Confession Time

[coolharry]

I didn't clean my mash tun out yet from the brew day on saturday. I'm afraid to open it now.

I forgot about mine once for three weeks. The smell still haunts my dreams.

 

[normonster]

Got you guys beat there. I left a half gallon of wort/trub in both my fermenters for about 3 weeks. Of course I'd removed the air locks so what do you know! I ended up with an awesome soup of all different types of maggots and the like. When I opened it it was boiling with life...and stench unimaginable. New gaskets and a lot of PBW!!!!

 

[Biergarden]

That's why I'm ditching my therminator for one. Do that with the plate chiller and you're gunna have some nice mold bubbling out in a few days. No pics, so it's never happened to me, I'm just sayin... [emoji16]

That's something I've heard other people mention too. I kind of like my counter-flow, because even if a hop cone passes though the system and gets stuck in there, stopping the flow, it can be cleared in relative safety.
And it's easy to back flush and clean post use. And it's ugly as well hehehe Another bonus

 

[gunsington]

I'm suspicious that the yeast best by date is the cause of your issues.

Likely the case, yeah. I've got another vial that expired Sep 28. So close!! It's Irish Ale yeast, and as much as I want to brew with it, I'm sure it'll cause nothing but frustration in a couple weeks.

I guess I need a new online supplier (current supplier sends me yeast that expires in a month or 2 from receipt).

 

[cyanmonkey]

I've read about people being too build up yeast successfully waaaay past expiration.

 

[slym2none]

Likely the case, yeah. I've got another vial that expired Sep 28. So close!! It's Irish Ale yeast, and as much as I want to brew with it, I'm sure it'll cause nothing but frustration in a couple weeks.

I guess I need a new online supplier (current supplier sends me yeast that expires in a month or 2 from receipt).

I think he means that he thinks that the yeast isn't the cause of your problems. That's how I took it.

 

[gunsington]

I think he means that he thinks that the yeast isn't the cause of your problems. That's how I took it.

Oh, I guess I don't know how to read! Through process of elimination, I determined that the yeast is at fault. But what do I know, I'm a noob.

 

[starsman20]

Brew alone. It's the only way.

When I brew alone I prefer to be by myself.

Just sayin.

 

[Moebbels]

I've read about people being too build up yeast successfully waaaay past expiration.

I have used Wyeast packs that were 2 or 2.5 years past expiration date. Just have to use a 2 step starter. The reason for doing this is that my batch size is about 2 gallons and a pack of fresh Wyeast here goes for around 10 euros. The last time I got 3 expired bags for the same price.

 

[Jakeslipknot]

I have only brewed two beers and a hardcider. I have never bottled anything. I acquired everything to keg while my first batch was fermenting. I plan to eventually bottle condition a batch eventually. But I am too lazy. And I brew by myself. And I love it. The best hobby ever

 

[cyanmonkey]

Why would you WANT to bottle condition? The best thing I ever did was switch to kegging.

 

[Jakeslipknot]

I don't really want to. But I would like the experience.

 

[biochemedic]

Why would you WANT to bottle condition? The best thing I ever did was switch to kegging.

I don't disagree that kegging is awesome, but a beer you might want to age like a barleywine could be better off being bottle conditioned...

 

[Kharnynb]

mostly because just starting kegging is a 300+ euro investment i cannot afford to make right now.

 

[cyanmonkey]

I don't disagree that kegging is awesome, but a beer you might want to age like a barleywine could be better off being bottle conditioned...

Personally, I'm more apt to keg and get as much O2 off of it as I can and perhaps bottle off the keg, but I see your point. Perhaps a tripel would be suited for bottle conditioning.

 

[Stehag]

I still use the same yeast that I bought 113014
Have brewed over 450 liters of lager the last year only using that yeast.

 

[normonster]

I still use the same yeast that I bought 113014

Have brewed over 450 liters of lager the last year only using that yeast.

Holy ****.

 

[gometz]

I still use the same yeast that I bought 113014
Have brewed over 450 liters of lager the last year only using that yeast.

Not sure if that is a confession or an accomplishment. Have you noticed any changes I flavor?

 

[Stehag]

Not sure if that is a confession or an accomplishment. Have you noticed any changes I flavor?

No, the beer are just getting better for every time I have used the yeast.
Normally, I get a FG around 1.010-12 but the latest time I have got 1.008-09 with the same OG.
I don´t even wash the yeast, just pour the yeast cake in to a jar that I have in the fridge.
I only use about 7 oz of yeast when I brew, so now I have to throw away some yeast, the jar is almost full.

My plan was to see if I could get the yeast to survive a whole year and still brewing tasty beer, I´m almost there.

