Confession Time

[slym2none]

Well, trying to read this thread and my mouse-wheel just gave up.

Someone owes me a new mouse...

 

[Black Island Brewer]

I usually wash with hot water only, especially everything pre-boil.



I'm not that hardcore, but I have a pretty advanced ghetto brew setup. I try to spend the money on things that help the most and skimp where it doesn't matter. I have a bottling bucket mash tun with a cpvc manifold, another bottling bucket for HLT, stir plates made from fans in a computer I found on the side of the road, tons of buckets from the bakery, a water bottle secondary, etc. I have bought stir bars, a direct oxygen set-up (on sale with $5 oxygen bottles), and an STC-1000 to run a ghetto version of SOF.



I try to get some beer through really quickly. Most recently was a saison with Belle yeast that I left out in the hot weather so it'd ferment faster. I think most of the carbonation happens by the end of week 1, so it's already drinkable but gets a little more fizzy over then next week or so (given you're conditioning at a warm temp). I left said saison in boxes (no light) in the sun to carb faster.



+1 for bucket-tun. I don't use airlocks much either.



I soak in bleach-water and rinse. It works better than brushes which seem to leave some areas on the bottom untouched. I'm not sure if it saves any time because I'm so anal about rinsing the bleach, though.





I've done this in a dingy basement. It's all getting boiled anyway.



I may have to try this. In the past I've run hot water through my IC before adding to the boil to mitigate the effect.



This is why I stay home and drink HB. It's also why I seldom drink commercial beer.



That seems like overkill! Do you split hop pellets to get it right? My scale goes to the nearest gram.



I use beer glasses but concur on the first point. I'd love a separate beer fridge at 45*F, and I'd still sit some bottles out to warm before popping them. Since I hope to keg some day I wonder if that sort of serving temp would lead to foamy pours...



this



GO TO NARNIA!



That isn't what everyone does? I always look up a few good recipes, adjust to what I have on hand (especially subbing hops), and sometimes adjust for my own taste.



I have used some really old hops and BMW brew kits.





Same here. No way I'm paying someone to drink the beer I worked so hard on after I pay to ship it. I love feedback from fellow brewers and beer enthusiasts, though. I like sharing, too, but I don't make a lot to cater to what others like.





I used to walk the streets early on recycling day to build my bottle collection. The best was the first recycling day after New Year's. I grabbed a back-pack and walked around snagging a few dozen champagne bottles and even scored a magnum!



I did something similar with a Tripel. I missed my mash-out and either took a long time to boil another infusion or just started sparging and it dried out way too much and wasn't very good at all. Some styles are more forgiving than others. Lots of hops or roast malt can cover a multitude of errors.



I had something awy worse happen. I was using a lid sans airlock (see above) and I grabbed the wrong one (different bakery buckets; see above) and flies got in and the whole krausen ring was crawling with maggots. The beer was about vinegar by then so I dumped it. I wish I'd just kept it for malt vinegar.



I went to college without doing any of the above.



You must have a good job, too!

See the link in my sig about pipe-line diversity. I feel the same way and won't brew a lot of styles because I don't want a ton of it on hand. A good hefe or witbier are nice now and again, but I get board with them so I don't brew them.





Where do you guys live?! I need your help when I switch to kegging.



That's glorious. Is tobacco illegal or taxed to death there?



I did about the same thing when I moved. I brought most of my bombers, pints, quarts, and 750mls, though.



I did 40 gallons for a friend's wedding. A good bit was cider, though. I did one two-batch brew day (pils and tripel) and then two 3-batch brew days. My friend helped a lot, including clean-up and bottling. He also bought me a Colona capper/corker, which made bottling easier.



That's just smart. I almost always do that to get the last 10 degrees or so when my IC slows down.



I don't have time or money to brew that much, but the diversity link in my sig may help you out a bit.

Original confessions:

-I bought a direct oxygen set-up to use only on high-gravity beers (cheapskate), but now I use it on everything because I'm too lazy to listen to Taylor Swift's advice.

-I wash yeast, but I keep it around forever before re-using. Up until recently my starters were pretty much always 1/4 or 1/3 cup DME per quart regardless of gravity or age of yeast sample

-I quit buying commercial beer when I started homebrewing (cheapskate). I don't get much valuable feedback on my brewing, so I don't know if my skills have improved or my tastes have declined.

