Open Fermenting

[marlow_coates]

Manticle,

I use a rubber band around mine, and it is a glass carboy so less surface area for CO2 to escape through the wrap. No hole.

For some reason I fear that as the glad wrap lifts and fills like a balloon, that it will somehow increase permeability, and that small nasties may get through, once the CO2 is spent and not pushing out.

Completely unfounded fear mind you, as no infections from the fermenter yet.

However, I would not leave any wort or fluid that may gotten on top of the glad wrap (from whatever source), as I figured with time this would seep through the wrap.
Again, no idea if this is true.

Marlow

 

[MarkBastard]

I don't think you need to pin prick it, I've never done that.

I'm thinking of stopping the glad wrap method as I find it annoying to apply. If I could find some wider glad wrap it'd be better because I could just do one layer and still have plenty of overhang so the rubber band went on easy, but with two it's friggin annoying and all sort of sticks together too much. Screwing a lid on just seems a bit easier.

People say the bunnings lids don't always make a perfect seal, but then neither does glad wrap, so I'm probably gunna try using a bunnings lid with the o ring and I'll do it tight but not too tight, and I reckon the co2 will still escape without an airlock.

 

[svyturys]

Svyturys,

How did it get on? :huh:

Did you sleep?? :lol:

Hahahahahahaaha,
I woke at 3:20 am or thereabouts. Went downstairs and checked on my girls.
Am I beer nerd or what???
All is well. Lots of dome on all three fermenters...gladwrap is the only way to go.
It's amazing how the krausen changes colour and form from day to day.

Cheers

 

[Cube]

I glad wrap now and have found it to be great. I have been double bagging and 90 deg since the beginning and no pricks in my house. I am now also glad wrapping my trub bottles in the fridge instead of using the pet caps. 100% improvement in ease of storing my trub for so many reasons I can think of at least three


-_-

 

[boingk]

DEATH TO WRAPPING!

Tried it once or twice, never caught on with me much. I guess its because I didn't do the double-wrap and hence found the sealing fiddly.

Perhaps another shot may be the order. Anywho, I do like it for trub bottles/flasks.

CHeers - boingk

EDIT: Wrong smiley...

 

[warra48]

I only have a small fridge for my fermenter.
I can't fit one with an airlock, so it's a necessity to use clingwrap.
No pin hole though.

 

[Nick JD]

I used to do the teatowel-open-fermentation in my youth. It works ... but you need yeast that's ready for dinner. Any fluffing about at the start is not healthy. Not brewing beside an open window or a strong draft is also important - especially if outside that window is a grapevine jammed with rotting grapes.

 

[manticle]

The only advantage I can see is if you don't have a fermenter and want to make beer in a large bucket rather than part with $15-20.

Sure it can be done but......why?

 

[Cube]

The only advantage I can see is if you don't have a fermenter and want to make beer in a large bucket rather than part with $15-20.

Sure it can be done but......why?

Good question. I started glad wrapping only one fermenter. It was a bunnings one with the red lid that never ever seals. It was hard to see if fermentation had kicked off or what stage it was at because the bubbles out the air lock never worked and it being red it wasn't see-through. The fermenter is too hard to see through itself. So in frustration I wrapped it and biffed the lid.

 

[manticle]

I understand the glad wrap thing - I just don't understand why anyone would dispense with a lid in favour of a mouldy old tea towel, particularly now that equipment is so accessible and cheap.

 

[Nick JD]

I understand the glad wrap thing - I just don't understand why anyone would dispense with a lid in favour of a mouldy old tea towel, particularly now that equipment is so accessible and cheap.

Ask some of the commercial breweries why they don't have a lid and an airlock ... maybe they can tell you.

I like this one of Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot.

Too many home brewers are paranoid and/or aren't aware of what they can and can't get away with so they brew with a Carpet Bombing tactic. Ascus fungi like Saccharomyces are related to Penicillium.

 

[bum]

My house has windows.

 

[manticle]

Neither having a go at your previous method nor questioning non-lidded fermentation.

My question is 'why would you use a cloth as opposed to something like glad wrap? (and obviously on an HB front - commercial brewery sanitation/fermentation/bottling methods are a completely different kettle of fish to HB)

I'm not saying it wouldn't work nor am I saying it would result in definite infection but unless you're just experimenting to see how things work (in which case fire away) what is the actual ADVANTAGE of said cloth method.

Hopefully my question is now a little clearer.

 

[Nick JD]

My house has windows.

Put a teatowel over them. Seriously, you've never tried an open fermentation?

 

[Nick JD]

I'm not saying it wouldn't work nor am I saying it would result in definite infection but unless you're just experimenting to see how things work (in which case fire away) what is the actual ADVANTAGE of said cloth method.

Hopefully my question is now a little clearer.

Done properly it never results in infection. There's no advantage - but then again I don't sanitize bottles before filling them and I don't get infections ... so what's the point of sanitizing bottles?

Maybe we could put all out stuff in an autoclave and wear biohazard gear?

 

[Nick JD]

Have a read.

http://hbd.org/brewery/library/OpenFerm.html

 

[manticle]

I'm so not one of those anal 'lets sanitise my next door neighbour's uncle's husband's dog which trod in some mud six weeks ago' type people.

I agree some people can be over cautious (and some can be under cautious) and you need to find the balance that works with you and your environment. I boil on a wood-fired weber, I still use sodium met and I bottle everything outdoors in the dark with a hand capper and straight from the tap. My brewery is a lo-fi as you can get.

I'm not sure your sanitising bottles analogy is actually an effective analogy though. You don't sanitize them because it has no negative effect not to (for you and your beer) and to NOT do it is much easier than TO do it. Brewing with a teatowel rather than glad wrap or a lid is not - so therefore why would anyone do it? I'm sure you could colour your fermenter in with pink posca pens and not get an infection but what's the point?

 

[manticle]

Have a read.

http://hbd.org/brewery/library/OpenFerm.html

I think we're talking about 2 different things. I'm not saying there's no way anyone could brew open rather than closed. I'm just questioning covering a fermenter with a cloth as opposed to something else. If you think there's an advantage to completely open then that's another kettle of fish.

Does sierra nevada put a huge chequered cloth across the expanse of their fermenting vessel?

 

[bum]

I'm sure you could colour your fermenter in with pink posca pens and not get an infection but what's the point?

It looks pretty!

 

[manticle]

Thanks. It goes nicely with the upholstery on my faux georgian chaisse-longue