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Forgot to put air lock on primary
Hey guys, my brother and I made a batch of american cream ale and forgot the air lock over night. Will it hurt the beer? Any advice beside not to drink as much while brewing?
It shouldn't hurt the beer. The airlock helps with 2 things...
1. It helps move all oxygen out of the beer which will prevent oxidation. Overnight I don't think you'll have too much trouble.
2. It keeps out bad things that the yeasties will want to feast on. Its possible that you will get an infection from it, but I doubt it. I've done worse things than that. 
as long as your primary fermentor is sterilized, and the room you had it hadn't had any crazy parties with a bunch of people sweating, talking, and depositing wild bacterias...you should be fine.
put the airlock on and the CO2 will scrub out any oxygen. if you see any funky goop develop, like a "ring around the collar" (other than the residual of the krausen) you may have an infection. strange odors will also be an indication your beer is infected. most likely you guys are good to go.
everyone stresses sterilization and sanitation, and this is a good thing, but in all reality it takes a good deal to scrap your beer. so don't sweat it. and maybe next time, one of you is tasked with staying semi-sober during brewing? maybe you can switch back and forth?
krausenator wrote:
maybe next time, one of you is tasked with staying semi-sober during brewing? maybe you can switch back and forth?
Really great advice. You have to learn the hard way sometimes.
As long as fermentation got started the CO2 produced would do to things:
1. Maintain a positive pressure inside the fermentor making it hard for stuff to ust drift into the small opening.
2. CO2 is heavier than air, so it would create a blanket of gas over teh beer preventing any exogenous oxygen from getting to the beer for oxidation concerns.
Prior to the ferment starting, there may be some stuff the would get in and start eating your wort (not stuff that the yeast would eat).
Regardless, let it ride and see what you get.
I think you should be alright. I brewed last night as well and did my first full boil. Long story short, all kinds of stuff delayed my actual boil, and by the time I finished it was late and I was tired. So I put into my primary - 6.5 gal bucket, it was still really hot. I placed the cover on the bucket with it just cracked to let the heat escape, and went to bed. I took my gravity reading this morning, and pitched the starter. I'm not sweating it.
Where you had already pitched I agree with brewchez, the CO2 should keep it safe.
Thanks to all, I will let you know how it turns out.
Turned out just fine. thanks for resting my mind.
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