-I read this thread over the last few days and multi-quoted every post I missed by not reading this thread earlier.

I confess that after the 10th quote and response I scrolled down and skipped all that sh*t.

 

[chisena]

My post brew sesh equipment cleaning process is not up to par.

 

[smit70136]

1. I often (practically always) drink too much on brew day and wake up that night in a panic wondering if I pitched the yeast.

2. I NEVER wash the kettle, etc. for two or three days after brew day.

3. In 40+ batches I've only made a starter twice.

4. I don't re-hydrate dry yeast. Ever.

5. Last but not least, I drain the boil kettle to primary, seal it with a dry airlock, set in a freezer overnight and pitch the yeast the following day.

 

[starsman20]

1. I often (practically always) drink too much on brew day and wake up that night in a panic wondering if I pitched the yeast.

2. I NEVER wash the kettle, etc. for two or three days after brew day.

3. In 40+ batches I've only made a starter twice.

4. I don't re-hydrate dry yeast. Ever.

5. Last but not least, I drain the boil kettle to primary, seal it with a dry airlock, set in a freezer overnight and pitch the yeast the following day.

Why would you wake up in a panic (1) when you pitch the next day(5)????

 

[burninator]

Why would you wake up in a panic (1) when you pitch the next day(5)????

Maybe he worries he just pitched it right into the piping hot wort. :cross:

 

[smit70136]

Or maybe I drink too much and then start posting confessions...
Seriously though, the quasi no chill method is kind of a new thing. Now I just worry that I forgot to put the lid on.

 

[Venari]

Just finished drinking the last batch i made without any sanitation. Everything was, as Raj Koothrapalli says, honky donky.

 

[MannyEdwards]

I still buy commercial brew, especially lagers, which I've never tried to make yet.

 

[VApatriot]

You know those Business Reply Mail envelopes that frequently come with junk mail?
I throw away the junk mail, but I keep those.

If you're feeling really mean, you can tape one of these to a brick wrapped in a brown paper bag. The company it goes back to actually pays for the mailing/shipping. I once knew a guy that wrapped up a cinder block with a brown paper bag and taped one of those pre-paid reply cards from a credit card company he disliked and dropped it off at the post office.

 

[Venari]

If you're feeling really mean, you can tape one of these to a brick wrapped in a brown paper bag. The company it goes back to actually pays for the mailing/shipping. I once knew a guy that wrapped up a cinder block with a brown paper bag and taped one of those pre-paid reply cards from a credit card company he disliked and dropped it off at the post office.

If you want to do one better....mail back those envelopes full of glitter.

 

[slym2none]

I still buy commercial brew

Me too. It's how I get my empty bottles come brew-day.

 

[slym2none]

If you want to do one better....mail back those envelopes full of glitter.

 

[MannyEdwards]

If you're feeling really mean, you can tape one of these to a brick wrapped in a brown paper bag. The company it goes back to actually pays for the mailing/shipping. I once knew a guy that wrapped up a cinder block with a brown paper bag and taped one of those pre-paid reply cards from a credit card company he disliked and dropped it off at the post office.

That's awesome. I wish I had friends like that. Talk about fun to drink with.:rockin:

 

[Kirkwooder]

I wish I could do that to some of the automated phone calls I get. Glitter, bricks, fleas, a super virus, any of these are less than they deserve!

 

[Kharnynb]

I totally noobed out and got worried about lacking signs of fermentation after 2 days.

Only to discover that the lid had a crack on the edge.
Quick swap of my spare lid and the beer is happily bubbling.

 

[Sparge]

I confess that I've never brewed an extract, I jumped straight into all grain. The only time I've used extract is in making starters.

 

[AkTom]

I just found a bottle of CoconutIPA that i bottled several days ago without a cap. Warm, no carbination, Ummm,Ummm good. yes I am almost finished drinking it out of the bottle.

 

[smit70136]

That's not a confession - I call that bragging!

 

[DurtyChemist]

I bought a mini fridge and an ITC 1000 so I can brag to people I have temperature control. I'm expecting crystal clear beer and hitting FG every single time.

 

[Paps]

I confess that i usually fart at least once during brew day.

 

[cyanmonkey]

I confess that i usually fart at least once during brew day.

Just once?

 

[hunter_le five]

I confess that i usually fart at least once during brew day.

I farted twice while reading this post.

