Dry airlocks

[stevie1556]

Just wondering if anyone can help me with a question.

Basically, I've moved out of the home I shared with the misses, and I know the airlocks for my wines have been dry for about 2 months now (as I haven't been there). I put them on to ferment about 4 months ago so they are still sitting on all the yeast deposits. Sometime in the next few days I'm going to be picking my last remaining bits up from the house (sofas, etc), and I was wondering if they would still be ok or if it's better just to throw them.

Also got 23 litres of apple cider from a Range kit, and 9 litres of Ribena cider, which are both in sealed buckets. Would these still be ok? I put them on to ferment about 4 months ago, and they have been sitting on the yeast deposits.

I know it's a long shot that any of it will still be good, but it's worth a shot.

 

[calumscott]

Really? They'll have dried out? Mine don't... If they have for any length of time then you'll be lucky if anything's salvageable.

 

[stevie1556]

That's what I was thinking, that it may just be going down the drain. But will the ciders be ok? No airlock on them and I think the bucket lids are sealed. I never had time to rack them off the dead yeast and that before I moved out

 

[godfrey]

try them before you throw it all away :drink:

you might even have some nice cider vinegar you could put to good use :thumb:

 

[DirtyCaner]

Yeah try them first.

Might be ok, if theres a protective layer of CO2. Unless the vinegar flys got to them.

Let us know how it goes...

 

[oldbloke]

I reckon they'll be fine right up until you move them and break the CO2 layer lying on them.
Some might survive that, some might not. Gotta taste them to find out.

 

[godfrey]

you should know right away if they have gone to vinegar

there will be a layer of jelly (mother) floating on the top (or the bottom if it was disturbed)

 

[hypnoticmonkey]

I reckon they'll be fine right up until you move them and break the CO2 layer lying on them.
Some might survive that, some might not. Gotta taste them to find out.

If they're in sealed buckets then the CO2 layer will be okay, but if they're not airtight, that CO2 will have dissipated out. The words 'brownian motion' are ringing out at me from my GCSE science lessons!

 

[stevie1556]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Unfortunately, just picked up the remaining bits of my stuff, the 2 cider buckets are now in the back of the van, but the wines had already been thrown away before I got there. I was planning on replacing the screw caps with the airlocks in them for solid ones to transport them home and then check them. Oh well, Bootleggers Brewery will have to be set up from scratch again!

 

[bobsbeer]

Hopefully the cider will have survived. Give it a taste to see how it is, then bottle.

 

[stevie1556]

I'm hoping it has! Just leaving it to settle for a bit in the garage first.

 

[godfrey]

I doubt they were thrown away, I bet she kept them or drank them already

what right has she got to throw away your possessions !

I would send her a bill for replacement :whistle:

 

[stevie1556]

Could send her the bill, but as we work together I'm trying to keep it as amicable as possible, especially as a large portion of people where I work are like gossiping school kids!

She loved tidying up the house, and when she was sorting stuff out, she probably assumed they were mouldy or something. It was 3 WOWs and a strawberry wine kit from wilkos (which I've now heard isn't great). So it wasn't a great deal tbh, but I did notice 2 bottles of champagne (I don't like the stuff but was a work xmas pressie), some Martini Asti, and a couple of others were missing from the wine racks.