Does the Primary Fermenter Need an Airlock in a microbrewery
- Dec 29, 2021
- 50
- tiantai
This article column is specially to answer some common question during brewing.You need to consider a lot when you open your brewery like craft brewing tech,
brewery equipment cost and price,find a location for brewery, license
and regulation of a brewery.In a microbrewery, beer Fermentation is one of the most important steps when making homebrew beer and many brewers might wonder if the primary fermenter needs and airlock or if it should be airtight. Since I asked myself the same question on my first batch, I thought that I should tackle that question today!
The primary fermenter should never be airtight because the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation needs a way to escape safely without building up too much pressure. While not required, using an airlock during primary fermentation will allow excess CO2 to leave the fermenter and prevent oxygen and bacteria from entering.
Even though you don’t have to use an airlock during fermentation, most people choose to do so as a cheap insurance policy against infection and blowouts. Let’s dive deeper into this topics and see what we can learn!
Is an airlock necessary for brewing?
No, an airlock isn’t an absolute necessity for brewing, but it is pretty darn helpful.I say helpful because we all know that a major by-product of the fermentation process is carbon dioxide and if you have ever seen beer ferment then you will know that the Since there is only a finite amount of space inside the fermenter, that extra gas needs a place to go. Hence, we need a way to allow the carbon dioxide to escape.
The other part of the equation is that while oxygen is helpful when the yeast get started with the fermentation process, it can actually hurt the flavor of your beer if it is introduced after fermentation slows or stops because it creates an oxidation effect inside the beer.
So essentially, we need a way to get rid of the extra CO2 while also preventing oxygen, bacteria, and whatever else from getting into the beer.
This is the biggest argument for using an airlock during primary fermentation.
Personally, I like to use a standard 3-piece airlock for my fermentation and I recommend picking up a 3-pack like get started because it’s almost the same price as a single airlock and you are bound to break one or lose just one!
You can also use an s-shaped or twin-bubble airlock like these:
Of course, there are arguments for using other methods to let the carbon dioxide escape, namely a blow-off tube. That’s because while airlocks do a great job of letting gas out and none in, they are fairly restricted by the diameter of the tubing used to make them. If the pressure builds up faster than the gas can escape, or the airlock gets blocked with foam and yeast, you’ll have a big problem on your hands!
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Why is an airlock used in fermentation?
The purpose of an airlock is to provide a safe and controlled way for the carbon dioxide produced during the fermentation.Typically, airlocks are designed in such a way that you can put water or sanitizer into it so that any gas moving in or out will have to pass through the liquid. Since the fermentation produces so much carbon dioxide, pressure builds up inside the fermenter until it’s high enough to push through the liquid barrier and gurgle, bubble, or otherwise escape out of the time. The outside oxygen, meanwhile, will never have enough pressure to actually make its way back into the fermenter.
Here is an example of what I mean:
See how the design lets inside air out while keeping outside air out at the same time?
Hence, an airlock is the safest way to ferment beer and avoid unnecessary oxidation or infections to occur.
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