No Airlocks For 12 Months

[fifteenbeerslater]

OK i have been brewing for many years now and aways trying to simplify things, looking for shortcuts. I started with the typical airlock then graduated to a blow off tube and bottle. After looking back to what a lot of people did years ago with open fermentation etc i thought i would try just a loose lid. I have been using this method now for 12 months without any problems and would recommend it to anyone.
Like a lot of others i cant keep up a good supply so finally got around to brewing five batches at once. Now all i need is a few more kegs. I am interested in knowing if any others use the loose lid method.
Cheers 15BL

 

[Wardhog]

Sorry, I can't help out with your question (I still use airlocks), but I'm interested in how you go about fermenting in those type of containers.
How do you decant the finished beer? How do you keep them clean/get the trub out after fermentation's done? How do you store them when not in use?

 

[Batz]

I sometimes brew in plastic jerry's as I can not fit two fermenters into the one fridge (two jerry's fit)
When I do this I use the loose lid method,never had a problem.

Batz

 

[devo]

Sorry to say that I've never done this myself, I just can't part with not having the stimulus of an airlock bubbling(blurp. blurp) away.


BTW that is a sweeeeeet fridge set up you have going. :super:

 

[Punter]

Thats a good idea using those cubes, never thought of that.
I dont use a lid on my fermenters, just cover with glad wrap
and use the black rubber seal from lid to hold
it in place. Works well for me.

 

[Voosher]

Airlocks have been redundant in my brewery for a couple of years. Never a problem.

 

[Fents]

Interesting. By using this loose lid or glad wrap method my fermenters will fit in my 100 can coolers.

 

[Ross]

I don't use airlocks either - I just place a plastic bottle cap over the airlock grommet.
Exception is when doing big beers like Imperial Stouts, where I fit a blowoff tube - I don't want the gunk all over my fermenter & sucking back in.

cheers Ross

 

[warrenlw63]

Sorry to say that I've never done this myself, I just can't part with not having the stimulus of an airlock bubbling(blurp. blurp) away.
BTW that is a sweeeeeet fridge set up you have going. :super:

Hey Devo... Run a couple of blowoff tube into a 5 litre demijohn full of sanitiser. Suddenly the blurp, blurp sounds like it's running through a Marshall stack. :super: :beerbang:

Warren -

 

[devo]

mmm rubs chin.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Gladwrap here for about a year here too

And no problems

Cheers

 

[lucas]

I could never get my fermenters to seal properly anyway so i stopped bothering with airlocks a while back. I dont use the lid o-ring either because I figure it;s just another place where nasties might reside. I either put a cap over the airlock hole, or a thermowell for my temp probe.

 

[ArnieW]

I haven't used airlocks for a long time either. I've discovered that you can get lids from Grain and Grape without airlock holes as well - so that simplifies it a bit more.

I do the loose lid thing, and am a firm believer in looking at the fermenting wort to see what is happening, rather than waiting for an airlock to burp.

 

[Eugene]

I like the idea of brewing in the cubes or Carboys (big and cheap), but how do you go with getting them clean, it takes me 20-30 mins to wash/wipe away the dried crud above the wort line from the bubbles, I just cant see how to get the opake(sic) containers clean, and how to check they are clean.

If you guys have aproduct that will remove the gunk, please do tell, as im sick of scrubbing, no more bottle for me, keg only, no airlock, all good, now if I can get to no scrub fermenting, look-out, this is getting too easy.

I have even though of buying a new tap for each brew so as not to have to bother with washing and worrying about it, I use new 10mm poly (clear) tube to decant each time as I cant see how I can get it clean and dry without infecting it.

Please share the secret.

 

[ArnieW]

I like the idea of brewing in the cubes or Carboys (big and cheap), but how do you go with getting them clean, it takes me 20-30 mins to wash/wipe away the dried crud above the wort line from the bubbles, I just cant see how to get the opake(sic) containers clean, and how to check they are clean.

If you guys have aproduct that will remove the gunk, please do tell, as im sick of scrubbing, no more bottle for me, keg only, no airlock, all good, now if I can get to no scrub fermenting, look-out, this is getting too easy.

I have even though of buying a new tap for each brew so as not to have to bother with washing and worrying about it, I use new 10mm poly (clear) tube to decant each time as I cant see how I can get it clean and dry without infecting it.

Please share the secret.

Try Napisan Eugene and soak for a few days. Works a charm, and eliminates the risk of scratching plastic by scrubbing too hard.

 

[kook]

If you guys have aproduct that will remove the gunk, please do tell, as im sick of scrubbing, no more bottle for me, keg only, no airlock, all good, now if I can get to no scrub fermenting, look-out, this is getting too easy.

Please share the secret.

I just soak in Napisan (about 4 tablespoons per fermenter) for 24 hours. It hoses off no problems then.

Rinse the fermenter well with a hose first. Add the napisan, along with a few litres of hot tap water. Then just fill up with the hose till the foam flows over.

edit - What Arnie said!

 

[Fents]

So when you say loose lid....how loose? One turn? Half a turn? three turns?

 

[tangent]

Suddenly the blurp, blurp sounds like it's running through a Marshall stack.

:lol:

 

[goatherder]

I've used semi-open fermentation for a while now. I do this when I'm looking for yeast character in the beer - belgians, english beers and hefeweizens. I just put a bit of foil over the top of the fermenter. I leave it on for about the first 5-7 days of the fermentation then I put the lid and airlock back on for the remainder. Seems to work OK.

 

[Jye]

Ive thought about doing this and like the idea of not having any pressure on the yeast, even thou it is small. But I have seen small black flies hanging around gaps in my air lock seal where the co2 is escaping, it is like the flies are attracted to the co2. Does anyone worry about them getting into the fermenter?