Anyone else notice...

[Hackinjeebs]

There is always at least 1 emergency in need of fixing when bottling? Whether it be a spill, lack of caps, or lets say today's emergency where I sat the carboy down on the counter (gently mind you) and watch a crack sprawl up the side..... Don't worry, I got the beer out in time.

But yeah, anyone else have an "issue" every time they bottle?

 

[Hackinjeebs]

Oh and the beer was still in the carboy when that happened...

 

[MoPhunk]

I always sanitize far more bottles or caps then I need. I haven't had any disasters yet but I get a little anal at bottling time

 

[Whippy]

Nah, about the worst thing that has happened to me was when SWMBO came home early, walked in and caught me singing drinking songs out loud with my headphones on.

 

[el_caro]

today's emergency where I sat the carboy down on the counter (gently mind you) and watch a crack sprawl up the side.....

When I read this I am glad Australians do NOT use glass carboys.

 

[passedpawn]

When I read this I am glad Australians do not use glass carboys.

I'm guessing there's a "not" missing.

 

[Golddiggie]

Makes me very glad I'm kegging now. :rockin: Took me under 30 minutes to sanitize what I needed to, pull the hydrometer sample, get the beer into two 3 gallon kegs, close and seal the kegs, and even cleanup everything. That includes extra time to get the orange cap onto the sanke keg opening so that I could push the brew out using CO2.

 

[el_caro]

I'm guessing there's a "not" missing.

Thanks PP edited.

 

[Revvy]

Nope...never had any "bottling emergencies" when bottling. I count my caps out first, plus a few more to spare before I even start. Make sure I have priming sugar, take a grav reading to make sure beer is finished, etc. before I start racking...

Same with brewing, I've never run out of hops, or not had yeast or anything because I don't start until I have everything together.

It's called planning...and having a process. And not using glass I've never worried about shattering a carboy....

I got nothing...I don't know how folks have some of the problems they do, not equipment problems, or running out of propane, that can happen to anybody. But realizing they didn't crush their grain, or have all then hops the recipe calls for, or not having yeast. I'm not particualarly anal OR all that organized, but I have a recipe, and gather the materials into one place before I start heating water, if I didn't have my yeast or the hops, I would know pretty quick....

I just kinda make sure all the basic ducks are in a row before getting started.

 

[el_caro]

Nope...never had any "bottling emergencies" when bottling. I count my caps out first, plus a few more to spare before I even start. Make sure I have priming sugar, take a grav reading to make sure beer is finished, etc. before I start racking...

Same with brewing, I've never run out of hops, or not had yeast or anything because I don't start until I have everything together.

It's called planning...and having a process. And not using glass I've never worried about shattering a carboy....

I got nothing...I don't know how folks have some of the problems they do, not equipment problems, or running out of propane, that can happen to anybody. But realizing they didn't crush their grain, or have all then hops the recipe calls for, or not having yeast. I'm not particualarly anal OR all that organized, but I have a recipe, and gather the materials into one place before I start heating water, if I didn't have my yeast or the hops, I would know pretty quick....

I just kinda make sure all the basic ducks are in a row before getting started.

Well put.

 

[beergolf]

Nope...never had any "bottling emergencies" when bottling. I count my caps out first, plus a few more to spare before I even start. Make sure I have priming sugar, take a grav reading to make sure beer is finished, etc. before I start racking...

Same with brewing, I've never run out of hops, or not had yeast or anything because I don't start until I have everything together.

It's called planning...and having a process. And not using glass I've never worried about shattering a carboy....

I got nothing...I don't know how folks have some of the problems they do, not equipment problems, or running out of propane, that can happen to anybody. But realizing they didn't crush their grain, or have all then hops the recipe calls for, or not having yeast. I'm not particualarly anal OR all that organized, but I have a recipe, and gather the materials into one place before I start heating water, if I didn't have my yeast or the hops, I would know pretty quick....

.

Great post. I always make sure everything is ready for brew day. Yeast starter going, ingredients ready, Fermenter clean and ready. Brew on...

Sure makes brewing easier.....

 

[Revvy]

Thanks guys. I'm probably the least anal and organized of most folks on here, I don't think I do anything special, I just look at my recipe or ingredient list and make sure I have everything....And whenever I run low on caps or priming sugar, I get some before my next bottling day. Some of those threads where folks say they go to make their 30 minute hop addition or pitch yeast and find they are out kinda surprise me...people don't pull that stuff out ahead? I may measure at the last minute, but if I'm using 3.5 ounces of hops on my recipe, I make sure I have four...or three plus that half ounce left from the last brew that is in my freezer....

*shrug*

Maybe it's because I like to cook, so I know to plan ahead and make sure I got all I need for a recipe?

 

[shutupjojo]

Thanks guys. I'm probably the least anal and organized of most folks on here, I don't think I do anything special, I just look at my recipe or ingredient list and make sure I have everything....And whenever I run low on caps or priming sugar, I get some before my next bottling day. Some of those threads where folks say they go to make their 30 minute hop addition or pitch yeast and find they are out kinda surprise me...people don't pull that stuff out ahead? I may measure at the last minute, but if I'm suing 3.5 ounces of hops on my recipe, I make sure I have for...or three plus that half ounce left from the last brew that is in my freezer....

*shrug*

Maybe it's because I like to cook, so I know to plan ahead and make sure I got all I need for a recipe?

There are definitely different levels of perceptiveness in people.

