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Why bother with air locks?

MaltLicker

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It was too cold yesterday for the garage, so I had to keep this kolsch in the house.  Concerned about it spewing overnight (big yeast starter), I just left a foil wrapper cap on it.  It had a one-inch krausen at 8am, and I left it the foil in place until dinner time, putting on a blow-off tube and it was immediately popping every second. 

Which got me thinking, why do we bother with stoppers and air locks during the initial days of the fermentation?  The head pressure from excessive CO2 does not help the yeast ferment, and as long as it is actively outgassing, nothing else is going to get sucked in the vessel. 

Later in the ferm, I can see wanting some back pressure to retain some of the natural CO2 in solution.  But for the first three days when messes are most likely, why not let her rip?  Thoughts?

 
Because w/o an airlock the smell of sweet beer attracts critter....cats, dogs, bugs, etc. 

Mark
 
With a blow off tube,..even submerged in water on the blow off end,..something might be able to get into it?  That's the best reason I could think of.
 
Mess with it as little as possible. I install the blow off tube and leave it in place until its time to rake to secondary/keg (depending on the beer). I don't have to think about it or pay attention to it at all. But then again that's my way of doing it.
 
Normally, I use the freezer and a blow-off, but my altbier is still lagering at 38F and the garage is too cold at night for a 60F fermentation.  I'm moving the carboy around to keep the temps in range. 

I had not thought about bugs, but in a sealed freezer even that seems remote.  Pets and toddlers would be a problem in the house for sure. 
 
I've had airlocks full of fruit flies before. Breeding and everything. Little fruit fly maggots crawling up the sides. Yummy stuff! Haven't seen any since I started putting cheap 100 proof vodka in the airlocks.
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
I've had airlocks full of fruit flies before. Breeding and everything. Little fruit fly maggots crawling up the sides. Yummy stuff! Haven't seen any since I started putting cheap 100 proof vodka in the airlocks.

Dang,..I guess nothing is safe!
 
No kidding.  I'd never heard about fruit flies and someone local mentioned it today on our club FB page.  Vodka apparently keeps them out of airlocks. 
 
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