Any sloppy brewers out there?

[hoptualBrew]

I find it rather easy to just clean up as the boil is going on. Normally I will dump and clean the MT after hot break occurs and in between hop additions and scrub down the boil kettle right after I get the carboy into the fermentation cooler. All the other equipment & ingredients I use on brewday I just wash and toss back after final use (refractometer, starter flask, thermometers, irish moss, yeast nutrient, iodophor, etc..).

It just seems like good habit to get into, especially if you have dreams to open your own brewpub or brewery one day. Hope you all stay infection free, cheers!

 

[onthekeg]

Yooper, may I ask what you use for your alkaline and acid rinses? I've been noticing a buildup on my kettle that won't come off with regular scrubbing. This is the first I've heard of beerstone, so I'm really glad you mentioned it.

I'm not Yooper, but for my HLT and kettle, I use a dilute HCL acid to soak it for awhile then rinse it out good. It cleans the element and the stone out of the kettle very nicely, and I don't even have to scrub.

 

[biggestmuff]

I seem to make a big mess on brew day and end up with wort everywhere. I BIAB in a Gatorade cooler, and pouring wort back to the brew kettle isn't always a smooth transfer. I also get a fair mess with starsan draining out of bottles on bottling day. I typically need 2-3 old towels on hand to clean up spills and what not.

Is this real life? I think you're missing the point of BIAB.

 

[neosapien]

My equipment certainly isn't pristine, but I like using the water from my IC to clean my equipment during the 15-20 minutes it takes to cool things down. Keeps me busy at the end of a hot texas summer brew day. I have been known to forget spent grains and such on the brew days where I have taken RDWHAHB to excess though... (which is part of the reason why I no longer do such things!)

 

[Retrofit]

One of the many experiments I've done was, make beer without a sanitizer. I made eight different batches of beer, cleaning everything with hot water- no sanitizer. On the eight beer, 2 of 50 bottles of beer were infected. This means my process was fine, my beer bottles were not. So if I can make 50 bottles of beer per batch, that means in 2/400 went bad just using hot water.

I'm not advocating sloppyness, but I've read at this sight about guys sanitizing bags of pellet hops before they open them, or guys recommending you boil leaf hop before you put them in the boil. There has to be a reasonable line between the slob and clean freak. I suspect that beer is more tolerant of the slob than clean freaks will admit.

 

[Gregwarro]

I'd like to personally thank the "I don't care about cleanliness" d-bag who showed up at my club's Big Brew day in March at one of our local breweries. Dipping the fill tube into his filthy carboy ended up spreading an infection to a couple of dozen other members (including me) and completely effing up their brew systems.

By the time I discovered and eliminated it, a brewing friend and I lost at least 50 gallons of beer. In the whole club, hundreds of gallons lost.

CLEAN YOUR EQUIPMENT

Didn't your mom tell you to use protection...

 

[jonmohno]

Drinking too much and brewing and being sloppy is just a bad habbit.I wouldnt take much pride in that.To each is own.
To osagedr- Be carefull with those brew orgies. I use abstinace,guess im just a brewing virgin masturbater.

 

[jigidyjim]

By the time I discovered and eliminated it, a brewing friend and I lost at least 50 gallons of beer. In the whole club, hundreds of gallons lost.

I've never had an infection so I'm curious - what does "discover" and "eliminate" mean? I would have thought that if I had an infected batch, it would be isolated because when I boiled/sanitized the next batch the infection would be gone.

 

[drkaeppel]

I'm OCD about cleaning and sanitizing everything that touches the beer post-boil, but when the brew day is over I pretty much just give everything a quick rinse and put it away.

 

[MississippiSlim]

My name is MississippiSlim and I...am a sloppy brewer! Last sloppy thing I did was leave my Wort chiller outside while I weedeated then brewed later that day without thinking, picked up the wort chiller and through her in the kettle. Took me a second to figure out what all the little flecks of grass were. Beer turned out fine. Before making a wort chiller had my fermenter sitting in the fermentation chamber cooling and forgot it for 3 days. Pitched, beer turned out fine. I have dropped stuff in the wort, fished it out with my hand....the list is probably really long and have yet to have an infection. Basically everything but filter through a dirty sock! I have become OCD about my keg dispensing cleanliness though. I work offshore for 2 weeks and faucets can grow some interesting stuff (but not tasty) in that time. I clean my taps releigously and keep them plugged now when I go to work. Also my halfassed forgetfulnesss and lack of attention to detail does not transfer well to All grain. When I do all grain I make a conscious effort to follow the rules and pay closer attention to everything.

