So, here's how my brew day went...

[Barley_Bob]

Welp, I had a pretty rocky brew day. This happened:



And then this happened...


But then this happened!


I had taken the carboy out of commission ages ago. I just read too many threads about them exploding. But I'm short a fermenter, and I didn't want to let that slow me down, so I brought it out for old time's sake. And then it exploded.

Lucky, I had one brief moment of intelligence (possibly for the first time ever), and I put the carboy into a random old tub before I started my transfer! The meaning of that didn't dawn on me until after I stormed into the basement and cursed every brick in the wall. Which was probably, mostly out of earshot for my kids. True, the tub was pretty dirty, but it saved my precious wort! I dumped it back into the kettle, brought it back up to a boil for a minute, and called it even.

Did I say I was short a fermenter? Because I was. I ended up using an old bucket (which I had also decommissioned). And I used that nifty trash bag and some 550 cord create an airtight, flawless seal! A little searching around HBT tells me its probably a legit practice...

In the end, I got pie. And that's something we can all call a success. The beer isn't quite going to end up being what I wanted... The hopstand wasn't quite to spec. But it is going to be beer. Probably. Either way, for once, homebrewing actually looks like my mother-in-law imagines it.


PS - I rotated the pictures to their proper orientation at home, but the internet let me down. And I don't care enough to try to fix it. It is not my biggest problem today.

 

[Sammy86]

Here ya go!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1483415522.836589.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1483415535.947156.jpg

 

[Barley_Bob]

Well. Look at that. Something went right.

Here's something really crazy - the garbage bag actually made a seal. As the wort has cooled, the bag has sucked into the bucket, and it's holding like that. Crazy, right?! ****in nuts. It's a shame I have to break it to add yeast.

 

[Barley_Bob]

Update - It's fermenting! The trash bag is puffed up, so it's definitely generating some internal pressure, and the trashbag is somehow sealed well enough to keep some of that pressure in. If this turns out well, it'll be a miracle.

My basement is freezing cold right now, though. I'll need to warm it up somehow later in the process. Usually, I just bring my brew bucket upstairs, but I'm not going to try to move this thing.

 

[skraeling]

This is why my cobrewer and i decided to invest in stainless fermenters. pricey, but WAY safer... and look cool... who doesnt like cool. I like cool.

yay shiny things.

 

[Barley_Bob]

This is why my cobrewer and i decided to invest in stainless fermenters. pricey, but WAY safer... and look cool... who doesnt like cool. I like cool.

yay shiny things.

I can't argue with any of that!

I'm too much of a skinflint to spend that money. Which let's me exercise some ingenuity? (I'm not sure anyone is going to buy into that silver lining)

 

[skraeling]

I can't argue with any of that!

I'm too much of a skinflint to spend that money. Which let's me exercise some ingenuity? (I'm not sure anyone is going to buy into that silver lining)

much shiny, very ferment, so beer.

 

[kh54s10]

Thankfully you were not hurt by the breaking glass.

I don't see much to worry about other than - What was in that dirty plastic bin??

What is the temperature in your freezing cold basement. Too cold and it could make the yeast go dormant before they finish the fermentation.

Get some more plastic for stainless steel fermenters!!

 

[Barley_Bob]

I heard a loud pop while I was washing dishes, and I knew right away what had happened. I think my heart stopped!

I don't know what was in the bin. If I had to guess, I'd say dust, cobwebs, dead spiders, and I think I saw some bits of paper. So... Dead Spider IPA? If I'm being honest, it was kinda gross. But it wasn't damp or moldy. So, there's that.

The basement temp was 58 yesterday. It really fluctuates with the weather. I have a sleeping bag draped around it now. I have a heating pad somewhere that I'll probably wrap around it after a couple of days. I used an English yeast, so I do want to keep the yeast expression down. But I also want it to, you know, ferment.

Another plastic bucket is on the shopping list!

 

[BigJoeBrew]

Your mother-in-law stab cracked me up! Just how my mother-in-law tends to come off. She asked what I wanted for X-mas and I said a corona grain mill. She responded in a concerned tone, "Man, you sure are taking this brewing thing serious!" Thanks for the chuckle!

 

[skraeling]

Your mother-in-law stab cracked me up! Just how my mother-in-law tends to come off. She asked what I wanted for X-mas and I said a corona grain mill. She responded in a concerned tone, "Man, you sure are taking this brewing thing serious!" Thanks for the chuckle!

thats the bonus of having parents who enjoy you beer. they bought me the bucket lol.

 

[Barley_Bob]

Your mother-in-law stab cracked me up! Just how my mother-in-law tends to come off. She asked what I wanted for X-mas and I said a corona grain mill. She responded in a concerned tone, "Man, you sure are taking this brewing thing serious!" Thanks for the chuckle!

