Midnight Confessions: Bad Brewing Practices

OK, it's 2:00 PM, not midnight, but still...

I've spent the morning getting caught up on a LOT of homebrew stuff that's been neglected.... and I kinda feel like I need to confess.

Remember BrewPastor's wonderful 777 Rye IPA recipe? I liked referring to it as "Resurrection," since the whole 777 creation process died horribly, until he singlehandedly brought it back to life.

Well, I just kegged it. I brewed it in May.

I was never really happy with it, I missed by target gravity, and missed my volume significantly. So, after I racked it to secondary and tossed in some dry hops, I left it kinda buried on the shelf. Didn't really want to bottle it, never bothered kegging it (my kegging stuff, until recently, was really disjointed).

So, it's been sitting with a couple ounces of pellet hops in secondary for about six months. And you know what?

It's wonderful.

I'll have to see what it's like when it's carbed up, but I can't get any off flavors from it now. It still has some good aroma, it's got a nice kick and a real nice flavor. It's DAMN GOOD. It truly has come back from the dead.

Also, I kegged my oatmeal stout. Now, this beer's only about six weeks old, but I never racked from primary. But, the bigger issue......

This was made almost entirely with OLD ingredients. Like, crystal malts and stuff that I've had around, crushed, for close to a year. Base malt that's not much fresher. I think the only thing that was fresh was the pound of flaked oats, otherwise, this was my "I'm way too cheap to throw out $8 worth of grain!" batch.

It, too - and this is confirmed by my wife - is really, really good. Nice and smooth. Doesn't taste old or stale at all.

So, the lessons here:

1. Do as I say, not as I do.
2. Really, you shouldn't do as I say OR as I do.
3. Beer's a helluva lot more resiliant than you would think.

OK, who's next? Who's got something they need to get off their chest?

Lesson in the above.

Beer gets better with age.

My confession.......

I have a bag of pre crushed grain and I can't get more than 65% efficiency out of it.

i've got a batch of extract pilsner bulk aging for 3 mo now( smelled real funky buttery when racked in, pitched a new yeast strain on it)

That is so true. It just blows my mind when I think about how close I was to dumping a relatively expensive Honey Dubbel ($35 kit, plus $15 for honey) that tasted like paint thinner. Maybe it's because I'm cheap, but I stuck the keg of it in a closet and forgot about it. 6-7 months later, it came out incredibly complex; far beyond anything I could have created in my usual 6 weeks. I'm really thinking about signing up and doing the 08/08/08 RIS just because I know it'll be amazing.

My Confession: I've sent many a good soldier down the drain thinking it was a bad batch.

Just because you store your crushed grain in the freezer to keep it fresh, doesn't mean it won't get moldy when you take it out to thaw.

Despite the fact that an autosiphon is less than ten bucks, I never get around to buying one. If I can't start a siphon using the racking cane method on the first two tries, I still start it by mouth. I actually keep a jug of cheap vodka on hand to act as an oral sanitizer prior to commiting such an awful act of laziness.

Old school, baby!

I confess. I chill by emptying my ice bin into my primary, nasties and all. Pisses of SWMBO too.

i brewed a hefe yesterday and put 3068 on it.

Now, I've used this combo enough to know that you need a blow-off tube on it. So WTF was I thinking when I just put the old carboy cap on it?

This morning I'm watching TV and I hear a pop and feel the floor have a slight repercussion. So I go downstairs and sure enough, fresh BOOM-BOOM. Blow-tube now installed.

Also, I consistantly have a problem with soot from my burner. My pots are all greasy-nasty with soot and most of my jeans have soot marks. Last night, I sooted up my nice new jeans (too stupid to change before brewing). The most likely culprit? Neglect. I had a bad unattended boilover once and I never really cleaned the burner. So today I took it down to the workshop and ran the dremmel over it to remove all the gunk. Need to clean the stand next and figure out how to de-gunk the pots.

Confession, I usually have to pitch my yeast at 80-85 degree's. Never tasted any off flavors though.

Confession: I like to leave my wort uncovered in open areas.

Seriously though, I too still use my mouth to start the siphon.

not really a confession, but it goes with what orfy said about beer getting better with age.

I brewed a Red Ale and a Kolsch this summer, both extract batches. I wasn't real pleased with them. I've had them in the closet for a few months now. I kinda just put them back there and put them out of my mind. Well my Dad wanted a few so I dug a couple out an drank onemyself, and WOW! It tasted awesome!!! My Dad really digs the Kolsch!

I have a confession to make.

I bottled today and I really didn't enjoy it. I guess I've been keg-whipped.

My confession

I've brewed about 20 batches, all extract. I've never bottled. I might try it soon.

Also, I have everything to go AG, three keggles, burners, etc. I've had them for 4 months. Still haven't built a stand.

