Is an Airlock necessary for brewing?

You’ve probably seen a lot of gadgets for purchase while browsing for homebrew equipment and wondered if you actually need an airlock when fermenting your beer.

What is an Airlock?

Airlocks are usually used during the fermentation process. After you pitch the yeast into your wort and close the fermenter, the yeast begins to consume the sugars in the wort. In the case of beer yeast, the by-products are alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2). We want the alcohol in our fermenter, but CO2 isn’t as desirable. If you get too much CO2 in your closed fermenter, and you’re not using an airlock, your fermenter can explode.

The airlock is a handy piece of equipment that allows CO2 to escape from the fermenter without letting outside contaminants into your beer.

What’s the best type of Airlock?

There are two main types: the S-curve and the 3-piece airlock.

The 3-piece purely is easy to use and easy to clean. You can fill it up a lot and there is less danger of there being no water. The S-curve is so-called for its distinctive shape.

Special note, though! It’s very important to sanitize the airlock, your fermenter, the lid, and even your hands and arms when you’re working with your homebrew at any stage. You don’t want to introduce any bacteria that would contaminate your batch.