Brewing disaster

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MarkSheffield

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I lost a batch this past weekend due to an accident by my kids. It was fully boiled down to 5 gallons and cooled and ready to go into the carboy, and I lost it all.

I'm almost through the grief (I'm at stage 4). I know I can brew again, but I still have a pint of Kolsh ale yeast starter made for that brew. Can this yeast hold out for another week or so until I rebrew, or should I just pitch that (pun, haha) and start a fresh batch of yeast?
 
I would say step up the yeast starter, maybe boil some more DME and water, cool and put it in the pitcher of starter. That way your yeast stay alive and active until you can brew again. Plus, you'll have a bigger starter!
 
I'd put the starter in the fridge and re-fresh it 24 hours before the next brew date.
 
I'd put the starter in the fridge and re-fresh it 24 hours before the next brew date.

+1. First, my condolences on a lost batch. The yeast should keep just fine in the fridge. I'd let it come to room temp and build it up before pitching.
 
Thank you - it was a 6-hour decoction mash on 14lbs of grain. I'll miss it forever.

Wow- lots of work down the drain. I'll raise a pint for its loss. Well, not right now because I'm at work. It's bad enough I spend so much time on HBT during work hours, if I started drinking during working hours I'd probably not be well-loved by my boss. Still, I'll raise a pint of American Amber at 3:05 CDT for the loss of this decoction mash.

What happened? Or is still to painful to talk about?
 
What happened? Or is still to painful to talk about?

It's a relief to talk about it, there's so much bottled up inside (haha - another pun)

I had done everything on my deck in the backyard and had just finished up with the chiller and the pot was still on the burner. It was around 8 o'clock - my first attempt at decoction (which I really think is cool, btw) and I had really futzed around with trying to figure out how to do it and it had taken forever. My sons were running around like lunatics kicking a soccer ball and my oldest son punted the ball and it hit a tree and bounced back toward the deck. I was at the other end of the house detaching the hose and heard the crash - the ball had hit the pot from the side and everything went over. Both my boys just froze and didn't know whether to run or what. I kept my cool, didn't yell - well, I yelled but didn't yell at them, just one of those "my head is going to pop" arrgh's. The oldest one apologized for an hour and the youngest one just cried but we're all past it now.

Every now and then you can just have a bad day, you know?
 
It's a relief to talk about it, there's so much bottled up inside (haha - another pun)

I had done everything on my deck in the backyard and had just finished up with the chiller and the pot was still on the burner. It was around 8 o'clock - my first attempt at decoction (which I really think is cool, btw) and I had really futzed around with trying to figure out how to do it and it had taken forever. My sons were running around like lunatics kicking a soccer ball and my oldest son punted the ball and it hit a tree and bounced back toward the deck. I was at the other end of the house detaching the hose and heard the crash - the ball had hit the pot from the side and everything went over. Both my boys just froze and didn't know whether to run or what. I kept my cool, didn't yell - well, I yelled but didn't yell at them, just one of those "my head is going to pop" arrgh's. The oldest one apologized for an hour and the youngest one just cried but we're all past it now.

Every now and then you can just have a bad day, you know?

That's sort of what I figured. Well, not the soccer ball hitting a tree- that's kind of hard to have imagined. But stuff happens when you have kids. At least no one was hurt and the kids know that it was important to you and certainly didn't do it intentionally.

So, you liked your first decoction mash, huh? I've enjoyed the few that I've done. It makes me feel all "German brewer inside".
 
Ida kilt my brrood! Nah just BS'n but i would have at least done the sherriff from smokey and the bandit routine on them. Junia, they is nooway you came from my loins! First thing i'm gonna do when i get inside...... Is smack yo mamma in da mouth!
 
Sorry for your loss. :(


Ida kilt my brrood! Nah just BS'n but i would have at least done the sherriff from smokey and the bandit routine on them. Junia, they is nooway you came from my loins! First thing i'm gonna do when i get inside...... Is smack yo mamma in da mouth!