 

[MisterTipsy]

I like to wash my sweaty summer brew face in the cooled wort. Some say this is a bad technique, but my pores have never been tighter.

 

[beerloaf]

I try to use the toilet brush too but the problem is sneaking it back to the bathroom before getting caught by SWMBO.

 

[jonmohno]

Why not just brew after using hand as toilet paper and not washing.Hmm? Whats there to be afraid of? No balls no glory? Whats up? We in? Oh,its so going there.

 

[Yooper]

Why not just brew after using hand as toilet paper and not washing.Hmm? Whats there to be afraid of? No balls no glory? Whats up? We in? Oh,its so going there.

That's kind of harsh. I think having beerstone in my boil kettle isn't going to cause me any real problems- it's just not as shiny as it used to be.

There is a difference between being unsanitary and not being anal about shiny things. To denigrate people who admit that preboil things aren't as important as post-boil sanitation is unfair.

 

[MississippiSlim]

Mind you I don't advocate any of my slothfulness just answering the ops question. Its not like I say "I'm gonna see how unclean I can brew this beer" Its just that I am the polar opposite of OCD. I am a slob. Not unhygeinic mind you...just sloppy. I do laugh at the "I can't believe someone could brew like that" posts. Yeh and I can't see how some folks can worry so much about so little. Its beer. If it turns out bad then step up the game. If it is good to you to heck with what others think. I sometime think it is the curse of modern man to think that the amount they fret and worry about things to be proportionate to the results. but thats just me...

 

[MisterTipsy]

Yooper, I'm pretty sure he was kidding. I wasn't though.

 

[jonmohno]

That's kind of harsh. I think having beerstone in my boil kettle isn't going to cause me any real problems- it's just not as shiny as it used to be.

There is a difference between being unsanitary and not being anal about shiny things. To denigrate people who admit that preboil things aren't as important as post-boil sanitation is unfair.

Yeah just exagerating. Preboil is nothing to worry about. I still would wash my hands. But drunk brewing and careless or forgetfull may lead to unfortuante mistakes. Sorry for the crude humor.

 

[MississippiSlim]

I guess my thing is--so drunk and careless may lead to mistakes---ok! thats cool with me. Honestly if I had to worry as much as I see some folks doing I would not brew. Its my hobby. If it turns into work then I would not be having fun. 3 years or so of (sloppy)brewing and I have yet to have to dump a batch. The worst thing I have found from sloppy drunken brewing is failure to repeat some great beers due to the fact I couldnt remember how I brewed them. But hell, some things are only meant to happen once!

 

[Skelator]

my racking tube has a little discoloration to it.. nothing wrong so far. Funny... it'd cost about 3 bucks to remedy that... but i havent.... for about 8 months. Ha!

 

[grasshopperfirestarter]

my 10 gallon cooler mash tun stinks. Left a hand full of grains in it. Need to brew this weekend. Must clean.

 

[bottlebomber]

Yooper, I'm pretty sure he was kidding. I wasn't though.

I think being obnoxious is more the tune he was singing. And par for the course, I might add.

I brewed a black pepper/rosemary Saison today. The brew kettle is still down there, unwashed. I did dump the mash tun. I will probably clean the kettle tomorrow, but if I don't it's not a big deal. I do take the valve off and boil it if I do happen to neglect the cleanliness. Never had an infection. Oh, except this one.

 

[jonmohno]

I think being obnoxious is more the tune he was singing. And par for the course, I might add.

I brewed a black pepper/rosemary Saison today. The brew kettle is still down there, unwashed. I did dump the mash tun. I will probably clean the kettle tomorrow, but if I don't it's not a big deal. I do take the valve off and boil it if I do happen to neglect the cleanliness. Never had an infection. Oh, except this one.

Really? Lame dude. You just sing a tune of hate.Or jealousy whichever you may preferr to snob about. Carry on with your mindless nitpickings.I can play that game. Keep egging see what you come up with,lets see what is heady. Comprende? Or you dont understand?Like ever or never ever never. never,never? whatever.

 

[bottlebomber]

I just think its kind of unnecessary the way you choose the most extreme and inflammatory comments which go against the grain of the conversation. And your grammar and punctuation are literally criminal.

 

[jonmohno]

I just think its kind of unnecessary the way you choose the most extreme and inflammatory comments which go against the grain of the conversation. And your grammar and punctuation are literally criminal.

I guess adding to some humor causes more harm.My bad. Mr.Perfect grammer.

 

[ahaley]

i like to wash my sweaty summer brew face in the cooled wort. Some say this is a bad technique, but my pores have never been tighter.

+1

 

[ahaley]

I try to use the toilet brush too but the problem is sneaking it back to the bathroom before getting caught by SWMBO.

