Have I Killed My Brew?

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petes180

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Hey guys,

New to the HB scene, wifey got me a kit for christmas and finally thought i should have crack at it.
Thought i had planned everything down to a tee, a week in the making, even wired up a stc-1000 onto a fridge and heat belt for the perfect temp, sterilized everything hopefully 100%, everything seemed to going to plan, all ingredients added and sitting well in the fermenter, i even showed of my set up too a mate, Long story short, i came back from a day out to check on my brew when i noticed the lid on the fermenter was not screwed down, i must have must have forgotten to tighten it when i placed it in the fridge, call it beginners error or a rush of blood thinking what a great job so far i have done. :blink:

My question is, have i 'screwed' my brew by not sealing the lid for 8 hours after the start of the brew? the inside of the lid had slight condensation on it, the temp of the fermenter is sitting nicely at 18.
How can i tell if i have infected it at this early stage?

Pete.
 
Relax! It should be fine. Many don't use a lid but just some cling film.
Once fermentation begins a layer of CO2 blankets the brew.
Before that there is a chance of infection but providing you are sanitary it is unlikely. Sounds like it should be fine. Intection would be fairly obvious - smell and sight would tell you. You're more likely to see a nice fluffy Krausen tomorrow.

Congratulations on getting a brew down, with temperature control it should turn out tasting good. If a loose lid is the only thing that went awry you have done well!
 
Bacteria and wild yeasts can't climb up the sides of your fermenter so you will be fine. :p It doesn't have to be airtight, just covered up so nothing can fall/blow in, even al foil and glad wrap are OK to use. RDWHAHB
 
It should be fine, Wild yeast and bacteria float on the breeze and can't really go upwards so if you have the lid on but not screwed down it would have stopped them falling in.

Welcome to AHB by the way

Cheers matho
 
Sounds like you've taken more care than most first timers.
Keep everything clean & temp controlled & you'll find it's a surprisingly easy (& rewarding) process.
Welcome to the forum & the start of the obsession.
Mark
 
Cheers guys, sets the mind at ease.

Awsome site by the way, all going well now, time to kick back and enjoy a cold off the shelf beverage. :chug:
 
this will be one of the most rewarding batches a first timer will of done and I am sure most will agree. most of us started out following kit instructions or dodgy LHBS instructions and most after the first batch prob thought who would bother with this??? haha I know I have but I was lucky enough to think but it cant be this bad all the time so jumped on the web found AHB and never looked back. I use cling wrap or if thats out screw the lid on then unscrew it till when I squeeze the fermenter air escapes and it draws back in when let go. As said co2 will form and force its way out and whilst fermenting there is no risk I prob wouldnt leave it for weeks or months after fermentation though as oxygen may creep in.
 
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