Worst Infected Beer?? Should I Dump It??

Ok. Before any says "Relax" or "Read the other 'infected' threads" or "Bottle it anyway and see how it comes out," please here my story/situation.

As some of you may know, I've been having a tough time not only finding time to brew, but also finding time to learn how to brew non-hopped extract beer.

A few days ago I bottled my first batch. (Mr. Beer with Pale Ale LME instead of their Booster.) I left it in the keg for 4 weeks because I couldn't find time to bottle it at the recommended 3 week mark of this forum. It's been conditioning at room temperature for the last week. So today, I decided to brew their OctoberFest.

I figured, what the heck.. It took me about an hour to do my first batch and had my wife watch the kids so I could concentrate. I thought it would be easy enough to whack it out before dinner.

So, I started the process. Everything was sanitized and I started boiling the LME when I turned around to my 2 year old son calling my name, "Da-Da." As I turned around to discover my son sticking his finger in the spigot as far as he could, I thought to myself, "This has to be the worst it could get." For some odd reason, his index finger was a perfect fit to the spigot. I quickly pulled his finger out and sent him on his way. He couldn't understand why Da-Da reacted to harshly. (Some of you may know that toddlers are walking petree-dishes.) Oh well, what's done it done.

I continue to brew when my wife, who is feeding our 4 month old son, calls my over. She is making some odd grunting noises and is gasping for air. It turns out that she's been getting a cold and her throat decided to swell up. As a supporting wife as she is, she didn't tell me what was going on so I could finish my brew.. :rockin: I almost had to force it out of her that she could barely talk..

By this time, I finished my boil and poured the wort into the Mr. Beer keg. As I'm getting ready to leave, I turn around to find my son trying to put the sanitized spoon into Mr. Beer in attempts to stir it up like he just saw his Da-Da do. DOH...

Ok. So now I get back from the store. My un-pitched yeast had been waitign for about 20 minutes for me to get back. I give my wife her medicine and I try to figure out where I left off.

Oh yeah... Yeast Time.

I open the yeast packet and start to sprinkle it. (Keep in my mind that my wife, my two old son, and my 4 month old are all sitting at the dinner table. The baby just finished his bottle. ) As I'm talk, I pitch. OH ****!!!!!!!! I dropped the packet inside of Mr. Beer. I'm not sure weather or not Mr. Beer liked that or not. What's done is done....

So, I decided to eat. It's 6:30pm'ish. Then another Oh Crap moment. I forgot to stir up the brew in five minutes like the directions suggested. So, I stir, and stir, and stir, and talk, and think about all the things that went wrong, and stir... Before I know it, it's all foamy and is whishing (SP) back & forth like the movie The Perfect Storm.

WHAT'S DONE IS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I sit back and drink a Tecate with a smile on my face.

Anywho.... I thought it was a funny brewing experience and thought that some of you would get a laugh out of it...




E

Wow- What a truly horrific brewing day. I feel your pain, man.. My guess is it's gonna turn out to be your best brew yet.. I don't know.. I just got a feeling....

As bad as your brew day was, you have to actually work harder than that to mess up beer most of the time. I second the notion that your beer will be fine.

Bah, I'll bet it turns out just fine. If not...well at leasty you won't be racking your brain trying to figure out where the issue was.

Heh, trying to find time to brew with kids is challenging, I feel your pain.

Meh, not even close to some of the worst brew days folks have had...and there beer manages to survive, and more than likely yours will too.

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

You're screwed...bottle it up and send it to me for disposal.....

Actually, it sounded pretty much like my first brew day (minus the medical issue). I've dropped stuff in and never realized it until bottling time, and have yet to have a dumper.

Did you taste the beer while you bottled? If it was infected, you would have probably known right away.

Being that you're able to manage that many distractions, get beer in to the fermenter, eat, and get to bed on time, you're ready for all grain!

By the way, at age four, kids can dunk bottles in to a bucket of star-san. Have towels handy.

I don't even try to brew or bottle with my 2 1/2 year old son around. He is at the stage where all he wants to do is "help" mommy and daddy. He won't even let us buckle his car seat straps anymore. "ME DO IT!" You're brave for giving it a shot. I like to enjoy my time brewing and with this many distractions it would feel like more of a chore I'm trying to rush through.

That being said I bet the beer will be fine.

I thought you guys would get a chuckle out of it.

It's definitely not worst brewing mistakes made, but after it was all said and done, it was kind of funny.

I think I'll wait until my kids are old enough to drink my beer before I put them to work and help me make it..

It looks like there's activity today. I'm not too worried about it. We'll see how it turns out. I will LAUGH if it's my best brew..

AND NO!!!!! I WILL NOT BOTTLE IT UP AND SEND IT TO ANYONE FOR TESTING OR PROPER DISPOSAL...

NorCalAngler said:

I don't even try to brew or bottle with my 2 1/2 year old son around. He is at the stage where all he wants to do is "help" mommy and daddy. He won't even let us buckle his car seat straps anymore. "ME DO IT!" You're brave for giving it a shot. I like to enjoy my time brewing and with this many distractions it would feel like more of a chore I'm trying to rush through.

That being said I bet the beer will be fine.

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Oh yeah. My son is 2 years & 4 months. I know the "ME DO IT!" all too well. You are right about it being a chore with the kids around. I think I'll wait until they go to bed next time I break out the brew pot.

I had my 5 year-old daughter help me stir up a batch of Coopers a few weeks back. I decided to be super lazy and try it completely no-boil, so she could get in on it. It was fun for her, using that huge spoon and swirling around black liquid in a big bucket. She's also fascinated with the idea of yeast--these tiny little creatures that eat up sugar and put bubbles into beer and wine.

But, it is pretty hard to do any complex brewing with a family. I try to alternate a partial mash with a quick and easy canned kit. It keeps the pipeline going, but spreads out the time I have to spend on brewing.

I finished the last 1 liter bottle last week and it was pretty decent. It was a little to carbonated though.

I will always remember turning around and seeing my son's finger inside the spigot.

E