Whoops! Fell asleep prepping starter

Uh yeah...I fell asleep while boiling my starter wort, didn't hear the timer go off, and boiled it down to a crust. Woke up to a smoke filled kitchen and an unhappy spouse. This is after I sprinkled in some PBW but before I filled it w/ water. Good news is after a few hours of simmering w/ pbw then w/ baking soda then soaking w/ vinegar I was able to scrape the bottom mostly clean. Another few hours of simmering with some automatic dishwasher and some elbow grease its clean!

lol..john you have to remember the golden rule about brewing..Always keep swmbo happy..The happier she is..the more you can brew..at least you didn't fall asleep during the boil!

Well that's a first. How do you just fall asleep when you're in the middle of something like that? What'd you say, hey, my starter is boiling away on the stove, think I'll go lay down? I'm scared to leave the damn room, much less go take a nap! Do you have some kind of sleep disorder?

Evan! said:

Well that's a first. How do you just fall asleep when you're in the middle of something like that? What'd you say, hey, my starter is boiling away on the stove, think I'll go lay down? I'm scared to leave the damn room, much less go take a nap! Do you have some kind of sleep disorder?

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I was watching tv in the next room and dozed off, just didn't hear the timer go off. I'm a really heavy sleeper and fall asleep very quickly. Some say its a gift

I have never fell asleep while boiling a starter but I have forgotten about it. The smoke detector will let you know.

johnnyc said:

Does a 6-pk count?

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If you drink so much that you pass out, then yeah, I'd say you have a disorder. In the future, try not to get sh*t-faceded when you're performing a particular task like that. Or, if you're planning on getting sh*t-faceded, maybe put off that task.

Beerrific said:

I have never fell asleep while boiling a starter but I have forgotten about it. The smoke detector will let you know.

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Good point. If that thing was smoking, and your detector didn't go off, then you really need to change the batteries...unless you want to die in your sleep some day.

Evan! said:

Good point. If that thing was smoking, and your detector didn't go off, then you really need to change the batteries...unless you want to die in your sleep some day.

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nothin will ruin you day like walking up in the morning dead ..........

springer said:

nothin will ruin you day like walking up in the morning dead ..........

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Maybe yes, and maybe no. I don't think anyone knows what that might be like. I would be most concerned about others in the house. Risking everyone's lives is not a good thing when it's so easily avoidable. I've had my share of close calls with this sort of thing. Now I am wiser and alert to the hazards, so I am much more safety aware. It's called experience. I bet the OP never leaves anything cooking unattended ever again. I know I won't. Worst that happened to me was a house filled with smoke. Could have been much, much worse.

Wow Fire Marshall Bills relax a little. OK so maybe it wasn't a "smoke filled kitchen" but the air was smoky and the whole kitchen smelled like a big boil over. It wasn't that bad. Just going for some exaggeration to make the story better.

Don't take it personally. Safety is very important and those who remind us now and then are interested in our well being. There is also the hidden benefit that many will read this thread and it will make them think. There's a value in that. Could well save someone's life. We realize that you are posting this incident as a caution to others, not to make yourself look like an idiot. That's completely honorable. This sort of thing could happen to any of us and something similar has probably happened to most of us.

Evan! said:

...unless you want to die in your sleep some day.

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I want to die calmly in my sleep like grandpa vs. screaming in terror like his passengers.