Today was my first day of brewing.
I have always been interested in the hobby and decided I should start since I have friends who brew. I decided to brew a Northern Brewer's Irish Ale Extract. I went over to my friends house last Saturday to observe the process before I began mine. I felt fairly confident in the process and ran through the steps multiple times in my head before brewing today (including last night while I was trying to sleep). I spent four hours today preparing my kit and kitchen for the brewing process. I even wrapped my friends 5.5 gal. SS kettle in two layers of reflective insulation to ensure a nice rolling boil off of my crummy apt. electric stove (which worked beautifully!).
My process was effortless once it began, I added the hops exactly when I was suppose to, steeped my grains at the right temperature for the right time and did not burn my malt extract when adding.
It was during the cool down that my brewtastrophe occurred. It was at the exact moment that my cast iron cleaning brush fell into my 100 degree wort sitting below it in my sink. The hook came out of the ceiling plunging this brush into my precious wort. I use this brush to clean only with hot water and no detergent, however after I clean the cast iron pans I do clean it in dishwater most of the time. So the damage has been done, a cleaning brush fell into my wort for a second but that is all it takes.
So I am awfully worried that I have just jeopardized my first batch by infecting it. I also in my frustration did not sanitize the opening to my Wyeast pouch before pitching on accident. I thought about dumping right away before pitching the yeast but decided to go ahead with it.
I hope this batch turns out, I am not dishearten and will accept the fact it might not. I hope my second run goes smoother than my first.
I have always been interested in the hobby and decided I should start since I have friends who brew. I decided to brew a Northern Brewer's Irish Ale Extract. I went over to my friends house last Saturday to observe the process before I began mine. I felt fairly confident in the process and ran through the steps multiple times in my head before brewing today (including last night while I was trying to sleep). I spent four hours today preparing my kit and kitchen for the brewing process. I even wrapped my friends 5.5 gal. SS kettle in two layers of reflective insulation to ensure a nice rolling boil off of my crummy apt. electric stove (which worked beautifully!).
My process was effortless once it began, I added the hops exactly when I was suppose to, steeped my grains at the right temperature for the right time and did not burn my malt extract when adding.
It was during the cool down that my brewtastrophe occurred. It was at the exact moment that my cast iron cleaning brush fell into my 100 degree wort sitting below it in my sink. The hook came out of the ceiling plunging this brush into my precious wort. I use this brush to clean only with hot water and no detergent, however after I clean the cast iron pans I do clean it in dishwater most of the time. So the damage has been done, a cleaning brush fell into my wort for a second but that is all it takes.
So I am awfully worried that I have just jeopardized my first batch by infecting it. I also in my frustration did not sanitize the opening to my Wyeast pouch before pitching on accident. I thought about dumping right away before pitching the yeast but decided to go ahead with it.
I hope this batch turns out, I am not dishearten and will accept the fact it might not. I hope my second run goes smoother than my first.
