To Dump or not to Dump

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colonial

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OK, weird thing happened. I was tranferring an IPA to a second keg. After transfer I was going to clean the keg the IPA was in. I looked inside to see how much sediment was on the bottom and I saw SOMETHING on the stem. It appears it was in the beer and as I transferred the beer it rode down the stem and got stuck near the bottom on the stem.

I am very clean and sanitary, well my brewing is anyways. Some friends give me a hard time that I am TOO sanitary with my brews! So while I know I CLEANED this keg before filling, I have a theory as to where this THING came from.

I think it was stuck IN the stem. So when I was running cleaner and sanitizer through the stem while cleaning, it was stuck at the top of the stem and could not exit the disconnect. When I carbonated, it probably shot this THING down the stem into the beer.

By now you are probably wondering what this THING is. Well I dont know what it is. There is a couple of little hairs, and a black soft item and some brown stuff!!! But I am sure it WAS cleaned with OxiClean and sanitized with Star San. The beer tastes fine, it needs to age a little more, but I in no way tasted any off flavors or thought it was any more than a good tasting IPA.

First question is, which I probably already know the answer from most, would you dump it? Second question is; how are others cleaning the stem without getting the stem out? I dont have the tool and didnt want to force it with my tools.

Thanks!
 
I can only answer the first question, and that's whether to dump or not...You don't dump until you KNOW somethings wrong for sure...not because something is not right or was in your fermenter/ keg...our beer is hardier than we often give it credit.

Read the stories in here and see some of the crap that we've done and yet our beer has managed to survive... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/wh...where-your-beer-still-turned-out-great-96780/

And also read some of the stories in here;

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

My philosophy is to save the beer.....you spent time and money on it, and since nothing pathogenic can live in our beer, we can't be harmed by it, so unless it tastes or ends up tasting funky, then we keep going as is. :mug:
 
Never dump homebrew until it's made you sick from trying to keep it down!;)

I honestly only remove the posts and tubes every 5 or so batches. I usually just fill the keg with cleaner, then pop the poppet to allow it in the tube. When sanitizing I simply depress the poppet, and pour some Starsan down the tube.

Course, I don't have cousin it's aborted fetuses in my kegs.:D

Seriously though, a good set of concave Channel-lock pliers will remove the post, and if your careful, it won't do any damage. I've never owned the tool either.
 
Sounds good. Yeah I've read those posts already Revvy, guess I am just looking for reassurance! Atleast it is a strong and hoppy IPA right!

Yeah not sure how the fetus got in there, it is really gross looking. I was thinking of drying it and placing it in the keezer, so when someone takes a pint they can see what helped to flavor this one!!

Cool I'll try and get the post off with the Channel Locks.

Thanks!
 
Mouse Fetus Beer! Why not? There was a "Baby Deer" wine available in New York when I was in college.
 
It should be fine and even better it's an IPA with a lot of alcohol and hops. Are you using corny kegs? If so the posts come off with a 7/8s wrench for most of them. I have one that is smaller.

Mike
 
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