Did I Ruin My First Batch?

I brewed my first batch of beer last weekend, a Coopers IPA Extract kit. In the hustle and bustle of brewing, I forgot to sanitize the bowl I activated the yeast in. It was clean but not sanitized. As soon as I realized what I had done, I sanitized a container and transferred it. So, here's the question: did I ruin the beer? Should I dump it out and start over? It was only about $20 so it would be no big deal. How badly does contaminated beer taste? Is it dangerous to drink? I would really appreciate any suggestions. I feel like quite a bonehead over this one. Any ideas?

No don't dump it, I'm sure it will be fine...We've all done a LOT worse than not sanitizing the yeast bowl...I've done that countless times..

Here read the stories here...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/wh...where-your-beer-still-turned-out-great-96780/

and DON'T EVER THINK ABOUT DUMPING YOUR BEER UNTIL IT"S BEEN AT LEAST A COUPLE MONTHS IN THE BOTTLE!!...Always see the process through unless you see noticiable signs of an infection (confirmed by someone on here or another brewer who actually knows what an infection looks like) or it small like vomit...otherwise more than likely the beer is just young and green...

Read this as well..https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ne...virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

And relax, you just have typical new brewer fear.

Revvy, Do you have that post on a macro. I would love to see a count of how many times you've posted that.

I thought this thread was gonna be a joke at first.

Thank you very very much Revvy. Great to have my mind eased by a fellow Michigander! So...I'm not the only new brewer who has concerns about "doing it right." Glad to know. Now...patience.....

If thats all you did wrong on your first brew then you're ahead of most of us. Should be delicious.

And no, a quick search would assure you that you're not the first, "Is my beer ruined" Thread
Just don't take a poo in your carboy and you'll have beer.

IrregularPulse said:

And no, a quick search would assure you that you're not the first, "Is my beer ruined" Thread
Just don't take a poo in your carboy and you'll have beer.

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even then you'll probably have beer.

IrregularPulse said:

And no, a quick search would assure you that you're not the first, "Is my beer ruined" Thread
Just don't take a poo in your carboy and you'll have beer.

Click to expand...

Not to mention this sticky...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/think-you-ruined-your-beer-set-your-fears-aside-74520/

IrregularPulse said:

Just don't take a poo in your carboy and you'll have beer.

Click to expand...

Why? Is the poo supposed to ruin the beer?

If your aware of the sanitation issues, as you obviously are, and you are taking all the proper precautions, then one slip up most likely won't hurt you. It's when you are sloppy and do 20 things wrong that one of them will infect your beer. I haven't added to Revvy's thread yet but I think I have made at least one mistake on each of my 6 brews so far. On one I needed to add some water to the top of my carboy and grabbed an un-sanitized funnel to do it. Another time, while checking gravity, I accidently splashed some unsanitized tap water in the primary bucket and if that weren't enough, its possible that my dog may have been drinking from that water source right before it splashed in. That one is still conditioning so it will be a few weeks before I taste it but it seems fine. And a few other odds and ends here and there. You feel stupid when you are careful to do everythign right and then make some stupid mistake but like I said, as long as they are few and far between, then shouldn't be a problem.

Dennis

IrregularPulse said:

And no, a quick search would assure you that you're not the first, "Is my beer ruined" Thread
Just don't take a poo in your carboy and you'll have beer.

Click to expand...

Now that is taking "dumping your beer" to a whole new level.

Dennis1979 said:

If your aware of the sanitation issues, as you obviously are, and you are taking all the proper precautions, then one slip up most likely won't hurt you. It's when you are sloppy and do 20 things wrong that one of them will infect your beer. I haven't added to Revvy's thread yet but I think I have made at least one mistake on each of my 6 brews so far. On one I needed to add some water to the top of my carboy and grabbed an un-sanitized funnel to do it. Another time, while checking gravity, I accidently splashed some unsanitized tap water in the primary bucket and if that weren't enough, its possible that my dog may have been drinking from that water source right before it splashed in. That one is still conditioning so it will be a few weeks before I taste it but it seems fine. And a few other odds and ends here and there. You feel stupid when you are careful to do everythign right and then make some stupid mistake but like I said, as long as they are few and far between, then shouldn't be a problem.

Dennis

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I hope you don't mind me asking but what do you mean by "unsanitized tap water." I haven't read anything about sanitizing the water before using it. Did I miss something?

Some people believe you need to boil your top off water, or use something like cambden tablets, others like myself, subscribe to the notion that if it is good enough to drink it is good enough to brew with, and don't bother with that step..It's one of those things that, if you live in a normal city with good water (and no boil water warnings) you are usually ok with using your tap water...It is one of those "your choice" things, like many other aspects of the hobby....(this is different from boiling off any chlorine.)

Don't go into stress mode again!!! GO back and read the threads I posted....

Yeah, that's pretty much the deal. I boil every drop of water I use and I'm not even using tap water but bottled water. Early on it was explained to me that it is the best way to be certain you have killed any living things in the water. Maybe one day I will decide it's not necessary and if I ever get there I will be a happy man because it is kind of a pain.

Dennis

The water here in the states is so ridiculously clean its not even funny. Actually tap water has higher standards of cleanliness than bottled water does. That being said, tap water can sometimes contain non-beer friendly chemicals. If it tastes good it probably is.

I think I have good tap water but I would have to get the chlorine out and it has a butt-load of calcium in it.

Dennis

Revvy said:

Some people believe you need to boil your top off water, or use something like cambden tablets, others like myself, subscribe to the notion that if it is good enough to drink it is good enough to brew with, and don't bother with that step..It's one of those things that, if you live in a normal city with good water (and no boil water warnings) you are usually ok with using your tap water...It is one of those "your choice" things, like many other aspects of the hobby....(this is different from boiling off any chlorine.)

Don't go into stress mode again!!! GO back and read the threads I posted....

Click to expand...

Is it common for city water to have chlorine? Would I be able to taste it?

TampaTim said:

Why? Is the poo supposed to ruin the beer?

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Not at all! What he means is you're supposed to poo in the masher, not the carboy; even I know that and I'm just a beginner!

hokenfloken said:

Is it common for city water to have chlorine? Would I be able to taste it?

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Yes, very common. You can call your water utility and tell them you have a question about your water. They will direct you to someone who can tell you how many ppm of chlorine or chloramines are in your water. Over 1ppm I would treat the water as it makes a big difference in the finished product.

Chlorine can be driven off by boiling the water before using it for brewing. Chloramines need to be removed by other means. Adding Campden tablets to the water at a rate of 1 tablet per 20 gallons gets rid of the chlorine or chloramines present in about 15 minutes.

Another easy way to tell if you have chlorine or chloramines in your water at a threshold that will cause trouble is to fill a deep pot (like a pasta pot) with hot water, give it a good stir, and stick your nose into the pot. Your nose is very sensitive to chlorine, you can smell it in ppb. If you detect any swimming pool sort of smell, you have chlorine, and you should take measures to eliminate it from your brewing water before it touches any malt or extract.