Confession Time
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cyanmonkey
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VVbrewery
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I have 2 flasks, a stir plate and almost always use dry yeast dumped directly into the fermenter. I also have 2 hydrometers, a refractometer and can't remember the last time I took an OG.
timdsmith72
Well-Known Member
I don't use an airlock. Or even snap the bucket lid in place. I just rest the lid on top and stick a thermowell through the grommet.
EDIT: I had to go to the LHBS yesterday because I wanted to make a couple of sample batches of mead in one gallon jugs and couldn't even find any of my airlocks.
EDIT: I had to go to the LHBS yesterday because I wanted to make a couple of sample batches of mead in one gallon jugs and couldn't even find any of my airlocks.
sleepspeaking
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i pass judgement on these posts as I read. Even if I'm guilty of the same.
No i'm not. The OG was 1.024 and needed to get down to 1.012.
JimboVorlaufski
Active Member
I drained the last couple gallons of a pale ale keg into the last couple gallons of a stout keg, tossed in a vanilla bean and a couple chunks of charred white oak sticks that I soaked overnight in bourbon and and called it a Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Porter. It was damn fine. Only an uptight judge looking for fault might find one (too much black not enough chocolate malts), cant say I lost a minute of sleep on that nonsense tho...
On a related note, I have a really short glass wine thief (definitely meant for a gallon jug) so when I take a SG sample from my 6.5 gallon carboy just the tip
ban reaches the beer. So, of course I suck up through the other end in order to get the most of the thief - otherwise it'd probably take about 10 dips to fill up my graduated cylinder.
JimboVorlaufski
Active Member
Ive stuck my glass wine thief down through the airlock hole and hoovered up a good many ounces of fine aging brew. On occasion. In the interest of regular quality control of course....
skraeling
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On a related note, I have a really short glass wine thief (definitely meant for a gallon jug) so when I take a SG sample from my 6.5 gallon carboy just the tip
my wine thief is worthless unless i suck on the end of it too (thats what she said?).
jonny24
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Guilty
50/50, depends if I have time. Or remember. Or feel like it.
Guilty
I rarely use any cleaning products on my buckets. As soon as they're done being used I rinse for a few minutes with hot hot water and scrub (soft sponge, no abrasives). Every once in a while I'll fill one with bleach solution to soak bottles. Don't keep track of which one is used for that or when.
The bucket I just used for a 7 day wine primary is smelling awful grape-y though, maybe I should do an oxy soak on that.
A few years back we were serving beers from our homebrew club, and some of the members were not there.
One them gave me a "light gose" to serve. It was a little sour, salty and refreshing on the 90 degree day we were serving.
When I returned the keg and told him it went over quite well and got good reviews I was told that it was a sour that didn't turn out how they wanted so what we really served was half that, half Rainier that had been dumped in and some salt.
I felt guilty for the deception, but I was also deceived and it was tasty, so I didn't feel that bad.
One them gave me a "light gose" to serve. It was a little sour, salty and refreshing on the 90 degree day we were serving.
When I returned the keg and told him it went over quite well and got good reviews I was told that it was a sour that didn't turn out how they wanted so what we really served was half that, half Rainier that had been dumped in and some salt.
I felt guilty for the deception, but I was also deceived and it was tasty, so I didn't feel that bad.
cyanmonkey
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Exactly.
BBQB
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That was one of the better confessions
ericbw
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I make new starsan solution every time I brew. Lately I've been using Sani-clean that I got from a closing LHBS at half price, but I don't have a bucket of that sitting around either. I have gone AG though. That should save me some money, right?
I make up 6-8 gal of StarSan every brew day. I use some for sanitizing my BB fermentors then drain back into a bucket I use for sanitizing my "tools" & tubing & CFC during the brew day. If my spray bottle is low I'll also refill it.
I use SaniClean to clean out my pump, tubing, & CFC at the end of my brew day.
After multiple attempts I still don't like IPA's.
I am just about ready to stop trying to understand why anyone drinks them.
Yeah, I know, blasphemy.
I am just about ready to stop trying to understand why anyone drinks them.
Yeah, I know, blasphemy.
Singletrack
Because it's judgement that defeats us.
Nothing to confess about that. I still have wee heavies that I made long ago. I claim to be aging them, but really I just don't like malt-forward beers. Drink what you want --but eat your broccoli.
I can solve your problem. Send them to me....I like malt-forward beers.
IPA's? Not so much.
Here's a confession: I brewed this (Sunday) morning, but I didn't have yeast to get a starter going Friday evening which would allow me to let it go for 24 hours, cold crash for 12, then pitch. I didn't have the right yeast, so I made a trip to the LHBS yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, and didn't get the starter going until 3pm.
So I was done brewing by about 12:30. The starter had only been going 21.5 hours, and no cold crash, no decanting the wort off the crashed yeast. I just took the starter off the stir plate, fixed the stir bar w/ a magnet, and poured just over a liter of starter into the wort.
We'll see.
Thats how I always do my starters
I can solve your problem. Send them to me....I like malt-forward beers.
IPA's? Not so much.
