Beer Forum

I have finished dry-hopping my IPA and wanted to crash cool it for a day or so before racking into a keg for serving. With a standard S-type (1 piece) airlock will the water in the airlock be sucked back into the beer as it cools? I do know this happens with the 3-piece airlocks and was just wondering about the S-type ones. My IPA is no longer fermenting actively so this will not be a factor. What do ya think?

brewinhard wrote:I have finished dry-hopping my IPA and wanted to crash cool it for a day or so before racking into a keg for serving. With a standard S-type (1 piece) airlock will the water in the airlock be sucked back into the beer as it cools? I do know this happens with the 3-piece airlocks and was just wondering about the S-type ones. My IPA is no longer fermenting actively so this will not be a factor. What do ya think?

If you're worried about suck back then just replace the airlock with a sanitized piece of tin foil.

brewinhard wrote:With a standard S-type (1 piece) airlock will the water in the airlock be sucked back into the beer as it cools?

It is very possible and has happened to me. I would recommend removing the airlock and replacing with a sanitized peice of aluminum foil as chefchris suggested. Just press it around the mouth of the carboy tightly and all will be well.

I would totally use the aluminum foil but am worried about oxidation occurring with the beer. Since the beer has finished fermenting there is not much outgassing anymore and I feel that the aluminum foil would lead to oxidation in the beer since it would not be closed unit anymore.

brewinhard wrote:I would totally use the aluminum foil but am worried about oxidation occurring with the beer. Since the beer has finished fermenting there is not much outgassing anymore and I feel that the aluminum foil would lead to oxidation in the beer since it would not be closed unit anymore.

Since you keg that means you have a CO2 tank. Flush some of the air out of the container. CO2 is heavier than air.

I have made the decision to put an S-shaped airlock filled with a tiny bit of vodka in place of my 3piece with starsan. I will monitor the suck back as the beer cools tomorrow. My thinking is that with just a little vodka in the airlock: a. It probably won't get sucked in
b. if it does get sucked in, its just vodka and not
a chemical

CHEERS!

Just a quick update on procedure: Cooled the beer from 68 to 40 with tiny bit of vodka in S-shaped airlock. Decided to put a piece of sanitized foil over the airlock opening just in case it got sucked dry overnight in the fridge. Checked it this morning and vodka is still there!
Soooooo, S-shaped airlocks will not suck back during cooling providing there is not a ton in there!