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BOMM and No water in the airlock?

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MightyMosin

MightyMosin

Honey Master
Registered Member
Apr 13, 2021
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CA
My first BOMM and in the recipe I see that it says:
" No water in airlock for 7 days or the gravity falls below 1.033. Whichever comes first, add water or vodka to airlock. Ferments dry in 7-14 days. "

What is the reason for no water in the airlock?

As much as I see sanitization stressed, I am not see why the must/airlock should be exposed to the outside air for this time period? Does it related to there being plenty of CO2 gassing that the airlock is limiting the ability to expel it and there for affects the ability of the yeast to do its job?

I did a search on the keyword BOMM and didn't see anything that provided a reason. Sorry if I have just missed it somewhere.
 
MightyMosin said:
My first BOMM and in the recipe I see that it says:
" No water in airlock for 7 days or the gravity falls below 1.033. Whichever comes first, add water or vodka to airlock. Ferments dry in 7-14 days. "

What is the reason for no water in the airlock?

As much as I see sanitization stressed, I am not see why the must/airlock should be exposed to the outside air for this time period? Does it related to there being plenty of CO2 gassing that the airlock is limiting the ability to expel it and there for affects the ability of the yeast to do its job?

I did a search on the keyword BOMM and didn't see anything that provided a reason. Sorry if I have just missed it somewhere.
Click to expand...
The reason for no water in the airlock for 7 days is because for the first 7 days or so, your yeast colony is trying to multiply as big as possible. The bigger the colony,
the better the ferment. Yeast need oxygen to multiply. Oxygen can't get to the must if there is liquid in the airlock. I have made many batches of BOMM, all successfully, with no liquid in the airlock for the first 7 days.
I hope this helps you.
Happy meading 😎
 
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Dan O said:
The reason for no water in the airlock for 7 days is because for the first 7 days or so, your yeast colony is trying to multiply as big as possible. The bigger the colony,
the better the ferment. Yeast need oxygen to multiply. Oxygen can't get to the must if there is liquid in the airlock. I have made many batches of BOMM, all successfully, with no liquid in the airlock for the first 7 days.
I hope this helps you.
Happy meading 😎
Click to expand...
Thank you for the clarification.

I have been aerating with a stainless steel stone as well as stirring to keep the yeast suspended so that there is plenty of O2 in the must, so I was focused on CO2 expelling vs O2 intake as the reason for nothing in the airlock and I didn't see anything explained about no water in the airlock in the NewBee guide.
 
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MightyMosin said:
Thank you for the clarification.

I have been aerating with a stainless steel stone as well as stirring to keep the yeast suspended so that there is plenty of O2 in the must, so I was focused on CO2 expelling vs O2 intake as the reason for nothing in the airlock and I didn't see anything explained about no water in the airlock in the NewBee guide.
Click to expand...
No problem. I would say after only 20-30 minutes of using the SS air stone when you first make your must would be sufficient use of the stone. After that, swirling it around a couple of times a day for the first 7 days is enough. The yeast are still getting oxygen by the swirling method & as long as the bung stays in the top, & no liquid in the airlock, there's less risk of contamination, vs sticking something in there & sloshing it around. After that, I follow the BOMM protocol, including degassing, which is completely different than aerating. Beyond taking regular readings, I don't put anything in my must. I'm very careful about my sanitizing habits, therefore not that worried about taking readings & possibly contaminating anything.
I hope this helps.
Happy meading 😎
 
I will also add, that the use of the stone is generally seen as unnecessary by many mazers, (even frowned upon by some), but, I also use a SS stone on my musts. I soak the stone in starsan for about 5 minutes beforehand & when I'm done using it, I run it in the starsan solution for 1 minute before disconnecting power to the pump. That way, I'm positive there's nothing left in the stone when I cut power. After the power is cut it stays in the starsan solution for an additional 5 minutes & then hung to dry for the next batch. I hope this helps.
Happy meading 😎
 
Dan O said:
I will also add, that the use of the stone is generally seen as unnecessary by many mazers, (even frowned upon by some), but, I also use a SS stone on my musts. I soak the stone in starsan for about 5 minutes beforehand & when I'm done using it, I run it in the starsan solution for 1 minute before disconnecting power to the pump. That way, I'm positive there's nothing left in the stone when I cut power. After the power is cut it stays in the starsan solution for an additional 5 minutes & then hung to dry for the next batch. I hope this helps.
Happy meading 😎
Click to expand...
That's just about what I do wit the stone, as well. That seemed like what is likely proper usage. Thank you for the input.
 
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