I did put 20 gals in secondary 6 weeks ago. I'll be kegging those the day after thanksgiving. Its the longest I've waited , yet

fretman124 said:

Also, I have everything to go AG, three keggles, burners, etc. I've had them for 4 months. Still haven't built a stand.

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What the hell are you waiting for? You don't need no stinkin' stand! I had a fraction of that when I did my first AG (1st brew). C'mon fretman, $%!# or get off the pot!

I am getting slacker and slacker and more slack about sanitation. Sooner or later I am going to have a bad batch, for now I am just getting more and more relaxed.

I haven't used a hydrometer for my last 4 batches ... I'll go stand in the corner now

I have no idea what my efficiency is.
My fermentation temps regularly exceed 80.
I have yet to perform a 'mashout'.
I have never recirculated (I put a mesh bag around my copper manifold).
When I add DME to the kettle to boost the ABV I don't measure - I just toss it in.
My last two batches - an APA that wasn't quite right and a porter that was fairly boring - I combined them into one keg and it turned into a fabulous beer.
Uh - there's more but that's all I can think of right now.

Lil' Sparky said:

What the hell are you waiting for? You don't need no stinkin' stand! I had a fraction of that when I did my first AG (1st brew). C'mon fretman, $%!# or get off the pot!

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Well...theres the fact that I'm.....lazy. for the past 6 weeks, Ive been 3000 mile from home. I'm lazy. I need ball valves and a step drill bit. lazy..... I have 30 gallons either kegged or in secondary. and....I've been a bit lazy lately. I am looking at back surgery a couple weeks after I get home (tomorrow). Then theres birthdays, holidays coming(expenses).

Basically I'm waiting for the price of grain and hops to go up. THEN I'll start brewing AG........... 'cause I'm a procrastinatng lazy a$$:cross:

When I brew, my kitchen is a disorganized pit from hell, with utensils and items scattered hither and yon. Yesterday, I set a jug of water on my hydrometer and busted it. I have no idea what my og was.

My favorite batches are ones that I never wrote down.
I have NO clue what abv my brews have because I quit using the hydrometer.
I don't CARE about the abv.
I can not remember my paypal info to pay for a membership here and the email address I have entered is one that I got rid of 3 yrs ago.
I have a chrome faucet on my keggerator (at least there are 2 perlics on it also)

It takes me about a week to clean out my MLT. Vomit grains, anyone?

I built my own IC with 20' of 1/4" refrigerator copper coil. It works great.

Forgive me Father for I have sinned, and it's been years since my last confession:


I don't use airlocks on my starters; I just wrap aluminum foil around the neck of the flask.
I sometimes do the same with my carboys.
I don't always clean out the beer lines on my kegerator between kegs.
I have a 30-pack of Pabst in my fridge right now.

OK, now I'm off to do my Hail Marys and my Our Fathers........

Hmm, this thread is almost worthy of Sticky status in the Beginner forum..!!

Yesterday (Sunday), I spent 9 ½ hours in the brew shop. Not brewing…just doing “beer” things. Watching football, cleaning kegs, racking, bottling some bombers for posterity, organizing for a comp in two weeks, tasting, sorting hops…etc…etc…etc…

Came upstairs twice to make a sandwich and make doodie. Saw my SWMBO once all day.

This after brewing Friday night and watching football all day Saturday (in the brew shop).

Two confessions for now.

I dumped a full 5g of a blonde ale out of the keg yesterday and it wasn't infected. I just didn't like it much and it was in the way of my IPA getting on tap.

I can't stop sneaking bottles of the prickly pear mead at only 4 months old. I know it'll be great in 1+ years but I fear it won't make it that long.

I left my wort with no yeast for about 4 hours yesterday as I was waiting for the temperature to go down before I pitched the yeast.

The temperature when I pitched the yeast was still around 80F...

I have no clue how not to scorch LME in the bottom of my kettle.

I risked infecting my LME to able to make a starter by putting my hands (sanitized) into itand getting out a couple onces.

I still haven't put away half my brew equipment (which is still cluttering the kitchen).

I have to go and buy another primary (aka bottling bucket) since my Apfelwein is still in secondary and I just put my Christmas ale in my primary.

worst mistake i ever made was racking my gulden draak clone too early and stalling the fermentation.

it spent six months in carboys, i racked it twice and repitched several times, including champagne yeast.

i finally bottled it almost 2 months ago...it tasted pretty harsh with that hot alcohol burn.

i opened a bottle a few weeks ago and it wasn't carbed yet, but it tasted alot better...alot like a gulden draak, actually. i buried it in my friends basement and plan to dig it back up next year in time for halloween.

hopefully aging it will help it improve, if it ever gets carbonated.