Boxed Frankenstein

[NorthEastSchist]

Heyo,

Novice brewer here, but unafraid to screw around. Ill get right to the point with what I did (including what I screwed up) and give you the obligatory story at the end so you can skip it.

TrueBrew Belgian Ale (2/2/21)
Recipe called for:

3.3# Pilsen Liquid Malt 1# Pilsen Dry Malt (Briess) 1# Bavarian Wheat Dry Malt (Briess) 6oz. "Crisp Best Ale Malt" 1# Light Candi Sugar

1oz German Norther Brewer 30 min 1oz Styrian Golding Hops 14 min 1oz Czech Saaz 14 min 5 Gal H20 (2.5 for Wort) 5oz Priming Sugar SafAle 58

Now quick back information, I live in an area with unpotable tap water and source my water from a spring. I made a mistake in assuming my storage bottles were 5 gallon bottles, however they were 4 gallons. So I boiled a wort with 2 gallons instead of the 2.5 I should have. Additionally, the box contained an additional 1# bag of Pilsen dry malt, which I added, because why not.

What I Brewed 2/2/21

3.3# Pilsen Liquid Malt 2# Pilsen Dry Malt (Briess) 1# Bavarian Wheat Dry Malt (Briess) 6oz. "Crisp Best Ale Malt" 1# Light Candi Sugar

1oz German Norther Brewer 30 min 1oz Styrian Golding Hops 14 min 1oz Czech Saaz 14 min 4 Gal H20 (2.0 for Wort, 2.0 for cooling, Adding 1G Boiled and cooled at Bottling ~2/9/21 for 5G total) 24g CTZ Whole Cone (@20hrs Primary Dry Hop) 14-16% AA 5oz Priming Sugar SafAle 58

After the brew day I recognized I was down a gallon on content and will plan to rectify by boiling, cooling, and siphoning into my batch post fermentation. Because there was already some deviation, I decided to dry hop in the midst of primary fermentation with 24g of CTZ Cone hops from Yakima Valley. I've seen a few posts lacking results on a dry-hopped Belgian Ale so I'll let you know how things turn out. I'd appreciate any insight or requests for documentation as this unplanned Frankenstein ferments away.

 

[Sammy86]

Well, you're definitely gonna have beer thats for sure! Good luck! Let us know how it turns out!

 

[NorthEastSchist]

Well on the second full day of fermentation, I was admiring my carboy and taking a long whiff off the airlock. While bending over to look at something in the carboy when my Leatherman fell out of my bib pocket and shattered the fermenter. Thankfully the brew stayed in and didn't pour out all over the floor but I had to pitch the whole batch :/. Smelled fantastic going down the drain though.

Side note: My plastic FerMonsters had just come in the mail an hour before so I'll be brewing here in a week when I can "gift" myself and my partner each a FerMonster.

 

[kartracer2]

Ack!. Sad to hear about the carboy. I used to use glass when I started but I use Fermonsters now. I never had a problem with the glass but after using a ported Fermonster I will never go back to glass for many reasons. Just be careful about scratching the insides. Love the big opening for cleaning as well as the smoother sides. Oh yeah, so much lighter too.
Good luck on your next creation!.
Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[Pappers_]

Sorry to hear about your accident. FWIW, I would not have added water to your beer post fermentation. I think, when you've done something differently than you intended, when we try to rectify those mistakes later, we usually end up messing it up. Watering down beer strikes me as likely falling into that category. Drink what you made, its usually good if not exactly what you intended to make, and remember for the next time.