a dark brewing tale

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Brewpastor

Beer, not rocket chemistry
Joined
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Recently I saw a thread about brewing screw ups. I couldn't find the thread so I will relay my story here.

Years ago I had my brewery set up in an outbuilding. I had an all grain set-up and hot and cold water, including lines along the ceiling for my HLT. It was sweet.

I bought 200 pounds of German grain and stored it in a large tub. One night it got really cold and all my pipes froze. One of the ceiling pipes popped a coupling and when everything thawed out the water shot out and as luck would have it all the water went into that tub of grain.

When I found it I was pissed. It was late at night and I didn't know what to do so I pulled the tub outside to be dealt with in the morning. As it happened I didn't get back to it for a day or so, but it was really cold and so I figured it would be a solid chunk, but instead I found the mess was hot. I had fermentation going!

I decided I should make a sour beer and proceeded to mash the grain. I tried to crush it but wet grain doesn't crush. In the end I had 15 gallons of sour wort and a very poor yield. But at least beer had been made and the grain wasn't a complete loss.

At the time I lived on some land and had three sheep. I regularly fed the spent grain to them so I repeated this again. The next morning I awoke to a fresh layer of snow outside and three dead sheep. The grain had bloated them and they now lay stiff in my yard. I had to load them into my truck and take them to the land fill.

I called a friend and told him my whole sorry tale to which he replied, (and I am not making this up) "Well at least your beer has named itself, Silence of the Lambic."

The beer turned out to be very nice and even won Best of Show at the Dukes of Ale Spring Thing. But I can honestly say that is one recipe that will never be repeated. :mug:
 
That is a great story. And if I ever start a brewery/brew pub and I make a lambic, I'm totally stealing that name. This forum is insane for coming up with beer names. I mean, seriously, I've seen extremely witty names for beers on here.
 
Pretty good story.

Kind of makes you think how beer was invented way back when.....probably an accident just like that. Someone drank the "grain water", got loopy, and the rest is history.
 
Cool story. Only thing I would have done differnt is to butcher the sheep. Frozen meat keeps, and how could you tell if mutton gets over-ripe? the taste? ... Call it Lambic Lamb?
 
Hey I just thought of something, you're not talking in metaphores about the sheep being some of your congregation are you? If you are, I think it's time for me to convert!

;)
 
The dead sheep shouldn't be funny but yet I'm still laughing....
 
I remember the sight of the landfill bulldozer pushing them into the pit as if it were yesterday and yet I too laugh everytime I think of it. What makes me cry is the thought of all that wonderful grain that never had its full expression!
 
Brewpastor said:
I remember the sight of the landfill bulldozer pushing them into the pit as if it were yesterday and yet I too laugh everytime I think of it. What makes me cry is the thought of all that wonderful grain that never had its full expression!

seriously though.... why didn't you have them butchered and eat them?

-walker
 
Walker said:
seriously though.... why didn't you have them butchered and eat them?
You've got to process the carcass within minutes of killing it or the meat starts to go bad...same reason you're only supposed to eat road kill if you saw it get squashed. ;)
 
El Pistolero said:
You've got to process the carcass within minutes of killing it or the meat starts to go bad...same reason you're only supposed to eat road kill if you saw it get squashed. ;)

Hmmm... my possum pie seems to be ok, and I don't know HOW long that thig was laying in the ditch.

-walker
 
El Pistolero said:
You've got to process the carcass within minutes of killing it or the meat starts to go bad...same reason you're only supposed to eat road kill if you saw it get squashed. ;)

Yeah, I shot two deer one after another on a hot day this fall. I gutted them immediately but it took me about 2 hours to get to them in a truck so I could put ice in their cavities. None of the meat is worth a darn. Sucks!!!
 
El Pistolero said:
You've got to process the carcass within minutes of killing it or the meat starts to go bad...same reason you're only supposed to eat road kill if you saw it get squashed. ;)

Of course everything has an exception. Temperture will slow the decomposition of meat if it is cold enough. We snare Artic Hares here and they are not gathered for up to a couple of days and still turn out OK. Of course depending on the weather.:)
 
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