I discoverred this the really bad way.
Can I ask you to clarify: you're saying then that the S-type would be the better one to go with?
@@kickblue22 it really depends. the best is the one you have available. for cold crashing an s-type will prevent sanitizer suck-in. Here in my contry an s-type is very expensive, so i just stick an hose in a bottle of sanitizer and ints good to go, i just bend the hose before cold crashing..
Its funny, I have always used an air lock and would never do it any other way, its not like its any more work and make little impact on even the tightest budget. But my friends father told we when he was younger he did a lot of home brewing and always used a completely open bucket, no lid at all, maybe a tea cloth bust most of the time just in his garage open to the elements, he also claimed to have never had a brew go wrong !!! I'm not sure if i believe him, who knows maybe he was just really lucky.
It's a common thing, yeah. I have cats.... thus, airlocks.
Hi love the channel, I have a question I had 25l cider with no fermentation after 48 hours went out today and came back to a explosion and half a bucket but no foam can I top it up with more apple juice and do I need more yeast. I used a airlock but it's not showing activity and checked for leaks the fermentation vessel has a tap could this be the problem. James. Worcester UK