So this past monday I did my first all grain batch. Almost everything went wrong.
The day started with me running to home depot to get an attachment for my hot liquor tank so i could sparge. I get back only to realize i got the wrong size... no problem. I'll dissassemble my 5gal pot that i used for my BIAB. Did that and got it running.
Now, I get my hot water running and my mash is going. I start heating my sparge water and i realize im 1 gal short! so i run inside and fill a gallon bottle with my (decent) tap water. I get that going.
I vorlauf and pull the liquid into my brew kettle, and realized i used to much water in my mash and thats why i was one gal short! so now i have an extra gallon to boil off.
I go to put my floating thermometer into my boil kettle, being very careful because i broke one before. i gently put it into the pot, it bobs with a rolling boil and the tip of the thermometer breaks.
I panic, and immediately check forums, I get the consensus that it will not affect my beer because it wont transfer to my fermenter. I start sanitizing my 2 other hop bags to act as filters just in case.
I use a boil timer in my brewpal app to let me know when to add my hops, and the app crashes. So i have to ballpark my hops addition.
I finish my boil, and chill. I transfer over to my fermenter, using the hopsacks over the end of my tube, also aerating it. I take my fermenter inside and add my yeast, it is at this moment that I realize, I forgot to take a sample!
I go out to my garage to grab my hydrometer, and the bottom of the tube opens and my hydrometer falls to the ground shattering.
I take my beer thief inside to grab a sample, and when I open my closet a bag of dogfood falls and spills all over the floor. more mess to clean up.
I grab a sample to test with once i get my new hydrometer and put it in a mason jar and put it in the fridge. I then realize i never sanitized the mason jar.
the next day I check, and my airlock has had zero activity. I give it a shake and Krausen puffs into my airlock. but it starts bubbling.
I fully expect to come home from work today and find out that it blew off and i'll have even more to clean up.
on the plus side, I think the beer will be ok.
The day started with me running to home depot to get an attachment for my hot liquor tank so i could sparge. I get back only to realize i got the wrong size... no problem. I'll dissassemble my 5gal pot that i used for my BIAB. Did that and got it running.
Now, I get my hot water running and my mash is going. I start heating my sparge water and i realize im 1 gal short! so i run inside and fill a gallon bottle with my (decent) tap water. I get that going.
I vorlauf and pull the liquid into my brew kettle, and realized i used to much water in my mash and thats why i was one gal short! so now i have an extra gallon to boil off.
I go to put my floating thermometer into my boil kettle, being very careful because i broke one before. i gently put it into the pot, it bobs with a rolling boil and the tip of the thermometer breaks.
I panic, and immediately check forums, I get the consensus that it will not affect my beer because it wont transfer to my fermenter. I start sanitizing my 2 other hop bags to act as filters just in case.
I use a boil timer in my brewpal app to let me know when to add my hops, and the app crashes. So i have to ballpark my hops addition.
I finish my boil, and chill. I transfer over to my fermenter, using the hopsacks over the end of my tube, also aerating it. I take my fermenter inside and add my yeast, it is at this moment that I realize, I forgot to take a sample!
I go out to my garage to grab my hydrometer, and the bottom of the tube opens and my hydrometer falls to the ground shattering.
I take my beer thief inside to grab a sample, and when I open my closet a bag of dogfood falls and spills all over the floor. more mess to clean up.
I grab a sample to test with once i get my new hydrometer and put it in a mason jar and put it in the fridge. I then realize i never sanitized the mason jar.
the next day I check, and my airlock has had zero activity. I give it a shake and Krausen puffs into my airlock. but it starts bubbling.
I fully expect to come home from work today and find out that it blew off and i'll have even more to clean up.
on the plus side, I think the beer will be ok.