Here's a confession: I brewed this (Sunday) morning, but I didn't have yeast to get a starter going Friday evening which would allow me to let it go for 24 hours, cold crash for 12, then pitch. I didn't have the right yeast, so I made a trip to the LHBS yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, and didn't get the starter going until 3pm.
So I was done brewing by about 12:30. The starter had only been going 21.5 hours, and no cold crash, no decanting the wort off the crashed yeast. I just took the starter off the stir plate, fixed the stir bar w/ a magnet, and poured just over a liter of starter into the wort.
We'll see.
cyanmonkey
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I was gonna say, there's a difference of opinion. Some people like to pitch active starters, some like to decant. Doesn't sound like you ended doing anything wrong. [emoji5]️
But....it was a CONFESSION!
cyanmonkey
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roots4thought
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I NEVER aerate any finished wort. Never had a problem with lag or infections. Make yeast starters and all seems to be fine.
LOL, I had a brain fart with my session last Sunday. Threw some DME in a beaker and threw it on the stir plate, and when it was mixed I went to dump in my yeast and realized I had a packet of Nottingham (I bought the ingredients a couple of weeks ago and forgot what I had). So I went ahead and dumped it in the starter anyway. I did an overnight no-chill and the next day I had a very healthy starter going. Dumped it into the fermenter and I had airlock activity within about four hours.
You should try making the "new England style IPA" that has a huge 200 page thread on here. Very low bitterness, very fruity. Even both of my grandmas liked it. If that doesn't work for you, nothing will. Just make sure you use Citra, Mosaic, and/or Simcoe hops.
I'm not sure if this is a confession or a "Don't Do That." Probably both.
I brewed Biermuncher's Black Pearl Porter; made a slight tweak to the recipe with slightly darker Crystal malt (all I had), and I added vanilla extract. Black Pearl Vanilla Porter!
That batch has been better received than maybe anything I've done. Last night at poker, I gave a bottle to a friend, and his first sip produced this: "Hey, this is really good." Halfway through the bottle, it was "This is really, REALLY good."
I of course knew that so I'd planned to brew it again today. But apparently Karma decided it was time to shrink my head.
To start, I discovered I didn't have so much as 8# of 2-row barley malt, which the recipe specifies. I started a thread on HBT to see what I might substitute (I had 5# of Maris Otter, more of Pilsen), and that probably would have been just different enough to see what it did without compromising the basic elements of the recipe.
But then, I discovered the other missing component: I don't have the 1# of Chocolate Malt I needed. I have a pound of Chocolate Wheat, but not malt.
I had no particular desire to see what the wheat would have done. I'm not a wheat beer fan, and maybe it's a recipe tweak I should try someday, but not now.
I must confess that I haven't been as sharp in maintaining or recording inventory as I need to be, and I've learned my lesson.
PS: Two bags of malt will be delivered this week. Plus some chocolate malt.
I brewed Biermuncher's Black Pearl Porter; made a slight tweak to the recipe with slightly darker Crystal malt (all I had), and I added vanilla extract. Black Pearl Vanilla Porter!
That batch has been better received than maybe anything I've done. Last night at poker, I gave a bottle to a friend, and his first sip produced this: "Hey, this is really good." Halfway through the bottle, it was "This is really, REALLY good."
I of course knew that so I'd planned to brew it again today. But apparently Karma decided it was time to shrink my head.
To start, I discovered I didn't have so much as 8# of 2-row barley malt, which the recipe specifies. I started a thread on HBT to see what I might substitute (I had 5# of Maris Otter, more of Pilsen), and that probably would have been just different enough to see what it did without compromising the basic elements of the recipe.
But then, I discovered the other missing component: I don't have the 1# of Chocolate Malt I needed. I have a pound of Chocolate Wheat, but not malt.
I had no particular desire to see what the wheat would have done. I'm not a wheat beer fan, and maybe it's a recipe tweak I should try someday, but not now.
I must confess that I haven't been as sharp in maintaining or recording inventory as I need to be, and I've learned my lesson.
PS: Two bags of malt will be delivered this week.
Plus some chocolate malt.
homebrewdr
Well-Known Member
I eyeball my volumes and boil until it looks "about right".
Floor sweepin's beers have twice, once tweaked, turned into house beers for me. I would have rolled with it. FYI...Chocolate Wheat does not in any way taste like "wheat"...just like Chocolate Malt.
I thought about just going ahead....but I'm running out of windows to brew as the season gets colder. I wanted to do a repeat of the earlier recipe, exactly, as my daughter is getting married in early April and I want some of this to be at the reception. I'll bottle it, and since the month of January for me is likely to be brew-less given work obligations, I won't have much chance to do it afterwards.
But--I agree with you--it probably would have made drinkable beer and perhaps even a great recipe. I just need tried-and-true right now.
GHBWNY
Well-Known Member
Confession: while I generally prefer my homebrews malt-forward, I find myself brewing IPAs simply because I must to be considered a 'legitimate' home brewer. Like, if I'm not dry-hopping a 5-gal batch with 30 pounds of hops, I feel I'm somehow not fulfilling my silent oath of allegiance to the brewing brotherhood.
