Can I recover from too much oxygen in the ferment?

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During my fermentation I kind of neglected the fact that I don't want to be introducing any oxygen into my brew, not to say that it was exposed to tons of it, but I took the airlock off a few times and even gave it a taste which is funny because while tasting it I realized the problem, but by tasting it I made the problem worse lol. I'm not at all worried about the sanitation risks in doing that, because every time I did I kept everything really sanitary. I'm just worried about the slight off flavor the beer has, it's good, but I could just taste this slight off flavor. If I leave it sit on the cakes long enough should they go away? Is there a way to recover?
 
Is it still actively fermenting?
 
Co2 is heavier than air. Removing the air lock for a minute did nearly nothing. Just keep going, plus if it is still actively fermenting, it will replace it with more co2.
 
During my fermentation I kind of neglected the fact that I don't want to be introducing any oxygen into my brew, not to say that it was exposed to tons of it, but I took the airlock off a few times and even gave it a taste which is funny because while tasting it I realized the problem, but by tasting it I made the problem worse lol. I'm not at all worried about the sanitation risks in doing that, because every time I did I kept everything really sanitary. I'm just worried about the slight off flavor the beer has, it's good, but I could just taste this slight off flavor. If I leave it sit on the cakes long enough should they go away? Is there a way to recover?
I'd leave it alone until it's done fermenting.
It's going to taste much different then.
Then you can take a sample and assess Wether it's worth packageing.
 
Removing airlocks should be avoided. Oxygen ingress happens very quickly despite co2 being a heavier gas. Ben is right on point with his advice. Taste it when it's done. If you can pull a sample without exposing the beer in any way to air, then it's not a big deal.

The simple corny keg with a floating pick up is a great fermentation vessel. If you want a sample, just push a little co2 into it and get a sample without any oxygen ingress. Closed transfers are the other benefit of fermenting in kegs.
 
Removing airlocks should be avoided. Oxygen ingress happens very quickly despite co2 being a heavier gas. Ben is right on point with his advice. Taste it when it's done. If you can pull a sample without exposing the beer in any way to air, then it's not a big deal.

The simple corny keg with a floating pick up is a great fermentation vessel. If you want a sample, just push a little co2 into it and get a sample without any oxygen ingress. Closed transfers are the other benefit of fermenting in kegs.
Not disagreeing, but i remove the entire top to add dry hops with no issues for years. I purge with co2 now, but not sure there is allot of difference.

Adding a sample port is a pretty simple thing too

If you don't have a co2 tank, add a ballon to your fermentor, you will have a limited supply of co2 on hand.
 
During my fermentation I kind of neglected the fact that I don't want to be introducing any oxygen into my brew, not to say that it was exposed to tons of it, but I took the airlock off a few times and even gave it a taste which is funny because while tasting it I realized the problem, but by tasting it I made the problem worse lol. I'm not at all worried about the sanitation risks in doing that, because every time I did I kept everything really sanitary. I'm just worried about the slight off flavor the beer has, it's good, but I could just taste this slight off flavor. If I leave it sit on the cakes long enough should they go away? Is there a way to recover?
It'll be fine. Like Ben said, it will taste different when its done. Not sure what you are fermenting in but i would add a bulkhead/ball valve to the bottom if you can for transfers and tasting without any o2 exposure. If you are fermenting in a keg, get a floating dip tube as mentioned by HV. i have one. it works. my only exposure time is a dry hop dump for about 10 seconds.
 
Once oxidation occurs, I don't think there is anything you can do to counteract it. But, I think, as long as you are careful, significant oxidation risk is small. Would a closed transfer to kegs be beneficial? Absolutely. However, a kegging system is a lot of money to solve a relatively small problem. To minimize oxidation risks, I don't take gravity readings during fermentation. I always ferment for 3 weeks (± 2 days). At that point, as long as temps were in yeast's happy zone, I assume fermentation is complete. And that assumption is confirmed by the FG reading being where I expect it to be. Dry hopping is the only reason I would open the fermenter before bottling. Transfer to the bottling bucket and then to the bottle are the only significant oxygen exposure. But, since there is not much I can do about that, I just accept it. So continue to minimize oxygen exposure and RDWAHAHB*.

* Relax Don't Worry And Have A Home Brew!
 
During my fermentation I kind of neglected the fact that I don't want to be introducing any oxygen into my brew, not to say that it was exposed to tons of it, but I took the airlock off a few times and even gave it a taste which is funny because while tasting it I realized the problem, but by tasting it I made the problem worse lol. I'm not at all worried about the sanitation risks in doing that, because every time I did I kept everything really sanitary. I'm just worried about the slight off flavor the beer has, it's good, but I could just taste this slight off flavor. If I leave it sit on the cakes long enough should they go away? Is there a way to recover?
I don't think the bit of O2 introduced during your sampling is the issue. Oxidation does not happen immediately. Also, during fermentation your beer is saturated with CO2, air can get in the vessel but can't dissolve in the beer. Try to describe your off flavor, it's unlikely you are tasting oxidation.
 
If I have to open up the fermentor at any time e.g. adding dry hops, I give the fermentor a squirt of CO2 to expel any air that gets in.
I don't have a large bottle of CO2 so I made up an injector using a spare CO2 bulb fitting from a barrel cap and a length of hose. I put on my gloves and give it a twist. One bulb is usually enough to blast out all the air I inadvertently let in.
I had to solder a barb fitting onto the injector fitting.
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If I have to open up the fermentor at any time e.g. adding dry hops, I give the fermentor a squirt of CO2 to expel any air that gets in.
I don't have a large bottle of CO2 so I made up an injector using a spare CO2 bulb fitting from a barrel cap and a length of hose. I put on my gloves and give it a twist. One bulb is usually enough to blast out all the air I inadvertently let in.
I had to solder a barb fitting onto the injector fitting.
View attachment 19158
Paintball co2 tanks work too. $20 for 20oz and about $4 to fill it will last months
 
thanks for the advice, I think it should end up fine.
Right now it is still actively fermenting, but its about to be done.
I should have been more specific, it's hard to describe the off flavor... like a really pungent yeast flavor is the best way I could describe it.
 
thanks for the advice, I think it should end up fine.
Right now it is still actively fermenting, but its about to be done.
I should have been more specific, it's hard to describe the off flavor... like a really pungent yeast flavor is the best way I could describe it.
Yeast isn’t always pleasant tasting, but I’ve notice it varies strain to strain. Once the yeast drops, the beer flavor should improve a great deal. Once it’s carbonated it will change again, most of the time for the better.
 

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