Airlock with no liquid for a short time?

[Mercfh]

So I have been using star-sanz in my Apfelwein. It's been fermenting for 3-4 days now. However I had went to go put some more in my airlock and came back an hour later to find that it was empty (mostly suds). I reckon It all turned to bubbles. So I quickly filled it with water to tide it over while I got some vodka.

It was for a very short amount of time, maybe 1 hour it was exposed....do you think I should be ok? Or just throw it out? or see how it turns out?

my only worry is if it "looks ok" later on but ends up making me sick by being infected.

Thanks!

 

[roger_tucker]

Definitely do not throw it out. You're more than likely fine. On more than one occasion I've had an overactive fermentation which blew the bung off my carboy. I simply resanitized it and replaced it. The beer turned out fine.

Edit -- I've never had an infected beer but from what I've read it's pretty easy to tell. Your beer will have a vinegar taste.

 

[TopherM]

Remember, bacteria are living organisms, just like a fly or a elephant. In order to infect your beer through even an empty airlock, there is nothing magical going on. They literally have to land on top of your airlock and navigate through the twists and turns down to the beer, and have to do it en mass enough to propagate and set up a colony. And they had to go all of that during the hour you were gone.

It's possible, but very unlikely. Finish up the beer!

 

[Pizzamaker]

Plus they had to do it against an outflow of carbon dioxide coming the other way. The beer will be fine, totally 100% guaranteed.

I went on a brewery tour last year and was amazed to see that fermentation on a commercial scale is open to the air. The beer ferments in huge vertical cylindrical tanks, and in the top of the tank is an opening about three feet across. I was on a raised walkway above it and could see the krausen inside. It just isn't a problem apparently.

 

[GrogNerd]

other than referring to your apfelwein and not a beer, I'll have to agree with the other posts here

there are no nefarious bacterium lurking about ready to pounce on your unsuspecting sugary concoction when your head is turned

 

[Mercfh]

Hahah yeah thats true.

I mean technically if it got infected, theoretically could I still drink it (not that I would want to) and not get sick?

 

[TopherM]

A concentration of 2.4% alcohol kills most known human pathogens, and if you have something like ebola flying around your house, you have bigger problems than your beer.

Also, most of the wild yeast and bacteria that "infect" a beer are sold as probiotics down at the health food store.