Brew Superstition (rant)

[pacebrew]

Im getting tired of hearing people so afraid of infection, that they use NEW TUBING EVERY-TIME THEY BREW! -- to prevent this mysterious infection that 99% of us brewers have never experienced.

Or the people claiming leaving water out at night will make it "stagnant".

Or the people obsessing with starsan to the point it becomes wasteful and expensive.

Or how about DMS and HSA. I rarely do a 90 minute boil with pilsner malt, and have never had DMS. I stir it vigorously, and my beer is never oxidized.

Fact is, its tough to eff up a beer (unless of course its just a bad recipe). The only time i will get an infection is when I PURPOSELY INFECT MY BEER.

A canister of starsan will last us multiple batches. And we have a lot of equipment.

all the people being "super sanitary" are wasting money, on a risk that's very low. Im obviously not condoning no sanitation, but just not overdoing it!

Take for example this logic. I read one post where some guy buys new tubing for every brew.... BUT does he change his racking cane? Does he change his fermenter? Does he change his chiller? NO. Therefore is it logical to change the tubing every brew? No. Of course not.

Or the guy who friggin wastes half a bottle of $10 star san on each brew "just to be sure". Its a total waste.

And these are just a few examples. I could go on and on.

My goals for this hobby are to (and in this order). Brew quality, delicious beer, have fun, experiment, and keep costs low.

Wasting sanitizer when its not necessary raises costs per batch, and NEW TUBING EACH TIME!!!! come on... Your looking at raising your costs 15-20% just in those two steps.

So everybody, don't get to anal to the point it costs you money each batch. Your beer will come out just fine. Don't waste sanitizer, propane, or tubing!

 

[Pickngrin]

Do you mean to say that you don't swab every square inch of your home with rubbing alcohol and then flame it before you even begin to think about your next recipe?????


Heretic!

 

[pacebrew]

you know EXACTLY what im talking about.

 

[remilard]

This gimmick is already be done here, FYI.

to prevent this mysterious infection that 99% of us brewers have never experienced.

99% of homebrewers never have infections? Hahahaha, yeah right.

Or the people claiming leaving water out at night will make it "stagnant".

Stagnant is a word and like other words it is defined. You might want to familiarize yourself with the definition.

I rarely do a 90 minute boil with pilsner malt, and have never had DMS.

That's because you are making ales, sport.

So everybody, don't get to anal to the point it costs you money each batch. Your beer will come out just fine. Don't waste sanitizer, propane, or tubing!

Thanks for the concern about how I spend my money, but I have an awful lot of it and I have to spend it on something. My wife doesn't approve of hookers, she tolerates the 55 gallon drums of star-san.

This may come as a surprise, but some homebrewers endeavor to make beer that is better than fine. Don't let that threaten you.

 

[pacebrew]

I can guarantee you, that my beers are better than fine. Im saying, not to waste resources when it is not necessary. Surely you can agree? But you must be one of the "anal" ones....

 

[pacebrew]

Oh and Remilard, acting like you have a bunch of money on a message board to defend your oversantization with the overarching theme that you THINK you have more than me, is a rather tired charade. Fact is, i have an awful lot, too.

 

[remilard]

I wouldn't say I'm anal but I don't get upset when people try harder than me and try to bring them down to my level.

I've also experienced that the quality of home brewed beers (beers that people chose to send to competition) range widely in quality with the vast majority appreciably worse than the best few. If you are okay with "fine" beer, great, I won't try to talk you into making great beer. If someone comes here and has the willingness to learn and the enthusiasm to try to make great beer, it would be nice if you would keep your rants to yourself if you can't be supportive.

 

[remilard]

Oh and Remilard, acting like you have a bunch of money on a message board to defend your oversantization with the overarching theme that you THINK you have more than me, is a rather tired charade. Fact is, i have an awful lot, too.

Yeah, this isn't coming off as insecure.

 

[pacebrew]

and yours? Dont attack unless willing to be attacked back. Stating that you can save money in certain areas of brewing is not the same as "opening your wallet" which you did.

