CallMeZoot
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2007
- Messages
- 130
- Reaction score
- 3
Just boiled up my first brew in over a year (aside from some kit wine and an apfelwein that I started a few weeks ago). Decided to go with Orfy's Hobgoblin Clone (the steep/extract version). Used Sterling hops instead of Styrian Goldings because the LHBS was out of Styrian -- Sterling was their recommended substitute. OG ended up at 1.062 (adjusted for temp).
Everything went pretty smoothly except for one (hopefully) minor detail. After cooling the 2.5gallon wort, transferring to the fermenter, and topping off to 5 gallons, I grabbed my mixing spoon and started stirring to aerate. The spoon was previously in the boiling wort but then had just been sitting out on my counter for 10-15 minutes while I cooled the wort and sanitized my fermenter--and obviously some of the length of the spoon had never been in the boiling wort at all. Hopefully nothing nasty landed on it in that period. As soon as I realized the mistake I re-sanitized it. What are my chances of infection here?
I pitched my yeast (Danstar Nottingham, dry) at 64 degrees, I hope that's not too cold to get it started. I usually pitch the moment it gets under 78, but this time I ran the chiller a bit too long. Can someone reassure me that 64 is ok for pitching? (Or if it's not, suggest any way to remedy this?).
Also, I couldn't remember if I was supposed to leave the (dry) yeast floating at the top or stir it into the wort... So I just gently stirred it near the top but didn't work it down into the mix. (I had vigorously stirred before pitching, so there should be enough oxygen in there).
Tried something new this time -- I have a new refrigerator which has a filtered water dispenser on the door. I took a shot glass filled with Star San solution and held it so the fridge dispenser tube was immersed and sanitized. Then I took my sanitized siphon tube and held it to the fridge dispenser and used that as my top-off water -- nice and cold and filtered (of course this is probably why my wort cooled so fast).
All in all it was fun to brew again after so long. This was my first brew since I've been married, so SWMBO gave me plenty of "uh-huhs" and "suuures" as I explained what I was doing, step-by-step, in agonizing detail. She left the room when I showed her the LME and told her "the little yeasties eat this stuff up and then they poop alcohol." I don't think I married a potential brew buddy.
Anyway, it's late, she's asleep, and I have to go clean up.
chris.
Everything went pretty smoothly except for one (hopefully) minor detail. After cooling the 2.5gallon wort, transferring to the fermenter, and topping off to 5 gallons, I grabbed my mixing spoon and started stirring to aerate. The spoon was previously in the boiling wort but then had just been sitting out on my counter for 10-15 minutes while I cooled the wort and sanitized my fermenter--and obviously some of the length of the spoon had never been in the boiling wort at all. Hopefully nothing nasty landed on it in that period. As soon as I realized the mistake I re-sanitized it. What are my chances of infection here?
I pitched my yeast (Danstar Nottingham, dry) at 64 degrees, I hope that's not too cold to get it started. I usually pitch the moment it gets under 78, but this time I ran the chiller a bit too long. Can someone reassure me that 64 is ok for pitching? (Or if it's not, suggest any way to remedy this?).
Also, I couldn't remember if I was supposed to leave the (dry) yeast floating at the top or stir it into the wort... So I just gently stirred it near the top but didn't work it down into the mix. (I had vigorously stirred before pitching, so there should be enough oxygen in there).
Tried something new this time -- I have a new refrigerator which has a filtered water dispenser on the door. I took a shot glass filled with Star San solution and held it so the fridge dispenser tube was immersed and sanitized. Then I took my sanitized siphon tube and held it to the fridge dispenser and used that as my top-off water -- nice and cold and filtered (of course this is probably why my wort cooled so fast).
All in all it was fun to brew again after so long. This was my first brew since I've been married, so SWMBO gave me plenty of "uh-huhs" and "suuures" as I explained what I was doing, step-by-step, in agonizing detail. She left the room when I showed her the LME and told her "the little yeasties eat this stuff up and then they poop alcohol." I don't think I married a potential brew buddy.
Anyway, it's late, she's asleep, and I have to go clean up.
chris.
