Brewing Master

Question:

}My three year old thinks that fermentation is really neat, especially }bubbling in an airlock.  I just noticed that two airlock caps were missing }from two carboys.  On further inspection, the caps were floating on the }foam of a 3 day old pale ale! } }Can I expect to have an infection?

Yes, get your 3 year old to the pediatrician immediately!  He may have brewitis — an infection that makes you want to brew incessantly.  I caught it JD

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: from two carboys.  On further inspection, the caps were floating on the : foam of a 3 day old pale ale! : Can I expect to have an infection?  I’d just as soon not worry, but I made : this batch for a party, and if it’s going to go bad, I better get moving on : a replacement batch now! Well, it depends.  Everyone’s environment is different, and some houses have more virulent strains in the air/dust/whatever. 1) It’s cooler now in North America–fewer microbiota floating    around. 2) The caps were on the kraeusen.  At this point, there is much    less potential for infection of your beer. 3) It’s for a party.  That means it will be drunk quickly.  Once    primary fermentation is complete, infections tend to take much    longer to take effect–months or so. The bottom line: Taste the beer and sample the S.G.  If there are funny off-tastes or weirdly low S.G. readings, watch out. It couldn’t hurt to start another batch and you’ll have it for yourself in the winter months that much faster if things turn out fine. — John DeCarlo, MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA–My views are my own If I were you, who would be reading this sentence?

Response:

| My three year old thinks that fermentation is really neat, especially | bubbling in an airlock.  I just noticed that two airlock caps were missing | from two carboys.  On further inspection, the caps were floating on the | foam of a 3 day old pale ale! Time to start brewing a new batch.  I had a similar experience with one of my cats.  She likes to chew on things, and went after the fermentation lock.  She ended up pulling the stopper out of the carboy and destroyed it and the lock.  I ended up having to dump the batch.  Now I put my fermenters in a closet and close the door. — Larry D. Pyeatt                   All standard disclaimers apply.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My three year old thinks that fermentation is really neat, especially bubbling in an airlock.  I just noticed that two airlock caps were missing from two carboys.  On further inspection, the caps were floating on the foam of a 3 day old pale ale! Can I expect to have an infection?  I’d just as soon not worry, but I made this batch for a party, and if it’s going to go bad, I better get moving on a replacement batch now! Let’s save the parenting discussions to some other news group – my kids are adequately supervised.                                      ^^^^^^ Mark AHHH, but is your beer?

Good comment Dave, yeesh. Ask the kids if they put the caps in the mouths. If they did you Will have Lacto infections and vinegar beer. If He/She sucks his fingers alot then just handling it could lead to infection. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men* are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Beer, Women**, and the Pursuit of Science." * intended at that time to be nonspecific; ** personal preference.

Response:

My three year old thinks that fermentation is really neat, especially bubbling in an airlock.  I just noticed that two airlock caps were missing from two carboys.  On further inspection, the caps were floating on the foam of a 3 day old pale ale! Can I expect to have an infection?  I’d just as soon not worry, but I made this batch for a party, and if it’s going to go bad, I better get moving on a replacement batch now! Let’s save the parenting discussions to some other news group – my kids are adequately supervised. Mark

Response:

My three year old thinks that fermentation is really neat, especially bubbling in an airlock.  I just noticed that two airlock caps were missing from two carboys.  On further inspection, the caps were floating on the foam of a 3 day old pale ale! Can I expect to have an infection?  I’d just as soon not worry, but I made this batch for a party, and if it’s going to go bad, I better get moving on a replacement batch now! Let’s save the parenting discussions to some other news group – my kids are adequately supervised. Mark

So you are saying that the 3-year old removed the caps from the airlocks and then removed the stopper from a carboy and put them inside and replaced the stopper? Given the sanitation level of a 3-year old’s hands, I would say get the replacement going. Not to worry you or anything, but I wonder what else he put in there. If you have the bottles I’d bottle it anyway, just in case it turned out all right. If not, then you might learn what an infectiojn tasted like. –Russ

Response:

My three year old thinks that fermentation is really neat, especially bubbling in an airlock.  I just noticed that two airlock caps were missing from two carboys.  On further inspection, the caps were floating on the foam of a 3 day old pale ale! Can I expect to have an infection?  I’d just as soon not worry, but I made this batch for a party, and if it’s going to go bad, I better get moving on a replacement batch now! Let’s save the parenting discussions to some other news group – my kids are adequately supervised.                                      ^^^^^^

Mark

AHHH, but is your beer?

Response:

I regularly use my 7 year old to fill bottles ($1.00 per 5 gallon batch), and my 3 year old to put the caps on and move the bottles back into the cases after capping.  She also takes the bottles out of the case, often by putting her fingers in the bottle.   Child labor laws not withstanding (your father made you work in a brewery?), there has never been an infected bottle from 3 year old fingers yet.

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