Now that's hilarious. Jackie Gleason cracks me up. :D
 
Sometimes you don't even have to punish them. I'm sure they saw the look on your face and heard your anguish and felt like CRAP.
 
Sometimes you don't even have to punish them. I'm sure they saw the look on your face and heard your anguish and felt like CRAP.

Well, we're all through it now. The one thing about a kid is how quick they forget. I'll be doing this again next weekend, but won't you know it that they'll be out there again raising hell. It's really up to me to keep all that under control.

Better than that, I need to figure out a better place or maybe put a wall of chair up or something like that.

no! Better than all of that - I just remembered that the wife and kids are all going to be gone this weekend! Decoction will get DONE!
 
Well, we're all through it now. The one thing about a kid is how quick they forget. I'll be doing this again next weekend, but won't you know it that they'll be out there again raising hell. It's really up to me to keep all that under control.

Better than that, I need to figure out a better place or maybe put a wall of chair up or something like that.

no! Better than all of that - I just remembered that the wife and kids are all going to be gone this weekend! Decoction will get DONE!

haha- and our spouses wonder why we look forward to them going away. I've been asked, "Well, what did you do all weekend?". Answer, "Um, nothing. A little brewing." "No, really, what did you do?". Answer, "Really. Nothing. A little brewing, racking some wine, watched some hockey on TV. Went fishing." Eyeroll.

But, I swear- I was busy all weekend! I brewed, kegged some beer, racked some wine, read some books, did some laundry, went fishing, etc. The weekend flew by. We have a lake cottage, when I can do even more nothing. It's awesome!
 
Take your boil hops for the next batch, boil them now (i.e., 60minin a quart of water) cool and dump them into your carboy with the yeast. The hop acids will keep the cake quite acidic, which will prevent bacterial growth. Yeast do fine in acidic environments (down to about 2 pH). Just don't add those hops to your boil next week.

This is just a "thinking out of the box" idea and might be ridiculous. It's what I would do, though. I'd probably think about it for a few more minutes before I did it, though.

Maybe add a bit of sugar to get a nice CO2 blanket in there.
 
Take your boil hops for the next batch, boil them now (i.e., 60minin a quart of water) cool and dump them into your carboy with the yeast. The hop acids will keep the cake quite acidic, which will prevent bacterial growth. Yeast do fine in acidic environments (down to about 2 pH). Just don't add those hops to your boil next week.

This is just a "thinking out of the box" idea and might be ridiculous. It's what I would do, though. I'd probably think about it for a few more minutes before I did it, though.

Maybe add a bit of sugar to get a nice CO2 blanket in there.

You're not that far out of the box as far as I'm concerned. I used to do that with extract all the time just for convenience - boil them anytime and then when I was ready to make the beer, just add the extract, boil for a few minutes, cool and into the carboy.

I'll be doing a full mash with this one, though. I'll be boiling down 7 gallons to 5 anyway, which is about 2 hours, so hopping that along the way is no great shakes.

I have to say thanks to all in this thread who:
1) Told me how to handle the yeast
2) Passed on condolances

I'm re-inspired. Obsessed once again.
 
Wow, how does a soccer ball have the ability to knock over 5 gallons of wort? That's a heavy pot... was it on something really flimsy?

+1 for taking it easy on the kids.... the fact that one was apologizing for an hour means they probably have some good morals.
 
Wow, how does a soccer ball have the ability to knock over 5 gallons of wort? That's a heavy pot... was it on something really flimsy?

+1 for taking it easy on the kids.... the fact that one was apologizing for an hour means they probably have some good morals.

It was on the burner - not all that flimsy but my son can really kick the ball. He's 11 now and has been playing soccer since he was 4. And yeah, he's a real good kid about right and wrong. Not that he doesn't do his share, but when he screws up, he owns up.
 

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