 

[johngault007]

Makes me very glad I'm kegging now.

Amen! I think bottling was my emergency every time a batch was ready. I still keep 22oz bombers on the ready for extra beer I want to set aside.

But even when I was bottling, I followed most of the forum and was just prepared as I could be.

 

[funkstrman]

During my first bottle session, the water ran out in the pot that was boiling my bottles and they all broke (I only had 6 in the pot). I just used Star San after that.

 

[iaefebs]

Nope... I don't start until I have everything together.

It's called planning...and having a process. And not using glass.

I just make sure all the ducks are in a row before getting started.

This.

 

[TimeBaby]

I've suffered the consequences of a math error/poor estimation of trub volume displacement when bottling once. Had around 6 extra bottles sanitized just in case. Skip ahead to filling and capping time, quickly burned through those extra 6, had plenty more beer to bottle, and I had already dumped my starsan (didn't have an extra bucket). Not wanting to dump perfectly good beer, I picked some used/empty Seltzer bottles and 20oz soda bottles out of my recycling bin and used them...unsanitized (don't worry, I rinsed them first). I made sure those ones stayed in my bathroom in case they couldn't handle the ensuing carbonation.

And guess what? no explosions, they carbed up fine, no infections, and tasted just like the rest of the batch. Classic case of RDWHAHB...but now I keg, maybe due to that experience

 

[noodledancer77]

I agree with what Rev said, but I also sympathize with folks who try their hardest to be prepared and still have a mishap. It surely happens all the time. I have two kids and still find time to brew. However, the amount of time that I have to plan and inventory my ingredients is very little and it makes it easy to forget something here or there. Brewing is much like life in a lot of ways...it's a big course in problem solving. We figure things out as we go if we didn't figure them out before we went. He he, that made me think of Johnny Bench. My last brew was a collaboration with a friend and he forgot to bring the hops with him. Luckily the drive time was about the same as the mash time and we came out on top.

 

[MoPhunk]

I have extra hops all the time. I get that from my wife who is a bulk buyer. I plan a bottle day maybe a week in advance but if something comes up, what's 1 more day in the primary? Boy scouts motto "be prepared"

 

[BBKing]

Two plus years of brewing/bottling and I've never sanitized a single bottle cap. Never had a problem.

The only time I really had a problem was when I was halftway through my siphon and realized I'd forgotten to get my priming solution ready. I felt pretty foolish and havent done anything silly like that since.

Ya tend to do stuff like that only once or twice before ya get it figured out.

 

[Hatchbrew]

...................What Revvy said

 

[johngault007]

I've suffered the consequences of a math error/poor estimation of trub volume displacement when bottling once. Had around 6 extra bottles sanitized just in case. Skip ahead to filling and capping time, quickly burned through those extra 6, had plenty more beer to bottle, and I had already dumped my starsan (didn't have an extra bucket). Not wanting to dump perfectly good beer, I picked some used/empty Seltzer bottles and 20oz soda bottles out of my recycling bin and used them...unsanitized (don't worry, I rinsed them first). I made sure those ones stayed in my bathroom in case they couldn't handle the ensuing carbonation.

And guess what? no explosions, they carbed up fine, no infections, and tasted just like the rest of the batch. Classic case of RDWHAHB...but now I keg, maybe due to that experience

Haha, I've had that happen, when I was kegging of all things. I filled a couple pitchers lying around with the extras. I tossed them in the fridge and used them as "samples" that night. It wasn't the best flat, but it was still beer and not wasted

 

[davefleck]

At times the valve has stuck open on my bottling wand. It always drips a little anyway. Now I set my carboy above the dishwasher with the door open. Very easy cleanup

 

[FoundersBrew]

At times the valve has stuck open on my bottling wand. It always drips a little anyway. Now I set my carboy above the dishwasher with the door open. Very easy cleanup

This is what I do also.

 

[RosewaterFoundation]

This is all well and good, but what if I just want to fire up a burner, heat some water, and see what happens? Is this not how amazing beer is made? I assume I'll have something around to throw in the pot. Is this not what the Belgians do? I mean, come on, relax, don't worry.....

But honestly, I always seem to spill some amount of wort/beer at some point in the process no matter how careful I am. One must pay Ninkasi somehow I suppose.

 

[SwampassJ]

My worst bottling emergency was cleaning and sanitizing the bottles, tubing, siphon, bucket and then realizing I had 4 bottle caps. The last thing done is racking ontop of the priming solution so just a damnit sufficed for that day followed by my next beer order and caps.

 

[Rev2010]

Same as Revvy on this one - no problems but that's because I have my process worked out. I have a document on my phone and computer called "Steps for bottling day" and "Steps for brew day" that I print out and follow just to make sure I don't miss anything.

Of course, this wouldn't count for something breaking out of nowhere like in your instance (though I use plastic fermenters ) it has helped me never have a bottling day disaster.


Rev.

 

[PT Ray]

Back up. We had a cracked carboy? This is one of those "without pictures it never happened" cases.

 

[ChillWill]

At work today I did about 6500 bottles on an Italian bottling machine that likes to breakdown.

Do I get interrupted often? Yeah, way too often.

 

[mikeysab]

I always sanitize far more bottles or caps then I need. I haven't had any disasters yet but I get a little anal at bottling time

You've got a good woman there. Mine doesn't want to be anywhere near me during brewery related activities, especially letting me get anal at bottling time.