Lid was removed from fermenter on day 2 !

[Dragonsbrew]

Hi guys I'm new to all this ,
Question re the fermenter on day 2 everything has been running smooth , I found my son had opened the fermenter would this spoil the batch ?

 

[CRUNK]

Best advice, put the lid back on and observe the airlock for activity, but it may take 12 to 24 hours to start again till the fermentor builds pressure.

On a good note, you have a curious youngster, curiosity makes for good brewers.

 

[Dragonsbrew]

Thanks Little bugger is observant calmly stated well there's no sticker saying don't open grrrr kids !

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

its fine, the only thing that could happen is germs, people open ferment all the time, to be safe take an alcohol swab and kill anything he or she may have touched

 

[CRUNK]

These are the things you'll remember when your grandchildren ask you questions, deep down you will laughing, while you tell them.

 

[Dragonsbrew]

These are the things you'll remember when your grandchildren ask you questions, deep down you will laughing, while you tell them.

Hoping when brew is ready chilled and in a glass during winter I can chuckle over the little mishaps

 

[jeffpn]

During winter? Have we another Aussie??

 

[J A]

I found my son had opened the fermenter

How long did it stay open? If he just put the lid back in place, it'll be quite fine. If it sat open for a while, you may pick up a wild yeast or a beer-loving bacteria, but the likelihood of it spoiling the batch isn't that great.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

During winter? Have we another Aussie??

There's plenty of nations south of the equator besides us my friend , most of them can safely be ignored and in all honesty isn't quite as good a place to live or take holidays as here though ....beware kiwis since they sometimes pretend to be Aussies but are really only any good at rugby and sharing sheep

Back to topic its hard to say , infection can happen in an instant so going to have to wait and see
I always have a spray bottle of starsan or 2 handy to help keep my yeasties as the only lifeform in my beer

 

[GFHomebrew]

Hey now remember our German brewing gurus ferment their ales in open top fermentors check out their Kolsch you'll see a nice thick foamy krausen and a German lad scamming it with an oversize spoon. I've forgotten to clip down my bucket fermentor lid before without any harm done to the beer. But I must say it does make for a nervous wait till tasting time.

 

[Dragonsbrew]

How long did it stay open? If he just put the lid back in place, it'll be quite fine. If it sat open for a while, you may pick up a wild yeast or a beer-loving bacteria, but the likelihood of it spoiling the batch isn't that great.

Only lifted to see the bubbles he said ! It is now flat no foam ,but there is bubbles around the krausen collar and brew seems to be moving ?

 

[Anthony G Milner]

Hey now remember our German brewing gurus ferment their ales in open top fermentors check out their Kolsch you'll see a nice thick foamy krausen and a German lad scamming it with an oversize spoon. I've forgotten to clip down my bucket fermentor lid before without any harm done to the beer. But I must say it does make for a nervous wait till tasting time.

Yep - years ago I watched me dad 'rouse' a Mild beer in the brewery he worked at by using a portable pump to suck the beer from the bottom of the open top fermenter and blow the part fermented beer out on to the middle, but that was in the old days! never a problem though
Cheers

 

[Mark D Pirate]

all depends what else happened to be floating around at the time , you may well get away with it
in my early days brewing i took shortcuts and still made beer

 

[CRUNK]

Time will tell, but I wouldn't chew your fingernails off waiting.

 

[KC]

Hey now remember our German brewing gurus ferment their ales in open top fermentors check out their Kolsch you'll see a nice thick foamy krausen and a German lad scamming it with an oversize spoon.

ALL beer was open fermented for thousands of years until sometime in the 1860s.

 

[J A]

Only lifted to see the bubbles he said ! It is now flat no foam ,but there is bubbles around the krausen collar and brew seems to be moving ?

It's totally, totally fine!
I still check to see the bubbles from time to time. It's just fun!

 

[Mark D Pirate]

ALL beer was open fermented for thousands of years until sometime in the 1860s.

How many batches were infected ? Quality control mate

 

[KC]

How many batches were infected ? Quality control mate

Well, bacteria wasn't discovered until 1857 so infection was not a known concept. If beer was bad it was attributed to other reasons and adulterated to correct it, often by mixing with lead or potash.

They did know not to expose beer to air after secondary or it would turn to vinegar. During primary, active yeast is pretty good at keeping bad stuff out.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Theoretically if you introduce a good sizeable yeast population to your wort early then bad Bacteria shouldn't be able to get a foot hold in the beer and the yeast should out compete the bad bacteria. what do ya recon?

 

[Nosybear]

Theoretically if you introduce a good sizeable yeast population to your wort early then bad Bacteria shouldn't be able to get a foot hold in the beer and the yeast should out compete the bad bacteria. what do ya recon?

That's one of the factors in pitch rate. The yeast will keep most of the bad bugs in control and create a very inhospitable environment but there are those that can survive. Lactobacillus loves living with Saccaromyces (think sourdough). Any oxygen in there, acetobacter loves it. But for the most part, the yeast pitch crowds just about everything else out.