Haha, yeah... my mother-in-law is terrible. I don't know anything about yours, but I think I'm willing to trade.

thats the bonus of having parents who enjoy you beer. they bought me the bucket lol.

You lucky sob... My dad would be really into it, but he died. Now I bet you feel guilty.

 

[day_trippr]

^fun at parties^

 

[rlmiller10]

Update - It's fermenting! The trash bag is puffed up, so it's definitely generating some internal pressure, and the trashbag is somehow sealed well enough to keep some of that pressure in. If this turns out well, it'll be a miracle.

My basement is freezing cold right now, though. I'll need to warm it up somehow later in the process. Usually, I just bring my brew bucket upstairs, but I'm not going to try to move this thing.

Set your bucket in an $8 walmart tub with a $13 fish tank heater. Turn the heater as low as possible, which with mine is about 69 degrees F

 

[Barley_Bob]

^fun at parties^

Ah hahaha! You got me!

I did have a relatively sober moment last night where I wondered what the response to that would be.

 

[Barley_Bob]

Set your bucket in an $8 walmart tub with a $13 fish tank heater. Turn the heater as low as possible, which with mine is about 69 degrees F

That's pretty smart. Easier than my heating pad method in that you have an actual thermometer in the process, which saves having to tweak a temperature setting up and down. I did use the heating pad pretty successful to keep a Belgian quad over 80F though.

I just love cheap ideas...

 

[skraeling]

That's pretty smart. Easier than my heating pad method in that you have an actual thermometer in the process, which saves having to tweak a temperature setting up and down. I did use the heating pad pretty successful to keep a Belgian quad over 80F though.

I just love cheap ideas...

I used a seedling germination mat and just taped it to the fermenter. works like a dream, low heat but gets the job done.

 

[bbohanon]

man..seeing that broken carboy just makes my scar on my forearm itch when mine did the same thing about 3 years ago as I was moving it...
When it broke, my first instinct was to "grab" the wort to save it like an idiot.
Glad you are ok and it broke in a safe place.

 

[Barley_Bob]

man..seeing that broken carboy just makes my scar on my forearm itch when mine did the same thing about 3 years ago as I was moving it...
When it broke, my first instinct was to "grab" the wort to save it like an idiot.
Glad you are ok and it broke in a safe place.

Oh man! Destination ****ed!

You know what would have made me the most mad about that? Losing the wort.

 

[Kharnynb]

Set your bucket in an $8 walmart tub with a $13 fish tank heater. Turn the heater as low as possible, which with mine is about 69 degrees F

I do the same, except i've wired up an stc-1000 (all of $10 on ebay) to get better control.

 

[rlmiller10]

I do the same, except i've wired up an stc-1000 (all of $10 on ebay) to get better control.

That is the next level but it adds about $30. I also have an STC-1000 now and by the time you get a box, a couple of outlets and then I also took a copper tube, crimped and soldered the bottom which I put the thermo probe in and put in the water, it is an bit more but worth it.

 

[GHBWNY]

@Barley Bob: this is classic, man! A dirty, spider-laden, dust-covered, who-knows-what-else-encrusted Walmart (brand) basin beer! Nice adjuncts! Keep notes on exactly what you did, because if this one turns out good, people are going to want the recipe! If it doesn't get infected and you can rack off just above the Walmart (brand) basin debris, you'll be down the home stretch. And the garbage bag lid idea? Who needs stainless steel??!!

 

[Barley_Bob]

@Barley Bob: this is classic, man! A dirty, spider-laden, dust-covered, who-knows-what-else-encrusted Walmart (brand) basin beer! Nice adjuncts! Keep notes on exactly what you did, because if this one turns out good, people are going to want the recipe! If it doesn't get infected and you can rack off just above the Walmart (brand) basin debris, you'll be down the home stretch. And the garbage bag lid idea? Who needs stainless steel??!!

Haha! I should enter this in one of those competitions where, if you win, your beer gets brewed professionally. I would pay money to see the looks on their faces when they hear what's in it!

I don't think it should get infected... I brought the beer back up to a boil, the trash bag was sanitized, and it's puffed up (creating pressure to keep microbes out). If it does come out infected, no one will wonder why, but I think it'll be okay. Just a little gross.

I need to hop onto that "we'll make you label" thread. I have a fun one here!

 

[Barley_Bob]

So, the Dead Spider IPA turned out fantastic! This is the best IPA I've made in ages. It's just about perfect. You can't make this stuff up. I actually forgot everything that happened to the batch until I discovered I can climb walls now.