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Enthrall
Mr ?



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Brewing with and without airlock?
#10772239 - 07/31/09 01:40 AM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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I need something cleared up. What is the difference between brewing open and with an airlock? I know things like lambic is brewed open but why? Im going to be making water kefir soon and iv read many recipes that say to ferment with a lose lid, with an airlock, and without a lid at all. Chemically / microscopically what is the difference?
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Riboflavin



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Re: Brewing with and without airlock? [Re: Enthrall]
#10774455 - 07/31/09 12:29 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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I know sierra nevada does open fermentation, I think an air lock just helps reduce the risk of contamination, but with lambic brewing your getting all different kinds of yeasties from the air so you can end up with some strange flavors of beer, sometimes in lambic brewing multiple batches are made and mixed together to taste to create a more balanced flavor. From my understanding, once your yeast gets a good foothold in the beer, it's often hard (but not impoossible) for other organisms to contaminate it. I myself use an airlock just to be on the safe side.
Time lapse of sierra nevada's big foot fermentation
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trendal
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Re: Brewing with and without airlock? [Re: Enthrall]
#10774614 - 07/31/09 12:55 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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The airlock is meant for one thing: to keep out oxygen!
Oxygen destroys a lot of things, brewed drinks among them. The reason we use airlocks is to let the CO2 produced during fermentation escape without letting the air in.
For the first part of fermentation - called primary fermentation - it usually isn't necessary to have an airlock, because the amount of CO2 being produced is so high that any oxygen can't make it's way down to the liquid. Primary fermentation is usually done in a large container with a decent amount of headspace (a few inches is a must). That way, the CO2 - which is heavier than air - builds up and leaves a "CO2 cap" on the top of your must.
Later on in fermentation you almost always need some sort of airlock, because the rate of CO2 production slows way down and oxygen can make its way down to the surface.
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Riboflavin



Registered: 03/05/05
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Re: Brewing with and without airlock? [Re: trendal]
#10776514 - 07/31/09 06:41 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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Huh, that makes me more curious about how the hell open fermentation works, maybe they transfer it to more traditional fermenters after the beer settles the fuck down.
-------------------- All that groks is God.
Edited by Riboflavin (07/31/09 06:43 PM)
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falcon


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Re: Brewing with and without airlock? [Re: Enthrall]
#10777108 - 07/31/09 08:30 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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Lambic's initial fermentation is started from yeast that falls in to the cooled wort, wild yeast. Not sure, but once it's started they probably air lock, to keep oxygen out for the reasons Trendal said.
Edited by falcon (07/31/09 08:37 PM)
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Brainiac
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Re: Brewing with and without airlock? [Re: falcon]
#10777313 - 07/31/09 09:11 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
falcon said: Lambic's initial fermentation is started from yeast that falls in to the cooled wort, wild yeast. Not sure, but once it's started they probably air lock, to keep oxygen out for the reasons Trendal said.
Or they add some grain to it, as it has the Lambic organisms on the outside....
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Enthrall
Mr ?



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Re: Brewing with and without airlock? [Re: Brainiac]
#10777905 - 07/31/09 11:37 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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What i heard is with open fermentation oxygen is introduces der but the procuded alcohol is turning into lactic acid by other bacteria resulting in less abv%. so sugar>alcohol>lacto fermentation?? if open brewed.
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moe.ron
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Re: Brewing with and without airlock? [Re: Enthrall]
#10854488 - 08/13/09 05:38 PM (14 years, 5 months ago) |
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No difference. Open, A loose plastic sheet, a lid...whatever works works.
Durring the primary fermentation 1 gallon beverage with a gravity of 1.040-50 produces 25-30 gallons of CO2. Since this gas is heavier than atmospheric gas it acts as a blanket that lays on top of the beverage, protecting it from oxygen and constantly purgin the head space of the fermenter. This works asw long as the beverage is actively fermenting.
Once the fermentation is complete the beverage should be moved to an airtight, airlocked container. This is important with beer, but crucial with wine.
Malo-Lactic fermentation is usually something done with wines, and in modern home winemaking come from a pitched culture om ML bacteria.
Traditionally lamic cultures are maintained in the wood barrels that are used for primary fermentaion...kinda line the viking days when the mead yeas culture lived in the village brewstick. But just like the ML, you can get a Lambic blend culture from wyeast or whatnot.
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