Carboy got hit for 24 hours with flurescent light, any damage?

[Aleforge]

For some reason one of my kids flipped on the light in the unfinished side of my basement. Which is were my carboy resides. I have NO idea why.. they never go in there. But yesterday I went in to check on how things were going and had a "wtf" moment. The light is a single bulb shop light that hangs right above the carboy. So it got nailed for nearly a full 24 hours and is about 3 days into the process.

How much do you guys think this screwed things up? Not sure if it matters but it still smells normal, not a hint of sulfer etc. I obviously should've had a blanket on it, but no one ever goes in there. =(

Thanks guys

 

[mongoose33]

Ahhh.... a potential "light struck" beer. The result is skunky aromas and to some extent flavors. This is the light interacting with hop compounds. Getting anything like that? Might be too soon.

That said, I'm guessing you had an active fermentation with the wort roiling around in there due to yeast activity. Because that would have raised the trub into the wort, I suspect it's not as bad as it could be. I'd expect you'll have some effect, but hopefully not too bad.

 

[Oyarsa]

I'm probably wrong, but I was under the impression it was UV rays that were the enemy of beer, not light itself...

 

[mongoose33]

I'm probably wrong, but I was under the impression it was UV rays that were the enemy of beer, not light itself...

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/201...light-bulbs-emit-high-levels-of-uv-radiation/

I assumed, as a "single bulb shop light" that it was a fluorescent light....if it's not, then not as much of a deal.

 

[jrgtr42]

You should be fine. It's more sunlight that has any effect at all.

 

[seatazzz]

Cheap XL black t-shirts are your friend here. No need for a blanket. I've got a heat lamp in my ferment fridge and a black t-shirt over the fermenter, and no issues....yet.

 

[Oyarsa]

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/201...light-bulbs-emit-high-levels-of-uv-radiation/

I assumed, as a "single bulb shop light" that it was a fluorescent light....if it's not, then not as much of a deal.

Oh, I see. I didn't realize fluorescent light put off UV rays.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Pretty sure it'll be OK.

I've aged my sours in my basement 6-7 months so far. Pretty sure they've had more than 24 hours of florescent light. No skunking.

 

[MaxStout]

Light intensity is also a factor. The light (and UV) cast by that shop light is going to be much less intense than that of direct sunlight. I doubt it harmed the beer.

If you're concerned about light affecting beer stored in the area, cover the carboy with an old towel or a dark t-shirt.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I will admit that I fermented in glass carboys for over 20 years. I guess I never knew that that light (other than sunlight) was bad. Looking around it seem to be the case (https://byo.com/mr-wizard/effect-of-light-on-beer/). I have never noticed any off flavors that I would associate with light struck and I am sure some of my beers had many hours of light exposure.

It kind of makes me wonder if I should play around with the bulbs in my "fermentation room" (a bathroom in my basement...right now there are a couple CFLs in there) or cover my carboys.

 

[RM-MN]

An incandescent light puts out almost no UV, a flourescent puts out a little. The sun puts out a lot. How many hours of sitting in an office with flourescent lights does it take to get a tan compared to sitting in the sunlight.

 

[mongoose33]

An incandescent light puts out almost no UV, a flourescent puts out a little. The sun puts out a lot. How many hours of sitting in an office with flourescent lights does it take to get a tan compared to sitting in the sunlight.

Light struck beer can be created in very, very little time. According to this, from sunshine it can occur in seconds. May take a while for the effects to become apparent, but I don't think we can effectively equate fluorescent lights with sunshine.

https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/eIXf22Zwnt/

To quote: Further, the Kuroiwa group established that the blue part of the visible spectrum (350–500 nm) in particular is most efficient in generating lightstruck flavor. In strong sunlight, the reaction can be almost instantaneous, with tasting panels able to detect the aromatic effects of an exposure to less than 10 seconds of full sunshine. Under less deleterious conditions, for example a display cabinet with fluorescent lighting, these reactions still occur, though they may take a number of days or weeks to become noticeable.

 

[Soulshine2]

i cover with a dark towel more than just to keep light out...temperature stability too.

 

[jtrux]

Fluorescent light is pretty week unless it’s t4 bulbs (uncommon in home use). T4 are the really skinny bulbs, like the size of a permanent marker. T12 which are common in home use are very week. For example, you can’t garden with t12. When starting my pepper plants indoors, I have a 4 bulb t4 and still have to place it 1-2 inches from the top of my plants to keep them from getting leggy. Even yet, when it’s time to go outside you have to ween them bc sunlight is so bright it will burn them if they aren’t used to it. That’s my long winded way of saying a t12 8 feet away probably won’t have a huge effect. Still curious how it turns out

 

[jack13]

For some reason one of my kids flipped on the light in the unfinished side of my basement. Which is were my carboy resides. I have NO idea why.. they never go in there. But yesterday I went in to check on how things were going and had a "wtf" moment. The light is a single bulb shop light that hangs right above the carboy. So it got nailed for nearly a full 24 hours and is about 3 days into the process.

How much do you guys think this screwed things up? Not sure if it matters but it still smells normal, not a hint of sulfer etc. I obviously should've had a blanket on it, but no one ever goes in there. =(

Thanks guys

Sounds like it'll turn out fine. But if ends up skunky, you should make the kids drink every drop so they'll learn their lesson.

 

[Aleforge]

Thanks everyone for the help!