 

[gometz]

I'm pitching my fourth batch from a single vial of WLP860 I bought in April. The one difference is that I always refill the vial from the starter, never reused the cake for this yeast.

 

[rlonardo]

I use the same equipment for my clean and sour beers........even the plastic stuff.

No cross contamination to date, but I should probably start separating things...

 

[SippinSudz]

I just bottled a stout I was too lazy to bottle for 5 weeks in primary. Ended up drinking 4 pints of flat, smooth, warm silky stout.

I came up short of beer for all my sanitIzed bottles.

 

[p_p]

One of my favourite IPAs is Sainbury's un-branded taste the difference. Often retailing for 1£.

 

[italarican]

I very rarely drink the final 2-3 bottles of a batch. I feel irrationally sad about the idea of drinking the final bottle of my homebrew. I don't want it to be gone forever... so I'm going to hold on to a 3-year-old IPA and not drink it?

 

[MaddBaggins]

I only stir my mash when I first add the water. After that, I let it sit. I consistently get 65-70% efficiency. I'm good with that.

I frequently forget to take gravity readings.

I don't PBW my ferm buckets. Just a quick rinse and scrub. Then StarSan before the next batch. I do PBW my carboys, kegs, kettles and tuns.

I always make sure to get at least one bead of sweat in every batch somewhere in the boil.

I do not Co2 purge my stuff before transfer. No oxidation issues that I can taste. I have 3 Cicerone friends who don't taste any issues with my beer either.

 

[Upthewazzu]

I only stir my mash when I first add the water. After that, I let it sit. I consistently get 65-70% efficiency. I'm good with that.

I frequently forget to take gravity readings.

I don't PBW my ferm buckets. Just a quick rinse and scrub. Then StarSan before the next batch. I do PBW my carboys, kegs, kettles and tuns.

I always make sure to get at least one bead of sweat in every batch somewhere in the boil.

I do not Co2 purge my stuff before transfer. No oxidation issues that I can taste. I have 3 Cicerone friends who don't taste any issues with my beer either.

Are we the same person?

 

[MaddBaggins]

Are we the same person?

That depends. Are you chubby, bearded and super sexy?

 

[cyanmonkey]

That depends. Are you chubby, bearded and super sexy?

Pretty sure you just described 95% of HBT.

 

[Venari]

Pretty sure you just described 95% of HBT.

Sadly, I'm in the 5%.

I couldn't grow a beard to save my life

 

[Pyg]

Sadly, I'm in the 5%.



I couldn't grow a beard to save my life

You are not alone!

 

[QuadConPana]

I fear the foam. Star-San foam that is. Whenever I sanitize my carboys before I pour in my wort I always do a second small rinse to get some of that foam out. Harp all you want about star San breaking down into yeast nutrient or what not but it bothers me how that star San tastes, and I don't quite like the idea of THAT much foam going into my beer. Doubt I need that much "yeast nutrient" in there either, especially when I have actual yeast nutrient to use if I want to.

The bubbles are caused by air entering the carboy to replace the water that is going out. Watch this video for an extremely easy way to get the air in without creating those hated bubbles.

 

[cyanmonkey]

Sadly, I'm in the 5%.



I couldn't grow a beard to save my life

But I'm sure you would if you could.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Pretty sure you just described 95% of HBT.

Nah. I'm just super sexy and don't sport a bearded chubby.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

that depends. Are you chubby & bearded or super sexy? :d

ftfy

 

[Zepth]

I just saved a batch of "I can't believe it's not cider" acetyl bomb by dry hopping it to hell and back.

 

[Venari]

But I'm sure you would if you could.

If I could, the beard I would grow would be magnificent.

 

[slym2none]

I grow one every year when it gets cold(-ish) here in NC. When I was living in NYC, it was mandatory in the winter.

 

[philipCT]

I confess I have bottle fixation.

Worked the beer table at a local fund raiser. Sold through four kegs of donated beer from local breweries AND 7 cases of Lagunitas. Even though I keg almost everything, I could not walk away from those bottles.

I brought home all seven cases, cleaned, delabelled, dried them, and stacked them back in their case boxes ready to be filled. It's not that bottles are really expensive or anything, I just had to have them.

 

[cyanmonkey]

I confess I have bottle fixation.

Worked the beer table at a local fund raiser. Sold through four kegs of donated beer from local breweries AND 7 cases of Lagunitas. Even though I keg almost everything, I could not walk away from those bottles.

I brought home all seven cases, cleaned, delabelled, dried them, and stacked them back in their case boxes ready to be filled. It's not that bottles are really expensive or anything, I just had to have them.

You could sell that and make a penny....or go on hoarders...

 

[skitter]

Been brewing AG batches for 2 years now, still no hydrometer or scale... My measurements for pellet hops are dividing the 1oz packet into even sections on a cutting board...