Stalled Fermentation

[felten]

all?

The only issue with glad wrap that I can think of is if you have small children/pets that want to poke holes in it. Or if you are having an over active ferment, and need a blow off tube.

Its designed not to be very oxygen permeable, and it should be sanitary so it trumps airlocks in my books.

 

[Sneddy]

Ahh... Pets... Can't do it... My dogs are already way too interested in my fermenters...

 

[cdbrown]

Ahh... Pets... Can't do it... My dogs are already way too interested in my fermenters...

Interested to the point that they'd be able to get up and poke holes into the glad wrap?

 

[Sneddy]

When I'm washing the fermenters out my little Silky keeps trying to jump into the fermenter, and he's a clever little bastard so I figure some time soon he'll figure a way to get to where I do my brewing - it's not the most secure location...

 

[Bubba]

So in what circumstances would the glad wrapping method be better than the air lock method...

In all.

Neither the lid and airlock, not the gladwrap give you a perfect seal...the issue is that people think the airlock is aperfect seal and when it doesnt go "Gloop" they think somethign is wrong.

Air will find its way out and a glad wrap lid with a band to hold it on, air will seep out due to pressure, but none will get in.

 

[Lecterfan]

...and the other cool thing about gladwrap is that instead of the reassuring bloop bloop, if you are lucky enough to see the brew during it's primary phase it's like watching "the breath of the beer"! Seriously, my last one would balloon up in about 30 seconds then slowly release...build up, release etc...hilarious. It was like I was fermenting a Sigourney Weaver clone to harvest the alien DNA. If I had sat cross legged in front of it and breathed in time I am certain I would have discovered the riddle of beerniverse. :icon_chickcheers:

 

[DUANNE]

one time i find a lid is much better than glad wrap is for beers you just know are gunna overflow. still havent worked out how to run a blowoff hose from gladwrap!

 

[Bubba]

So in what circumstances would the glad wrapping method be better than the air lock method...

In all circumstances. Neither a lid/airlock, nor gladwrap is a perfect seal as both need to let gas escape. The issue is that people think a lid/airlock is a perfect seal and when they don't hear the "gloop" they think something is wrong.

Glad wrap allows you to also see the action in your fermenter, and once you know the stages of your fermentation you will be able to tell when it has finished and take you FG to be sure.

 

[brett mccluskey]

So in what circumstances would the glad wrapping method be better than the air lock method...

In my opinion glad wrap is only acceptable to use on a fermenter with 'running beers'.Beers that ferment in a relatively quick time(5/6 days) and are bottled a few days later.After the gas layer dissipates from the fermenter .the wort is open to contamination through air ingress through the pinhole in the wrap,this can't happen with an airlock Please consider :icon_cheers:

 

[felten]

You don't put a pinhole in the wrap.

 

[Lecterfan]

I agree toper1, but that is based on one fundamental premise which is easily solved; don't use a pin hole. There is no need for one. The gas escapes around the seal of the o-ring. I am only a recent glad-wrappian and I must confess after 5-9 days in primary, when I rack the beer I put a lid and airlock on it so I can stick it away and forget about it for a week or two (as at that stage it is not producing copious amounts of beery gases). Horses for courses. :icon_chickcheers:

As for the need for blowoff tubes etc., I've got no advice: it happenned to me only once due to an error of judgment with the OG etc etc many years ago. :blink:

And now I am onto my third beer and need to enforce my self imposed ban of drinking and posting. Cheers.

 

[cdbrown]

In my opinion glad wrap is only acceptable to use on a fermenter with 'running beers'.Beers that ferment in a relatively quick time(5/6 days) and are bottled a few days later.After the gas layer dissipates from the fermenter .the wort is open to contamination through air ingress through the pinhole in the wrap,this can't happen with an airlock Please consider :icon_cheers:

Can happen with the airlock as you'll never get a proper seal of the lid to fermenter mouth - hence a way for air ingress. I don't have any lids at home anymore and use the gladwrap on all the lagers during primary and secondary. I don't have to worry about the liquid in the airlock being blown out allowing bugs to make their way in (which was the reason I ditched the airlock in the first place).

 

[Sneddy]

I Barricaded my fermenters so the dogs can't get to em... And decided to go for the Glad Wrap seal on both this batch.

Good seal, bulging like crazy (which looks awesome) but best of all I can see inside.

See how this experiment goes for these brews...

 

[moogusty]

just wondering how your first batches went? no bada boom? cos have a similar prob with a kit of pale ale at about 1.014 was wondering about bottling has been on for 7 days stopped bubbling 2 days ago

 

[Sneddy]

I'd recommend doing everything I did (swirl, but not splash to mix up the yeasties again, repitch some rehydrated yeast) just for peace of mind, but so far no kaboom.

I did only bulk prime with 160g white sugar though... I believe most people recommend using around 180g. So hopefully I'll just end up with undergassed beer... That said, it has only been 7 days in the bottle.

Will post up if I have any buck shot brews though.

 

[moogusty]

also was wondering if it was possible for gravity to rise because i swirled the pot around a little to agitate the yeast and now reading is at 1.018