ScottSingleton
Well-Known Member
Over the weekend I was in the process of racking a DFH60 clone from a 14 day primary into a dry-hopped secondary. I had pulled out a sample with my thief prior to racking and had the hydro sitting in the tube on the counter while I racked.
I probably should have tasted the hydro sample first -- because I knew this batch was at high risk due to a bit of an accident it had.
I fermented this with Pacman and about a four days after pitching I went to collect a small sample of krausen in order to kick off another starter. I spray sanitized the outside of a turkey baster and sucked some sanitizer up in it, though not all the way up into the bulb.
As I stuck the baster into the neck of the carboy to suck up some krausen the tube disconnected from the bulb and fell into the krausen.
I quickly sanitized one of those helping hands (metal pickup fingers) in starsan and tried to retrieve it from the krausen head but in the process knocked it under.
I figured hell, it was santized, no worries anyway. put the bung back on and gave up on harvesting.
This batch now has a distinct spoiled apple flavor (though no aroma). The racked beer is heading to the back corner of basement for an extended time-out due to it's poor behavior and obviously uncooperative attitude!
Maybe in a few months I'll taste it again... but in the mean time I've definitely learned not to skimp on sanitizing -- four years of being progessively more lazy has caught up with me.
I probably should have tasted the hydro sample first -- because I knew this batch was at high risk due to a bit of an accident it had.
I fermented this with Pacman and about a four days after pitching I went to collect a small sample of krausen in order to kick off another starter. I spray sanitized the outside of a turkey baster and sucked some sanitizer up in it, though not all the way up into the bulb.
As I stuck the baster into the neck of the carboy to suck up some krausen the tube disconnected from the bulb and fell into the krausen.
I quickly sanitized one of those helping hands (metal pickup fingers) in starsan and tried to retrieve it from the krausen head but in the process knocked it under.
I figured hell, it was santized, no worries anyway. put the bung back on and gave up on harvesting.
This batch now has a distinct spoiled apple flavor (though no aroma). The racked beer is heading to the back corner of basement for an extended time-out due to it's poor behavior and obviously uncooperative attitude!
Maybe in a few months I'll taste it again... but in the mean time I've definitely learned not to skimp on sanitizing -- four years of being progessively more lazy has caught up with me.
