Labeled Fermenters

Is anyone as nerdy as me and take the time to label fermenters?




In addition to a full brewing log with brew day, fermentation, and tasting notes, have I taken the nerdiness to a whole new level?

I write the date of purchase on each of my buckets and lids so that I keep them matched up and know how old they are and if I suspect any problems with infection/age/scratching, etc.. As for identifying the fermenters/beers - I just slap a piece of duct tape on them with the beer that is currently fermenting. All the details of that beer are in iBrewmaster on my iPad.

I take masking tape and label what's in all the carboys, then as I fill the corny kegs, I pull the label off and stick it to the keg. I have 8 carboys and 7kegs. I label my 25,,5gal homer buckets full of grain too. I'm getting old and I forget.

I've thought about doing something like that with my kegs, so I can keep better maintenance records.

My opinion is that it took me about 5 minutes to do the labeling, I can know what beers have been where, and its required in a nanobrewery so I might as well do it!

mikescooling said:

I take masking tape and label what's in all the carboys, then as I fill the corny kegs, I pull the label off and stick it to the keg. I have 8 carboys and 7kegs. I label my 25,,5gal homer buckets full of grain too. I'm getting old and I forget.

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I do exactly this, with some blue masking tape left over from a painting project a year or so ago.

It's become a great little moment of satisfaction at the end of my brew day, right after taking SG, pitching and lidding: pull a foot-long strip of tape, stick it across the fermenter lid, write the name. :rockin:

-Rich

I number my fermenters. I numbered them with a sharpie. I figure that way if I ever get and infected batch I know which fermenter was the culprit. Luckily I have nevr had an infected batch.

Then for each batch I write the date and the name of the brew on masking. tape.

Not yet.

Absolutely...makes it easier to track

beergolf said:

I number my fermenters. I numbered them with a sharpie. I figure that way if I ever get and infected batch I know which fermenter was the culprit. Luckily I have nevr had an infected batch.

Then for each batch I write the date and the name of the brew on masking. tape.

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This is exactly what I do. Helped me figure out the run of infections I was getting for about three or four batches was in my bottling equipment and not my fermenters.

I always hang a tag on my fermentors with batch, and brew date. SWMBO rolls her eyes but I love being "that guy". Then when I rack i hang the tags in my binder to keep track of them.

kind of like this...

I do not label/name the fermenters, but i was just the other day thinking i needed to. This was after ruining my annual altbier because I forgot which fermenter just had a 100% Brett batch in it! I gambled...and lost

JLem said:

I do not label/name the fermenters, but i was just the other day thinking i needed to. This was after ruining my annual altbier because I forgot which fermenter just had a 100% Brett batch in it! I gambled...and lost

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Yeah, that really hurts. I began labeling mine when I realized I had so many batches going and unlabeled that I had to tell them apart by remembering where in my storage room I'd placed them, and which ones had which style of airlock installed. It was becoming a recipe for real FAIL (especially since I tend to imbibe when I do brewing stuff), so I grabbed the tape and the Sharpie and haven't stopped since.

Turns out it can feel really good to have everything labeled. Who knew?

-Rich

I use a tag with a wire on it. I write the brew date, dry hopping additions, and temperature. When I keg I move the tag to the keg.

Used a sharpie and put date of purchase in bottom of bucket and#1, #2..... my carboys are 6 and 6-1/2 in my brew notes I write down what is in which.

I number the fermenters with a sharpie I also write on the lid of the keg whats in it.

My Fermenters are labeled "A" through "H"
My Kegs are numbered "1" through "26"

Just did this at the beginning of 2013
I used to just use tags, now all vessels have an I.D. and also get tagged.

kcbeersnob said:

I've thought about doing something like that with my kegs, so I can keep better maintenance records.

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I do this with my kegs..All numbered. I just add the maintenance record notes to my existing notes when I make a batch.

mikescooling said:

I take masking tape and label what's in all the carboys, then as I fill the corny kegs, I pull the label off and stick it to the keg. I have 8 carboys and 7kegs. I label my 25,,5gal homer buckets full of grain too. I'm getting old and I forget.

Click to expand...

masking tape

TheJasonT said:

Is anyone as nerdy as me and take the time to label fermenters?


View attachment 123236

In addition to a full brewing log with brew day, fermentation, and tasting notes, have I taken the nerdiness to a whole new level?

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The only thing I see wrong with this picture id four empy fermenters..

I also tag each one of my fermenters using a small key tag with a string attached to it. I usually loop it through the carboy handle and move it along to the keg when the time comes. I also assign a batch number to each brew and record this information on both the tag and in my brew log where I record S.G.'s, brew and bottling dates.

My fermenters are lucky if they get a sticky note with what's in them, honestly.

daksin said:

My fermenters are lucky if they get a sticky note with what's in them, honestly.

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+1 although I do keep a pretty solid notebook