 

[SippinSudz]

Brewed my first 5gal tonight since June 25 due to back to back bottle infections(which drank quite nicely all to my self) but didn't feel like brewing anymore.

 

[slym2none]

I added a little honey to my Irish Red (1/2 C @ 20 minutes) tonight to help make up for possible "extract finishing high" syndrome.

It wasn't in the recipe.

 

[TKH]

I confess I read this whole thread but only skimmed the epic multi post (how?!?).

I confess that on my last brew when transferring the cooled (outside) wort to the fermenter a small beetle crawled out. I just pitched an extra pack of yeast, neither of which I rehydrated.

I confess I like extract brewing and have no desire to switch to AG until I can afford a partially automated system such as a brew boss. There's no way I'm spending 6+ hours on a day off just brewing.

I confess I don't like citra hops and there's probably at least a couple cat hairs in every beer I've made. I don't complain about the cat hair because SWMBO encouraged a six tap kegerator in the living room and a fermentation chamber in a closet. Marrying her in two weeks...

 

[wtaylor3]

I confess I don't like citra hops and there's probably at least a couple cat hairs in every beer I've made. I don't complain about the cat hair because SWMBO encouraged a six tap kegerator in the living room and a fermentation chamber in a closet. Marrying her in two weeks...

I cannot agree with not liking citra hops, however my swmbo has a long haired chihuahua and the long hair ends up everywhere

Marrying that woman sounds like a great idea, I married mine before she denied my request for an indoor kegerator due to limited space....guess I'm SOL haha

 

[cyanmonkey]

Ain't nothing wrong with citra, although I think they're not great on their own, but paired with something a c hop they perform better.

 

[Venari]

Marrying her in two weeks...

Sorry, but THIS is what I thought about when I saw this particular line:

At least you found somebody willing to let you spend your (hers now, I guess) money on something you want!

 

[kombat]

I confess I like extract brewing and have no desire to switch to AG until I can afford a partially automated system such as a brew boss. There's no way I'm spending 6+ hours on a day off just brewing.

An all-grain brew day doesn't have to take 6+ hours. Mine are 4.5 hours if I'm relaxed and take my time. If I rush things, I can get it under 4 hours. BIAB would potentially speed that up even more.

Granted, if you're fly-sparging, brewing a 10 gallon recipe based on Pilsner malt (read: 90 minute boil), and whirlpooling, that can extend your brew day. But a simple 5 gallon batch of Pale Ale can be done in 4-4.5 hours, easily. The key is preparation and organization.

And a good plate chiller.

 

[b-radbrew]

Don't know how much of a "confession" this is but my ferm chamber has been temporarily placed in front of my drum set in the basement. I tend to play more when I put a fresh brew in there. Secretly I think I motivate the yeast with rock and punk jam out sessions.

 

[slym2none]

They are probably more active & healthy because of it! Also, they won't bang on your door and tell you to turn it down, or leave message after message on your answering machine...

 

[SippinSudz]

What's an answering machine?... [emoji57]

 

[Venari]

What's an answering machine?... [emoji57]

I think it's SWMBO, since they're the ones that use the phone anyways.

 

[slym2none]

Zing!

I actually said that in jest with one particular in mind, and it doesn't surprise me no one else knows what I am talking about.

Jam Pain Society, album "Disco 13", last track.

 

[hunter_le five]

Zing!

I actually said that in jest with one particular in mind, and it doesn't surprise me no one else knows what I am talking about.

Jam Pain Society, album "Disco 13", last track.

Your avatar is seriously creeping me out.

 

[hunter_le five]

Your avatar is seriously creeping me out.

I mean, I confess that your avatar is seriously creeping me out, or whatever.

Am I doing this right?

 

[slym2none]

Then everything is going as planned...

*rubs hands together and laughs creepily*

 

[ThomasPaine]

I confess that I always brew with the same friend. I always go to the LHBS myself, I do all of the work on brew day, I ferment in my fridge, I fill his keg for him and deliver it to his house, he pays me for ingredients. It's either that or brew alone .

 

[cyanmonkey]

I confess that I ran out of propane and couldn't boil. So I passed out until 11, woke up and boiled on the stovetop until 3 and just put the lid on post boil, back to sleep until 6am, came down, chilled it down (had only gotten to 140 Fahrenheit. I was hoping it would go down to room temp by then) and pitched dry yeast without rehydrating.

There appears to be nothing wrong with and it was happily at full krausen in 4 hours.