Started nice and early (well for me, it was about noon -but then I'm a night-shift worker) and got the rig ready, crushed grains, got the mash going (played hell trying to hit my temps though -just couldn't dial them in for some reason) -sparged and began the temp run-up to boil -then realized I'd not yet set my hop schedules up (I like to have little bins for each addition/time -from the hops to kettle finings or whatever else I'm putting in there) -realized I'd left them out of the freezer from my aborted attempt to brew a couple of days ago (oldest dog started pooping blood -had to stop and rush her to the vet) -after I located the hops, discovered that a rat had gnawed open the container. Sigh. Off to the brew shop. Start the boil, and in the interest of saving time, cleaned the mash tun, and put the grains for batch #2 into it, and started dough-in for the mash.
It had drizzled a bit, and I was barefoot (stupid on my part) -I must have a short somewhere in the rig because I got zapped pretty good when I went to hit the switch for the recirculating (HERMS) pump. Knocked me on my posterior -AND knocked over my beer. Had more trouble with mash temps on the second batch (sigh -I've never had trouble before). AFTER chilling the wort, aerating, then pitching the yeast, I went to put the airlock on the fermenting bucket and my airlock cracked right down the side
. I retrieved a spare, and when I put it in the lid, it pushed the grommet through and into the beer-to-be. -I retrieve another, mend the lid and (finally) put that bucket into the fermenting chest-freezer. By the end of the day, I was so disgusted (ran out of gas, had to retrieve a full tank and hook it up) I just sparged the second batch of grains into a fermenting bucket, sealed the lid and decided I'd conduct that boil tomorrow morning. I'm off until tues anyway.
Sigh, about the only thing I DIDN'T break was my hydrometer. -oh crap. I totally forgot to get my starting gravity. To heck with it. I don't really care right now. It will be a good beer just the same.
Some days just go poorly. I'm really happy to see this one gone.
'preciate letting me vent.
ON a more positive note, one of my brothers was at an auction, bought a small trailer full of uh, odds and ends... and discovered a cardboard box full of beer towers (3) and a number of faucets, assorted parts, and a couple of drain trays. He has no use for them and asked if I might like to have them.
I'll have to reward him with a growler when the porter is ready.
It had drizzled a bit, and I was barefoot (stupid on my part) -I must have a short somewhere in the rig because I got zapped pretty good when I went to hit the switch for the recirculating (HERMS) pump. Knocked me on my posterior -AND knocked over my beer. Had more trouble with mash temps on the second batch (sigh -I've never had trouble before). AFTER chilling the wort, aerating, then pitching the yeast, I went to put the airlock on the fermenting bucket and my airlock cracked right down the side
. I retrieved a spare, and when I put it in the lid, it pushed the grommet through and into the beer-to-be. -I retrieve another, mend the lid and (finally) put that bucket into the fermenting chest-freezer. By the end of the day, I was so disgusted (ran out of gas, had to retrieve a full tank and hook it up) I just sparged the second batch of grains into a fermenting bucket, sealed the lid and decided I'd conduct that boil tomorrow morning. I'm off until tues anyway.Sigh, about the only thing I DIDN'T break was my hydrometer. -oh crap. I totally forgot to get my starting gravity. To heck with it. I don't really care right now. It will be a good beer just the same.
Some days just go poorly. I'm really happy to see this one gone.
'preciate letting me vent.
ON a more positive note, one of my brothers was at an auction, bought a small trailer full of uh, odds and ends... and discovered a cardboard box full of beer towers (3) and a number of faucets, assorted parts, and a couple of drain trays. He has no use for them and asked if I might like to have them.
I'll have to reward him with a growler when the porter is ready.
