oxidation concerns??

[MickeyJ]

Greetings all,
Been lurking for a while, reading posts, checking out recipes etc. , when it struck me how many times in post I noticed someone reporting their gravity readings taken every 1-2 days. I was taught to not open fermenter anymore than necessary, after i put lid on I open it up once after 10-12 days to make sure it is ready and then on bottling day.

My question being , was I told wrong? Does opening a fermenter every 24-48 hours have no effect on beer? I am a bit anal about sanitation/contamination so is it just me? Is dipping into beer so often during fermentation not a possible source oxidation?
thanks for responses, even those who will respond without actually answering question.

 

[jeffpn]

I believe it’s plausible that new brewers check gravity more than seasoned brewers do. Part of the excitement of a new hobby. Myself, I check ales after 7-10 days then rack to secondary for at least 2 weeks. I don’t check gravity again. Once at pre-fermentation, once at racking.

To answer your question more directly, there is a layer of CO2 on top of your beer that can protect it as long as your gentle and don’t slosh. It’s heavier than air and should stay put. Just don’t go crazy in there.

 

[J A]

It depends on how you go about it. When I've used a bucket, I try not to do it at all. In a carboy I can get a thief in there without fear of contamination or disrupting the CO2 layer very much. Totally depending on the beer and the timing of the batch, I'll check a couple of times over the course of the fermentation but generally after at least a week.

 

[okoncentrerad]

I got a tap on my fermenter, no need to open the lid

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

It’s ok to open the fermenter while fermenting the first few days, some breweries have horizontal open fermenters to prevent pressure differences, but I personally don’t open mine unless the activity stops short, I will first shake or swirl if that doesn’t work I open add sugar and stir the bottom other than that its only opened on the day of transferring to kegs and that is generally 10 days in most cases

 

[Nosybear]

The beer is a saturated solution of carbon dioxide. It's unlikely opening a carboy for a sample would disrupt anything too much.

 

[Hawkbox]

As usual, these guys have an article on it. http://brulosophy.com/2016/12/19/po...normal-vs-high-oxidation-exbeeriment-results/

So basic short version is don't go nuts but it doesn't seem like a big deal for most beers.

 

[Nosybear]

As usual, these guys have an article on it. http://brulosophy.com/2016/12/19/po...normal-vs-high-oxidation-exbeeriment-results/

So basic short version is don't go nuts but it doesn't seem like a big deal for most beers.

Good advice for most things brewing.

 

[MFTIC]

REally dug the reading. Thanks Hawk. Now i would like to spend some more money, LOL