Success is a poor teacher. A phrase that I live by. While I have been brewing for over 25 years, I still learn from my mistakes. Of the 18 batches (110 gallons) I brewed in 2012, I did dump two five-gallon batches.
My first mistake was a Czech Pilsner. This beer had a foul smell and taste. I assumed that the DMS rest was not that important. Guess what, it is. I made the same beer again, with the DMS rest, and it was perfect (IMHO). In the past, I always did the DMS rest because you are required to. I now know why it is required. It really is important. Down the drain.
My second dump was a Sweat Cherry Stout. What a great idea, right? Not the way I did it. I made a basic sweat stout with lactose but planed to add cheery extract. I had five ounces of extract. I should have used two, maybe three ounces. What does a guy do? If three is good, five must be better! Well, I ended up with five gallons of cough syrup. I tried and tried to drink it but could not. Down the drain.
I like to look at those as positive experiences, not bad ones. However, I cannot explain the sick feeling of watching five gallons of beer going down the drain and heading towards the largest sewage treatment plant in the world. That sick feeling is so unique; there must be a word for it. But the pain quickly passes and I consider it a learning experience.
One other random thought about being a home brewer. We hosted a large Christmas party at our house a few weeks ago. I love my wife with all my heart, but she does not want to deviate from recipes (she is an accountant if that helps explain anything.) I was assigned the task of making apple pies and she gave me a recipe to follow. Of course, I did not follow it at all. I added caramel cubes to one pie, Apple Jack to another, and used some whole wheat flour in the dough of the third. I could not help myself, I just had to experiment. When my wife walked in she said, What the hell are you doing?! You are not following the recipe! Looking back, I should not have experimented right before a big party. Is this why we are home brewers, or do we become this way because of home brewing? I am sure we all start out brewing beer following recipes, but soon we get creative. By the way, two of the pies turned out just fine. I should have used less caramel in the first one, but it was still OK. And success is a poor teacher.
Does anyone else want to share 2012 mistakes? Who else dumped beer? What lessons can we learn from your mistakes? Another saying I like is Learn from the mistakes of others, because you cant make them all yourself.
I hope everyone has a great brew year with the greatest hobby.
Mark
My first mistake was a Czech Pilsner. This beer had a foul smell and taste. I assumed that the DMS rest was not that important. Guess what, it is. I made the same beer again, with the DMS rest, and it was perfect (IMHO). In the past, I always did the DMS rest because you are required to. I now know why it is required. It really is important. Down the drain.
My second dump was a Sweat Cherry Stout. What a great idea, right? Not the way I did it. I made a basic sweat stout with lactose but planed to add cheery extract. I had five ounces of extract. I should have used two, maybe three ounces. What does a guy do? If three is good, five must be better! Well, I ended up with five gallons of cough syrup. I tried and tried to drink it but could not. Down the drain.
I like to look at those as positive experiences, not bad ones. However, I cannot explain the sick feeling of watching five gallons of beer going down the drain and heading towards the largest sewage treatment plant in the world. That sick feeling is so unique; there must be a word for it. But the pain quickly passes and I consider it a learning experience.
One other random thought about being a home brewer. We hosted a large Christmas party at our house a few weeks ago. I love my wife with all my heart, but she does not want to deviate from recipes (she is an accountant if that helps explain anything.) I was assigned the task of making apple pies and she gave me a recipe to follow. Of course, I did not follow it at all. I added caramel cubes to one pie, Apple Jack to another, and used some whole wheat flour in the dough of the third. I could not help myself, I just had to experiment. When my wife walked in she said, What the hell are you doing?! You are not following the recipe! Looking back, I should not have experimented right before a big party. Is this why we are home brewers, or do we become this way because of home brewing? I am sure we all start out brewing beer following recipes, but soon we get creative. By the way, two of the pies turned out just fine. I should have used less caramel in the first one, but it was still OK. And success is a poor teacher.
Does anyone else want to share 2012 mistakes? Who else dumped beer? What lessons can we learn from your mistakes? Another saying I like is Learn from the mistakes of others, because you cant make them all yourself.
I hope everyone has a great brew year with the greatest hobby.
Mark