My SWMBO would catch me for sure! She brews with me so no sneaking put toilet scrubbers or garden hoses to start my siphons! :X

 

[grasshopperfirestarter]

Alright, its all clean finally. About to mash in!

 

[bottlebomber]

^^ oh man, you reminded me, I haven't washed my kettle yet from brewing last Saturday. I'll be gone all weekend as well

 

[MisterTipsy]

I just think its kind of unnecessary the way you choose the most extreme and inflammatory comments which go against the grain of the conversation. And your grammar and punctuation are literally criminal.

Typically, this indicates the poster is being facetious/sarcastic/inflammatory in a humorous and slightly bitter way.

 

[passedpawn]

I guess my thing is--so drunk and careless may lead to mistakes---ok! thats cool with me. Honestly if I had to worry as much as I see some folks doing I would not brew. Its my hobby. If it turns into work then I would not be having fun. 3 years or so of (sloppy)brewing and I have yet to have to dump a batch. The worst thing I have found from sloppy drunken brewing is failure to repeat some great beers due to the fact I couldnt remember how I brewed them. But hell, some things are only meant to happen once!

Sanitary practices don't require worry or work.

Some people are methodical in everything they do. Those people will probably take great notes, brew while sober, follow their recipe exactly, and clean and put stuff way without procrastinating. They are enjoying themselves that way.

Others put away a sixer before the mash is done, toss odd ingredients into the boil on a whim, and clean up whenever. They are enjoying themselves too.

Maybe both make great beer, but I'd bet money the first group has better results overall.

 

[MisterTipsy]

I put my entire semi-sanitized hand in the chilled wort before. It was a great beer!

 

[Dan]

I wouldn't call myself sloppy but have been lazy two times and the results were not good. One time didn't dump the mash tun spent grain for a few days and will never do that again. Gawd awfull stench. I once left spilled wort in my ferm chamber and ignored it for the 3-4 week fermentation. It turned to nasty stinky mold. I then cleaned and bleach bombed the crap out of the chamber. I learned from those mistakes and will not repeat them.

I usually rinse out my fermenter after I rack and then fill with an oxyclean solution and let sit for days before I rinse and put away. I prefer not to call that lazy just a good thorough cleaning measure. When a keg kicks I'm in no hurry to clean it unless I need it.

But everthing that needs to be sanitized is well cleaned and sanitized before use.

 

[david_42]

I care about how clean the inside of my equipment is, but, as an example, all of my kegs still have the original logos on them and my fermentation has a rusty door hinge. I use bungee cords to hold it in place. I do, however, try to minimize the mice in the brewery.

One very minor plus on getting married, Kellie loves cleaning the equipment.

 

[wncbrewer]

I care about how clean the inside of my equipment is, but, as an example, all of my kegs still have the original logos on them and my fermentation has a rusty door hinge. I use bungee cords to hold it in place. I do, however, try to minimize the mice in the brewery.

One very minor plus on getting married, Kellie loves cleaning the equipment.

I used to get mice and birds in my brew shed, pooping on everything. Until this dude moved in. I did have to pause the brew day to change underwear the first time he showed himself, but I let him stay and haven't seen a bird or mouse since

 

[ahaley]

I used to get mice and birds in my brew shed, pooping on everything. Until this dude moved in. I did have to pause the brew day to change underwear the first time he showed himself, but I let him stay and haven't seen a bird or mouse since

Nice!

 

[KISS Brew]

I used to get mice and birds in my brew shed, pooping on everything. Until this dude moved in. I did have to pause the brew day to change underwear the first time he showed himself, but I let him stay and haven't seen a bird or mouse since

I have a cat that doesn't seem to care for chasing mice. Maybe I should get a pet snake. Thanks for the tip

 

[ahaley]

On the topic of sloppy brewing... I bottled today and got done cleaning all bottles and poured out star San from bottle bucket, and found a cockroach in there. Needless to say I still bottled from that bucket. A little protein doesn't hurt any body. well see in a week+ how dead I am from blonde cockroach ale lol.

 

[grathan]

Pretty lazy. Have never used soap. Brewed first batch in 2 years last week and barely rinsed the cobwebs from the keggle. Only time no soap has been noticed is reusing old soda keg, can taste Sprite soda a little in the first batch.

 

[duckredbeard]

I almost never clean my BK/HEX until just before the next brew. Just a really hot rinse as I put things away.

 

[PapsD]

I used to get mice and birds in my brew shed, pooping on everything. Until this dude moved in. I did have to pause the brew day to change underwear the first time he showed himself, but I let him stay and haven't seen a bird or mouse since

Is that a rattlesnake?