Broke my first carboy! Story....

It seems that only a week ago I first read a story about serious injury occuring involving glass carboys. Well, this weekend I had my own experience that I want to share.

I bottled my latest batch, what I called "Hark the Herald Honey Pale Ale" which was festively named as I brewed it around Christmas. It turned out great, albiet drier than planned thanks to us-05. My glass carboy had some serious pellet hop gunk stuck to the inside, and I could not find my carboy brush. So, I placed about 5 or 6 cups of warm water in the bottom and covered it with saran wrap to allow the steam to permeate.

After a few hours, I tried sloshing it around to remove the hops... to no avail. So, I added fresh warm water, replaced the covering, and set it on my kitchen floor near the opening to the hallway. I felt, that placing the carboy there would help remind me (I have a REALLY bad short term memory) to purchase a new carboy brush.

So, on Saturday after I drank some of my homebrew (Had some of my IIPA, my Willamette Pale, and some Scottish Ale), I found my rotundish tummy growling, likely in protest of too many liquids and not enough solids. Over the legal limit, I stumbled my way over to the kitched in the dark at 1 AM to find some greasy plate stainers(junk food).

Well, I remember thinking to myself - 'Geez I can barely see anything...', and then my life flashed before my eyes as my right leg came into contact with what I immediately knew was my carboy. SMASH!!!!!

What a friggin mess. Funny part of it, is my Mother in-law is staying with us for a few months from out of country and her bendroom is on that same floor. All she likely heard was "SMASH", and then her very polite son-in-law saying words that would shock Billy-Bob Thorton, over and over again. I can just imagine her huddled under the sheets in wondering WTF?

So yeah, I am a moron. I mean, why place an extremely fragile carboy in the ENTRY WAY thinking that because it is blocking my path it will remind me to clean it?????? I mean seriously? I think I am just lucky as hell that I did not slice myself open.

In the end, I was just glad I didn't waste beer.... I mean seriously. I would have had to call in to work on Monday due to a death in my family (the beer).

 

WTB Pikturez

 

Ouch. That could have been really bloody.

 

Bah, damn.... I am always giving other a hard time for not taking pics, and I forgot completely myself! I was too mad at the time...

 

First of all I am sorry for your loss of a fermentation vessel. It is one thing we never have enough of. And bravo to letting yourself let go with your mother in-law in house.

For future reference do what those of us with Better Bottles do. Fill fermentation vessel with mild solution of Oxiclean. Let sit for a day or two. Empty. Insert washcloth into vessel and swirl around to remove crusty hoppy residue.

 

you got stainless implants?

 

Lol? Come again?

 

you bumped it with your leg and it 'sploded. did you knock it down the stairs? i kick my carboys when im mad at them and stub my toe.

 

Oh hahaah, well actually after I bumped it it fell onto its size onto the stone-ish tile flooring in my kitchen... thats when it 'sploded...

 

(1) Glad to hear no one was injured..
(2) Sorry for the loss.
(3) Where is the pictorial-spread?