I think you took my rant to another level. I merely was stating that i was annoyed by all this "over sanitization." Great beer is obviously the goal of everyone on this board. And im saying that you can still have great beer without wasting money via the various superstitions that go around the homebrewing boards. That is ALL.

And you came in with the attack.

 

[Johnny_Crunch]

Thanks for the concern about how I spend my money, but I have an awful lot of it and I have to spend it on something.

ROFL, who cares. Should we have a penis measuring contest next?

 

[OsbornBrewing]

How does someone else's actions effect you at all?

It doesn't. Continue to make great beer, and share how. I will continue to make great beer, and share how I did it. If we differ, SO WHAT?

I do not secondary. Some people choose to, doesn't mean I won't drink their beer, or offer them one of mine.

At the end of the day: RDWHAHB

 

[pacebrew]

im merely sharing how to conserve resources. End of day, does it effect me? nope. End of day, the goal is great brew. im actually going to stop secondary, i notice no benefit. Unless of course its going into the barrel.

 

[giligson]

To be fair to pacebrew
he did label it as a "rant" and did post in the general beer discussion rather than "sanitation " section. You gotta let a guy vent sometimes.

 

[northernlad]

Stagnant is a word and like other words it is defined. You might want to familiarize yourself with the definition.

Here you go smart guy:
Lacking freshness, motion, flow, progress, or change; stale; motionless; still.

 

[homebrewer_99]

ROFL, who cares. Should we have a penis measuring contest next?

Nah, those never solved anything...even a man with a smaller penis can be a bigger dick.

 

[SwampassJ]

Stay tuned next week for "How dare you use 2 oz of hops at 60min instead of 1.95oz at 65min"

 

[pacebrew]

And is that water stagnant, then, after it boils....... i just dont understand the definition... lol

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Ok, so compulsive worrying rarely makes better beer. It probably also rarely results in poor beer, though it may result in a slight additional (and perhaps unnecessary) expense.

Here are some better brewing superstitions. Take them or leave them:

It takes beer to make beer. Brewing without having at least a homebrew or two will anger the beer gods.

Mixing a bit of fresh wort with an equal part of scotch and sipping it while chilling the brew has a calming affect on the beer gods (and the brewer).

Frequent sampling does not diminish the quality of the brew...so long as each sample is consumed completely.

Dumping a batch of beer without allowing it to mature completely angers the beer gods.

The beer gods can always be appeased by brewing more beer.

 

[pacebrew]

another thing.... multiple hydro readings will waste brew. best to get hydrometer if one can affford it, or just allow time for fermentation to complete.

dumping a beer, most definitely angers the beer gods.

 

[dwarven_stout]

another thing.... multiple hydro readings will waste brew. best to get hydrometer if one can affford it, or just allow time for fermentation to complete.

dumping a beer, most definitely angers the beer gods.

How do you save beer in your hydro readings by affording a hydrometer?

Also, getting into a measuring contest with remilard is... unwise. I've never had any brews from team remilard, but taking top 2 of 3 lagers in the NHC first round implies a tad bit of knowledge and skill.

 

[pacebrew]

excuse me, best to get Refractometer is what i meant...

 

[Homercidal]

excuse me, best to get Refractometer is what i meant...

Refractometer is da shnizitz anyway, so go get one!

Look, I understand where pacebrew is coming from, but I cannot imagine why it irks him so much. Basically it comes down to people not fully feeling comfortable with their brewing practices. It's about doing the smart thing, when you KNOW the whys and hows. Overdoing it by a little is being careful. Overdoing it by a LOT is being wasteful.

 

[jpsloan]

I can guarantee I've ruined WAAYYYYY too many batches of beer...

...with a bad recipe.

I agree with Yuri, it's best to adhere to the true religion of the beer gods, lest they hex your ass into the BMC Age. I've seen men with bad beer karma... it's not pretty. Chillers blowing out into the kettle, freezers freezing up, washed yeast turning into cardboard vomit, sudden winds that blow not one but both hydrometers off the table and smashing into tiny little glass shards, burned hands, scalded feet...

Better to play it safe guys, and I'm not talking about StarSan.

1. Always consume all of your samples. Never throw a drop of beer down the drain or into the lawn.

2. Never ever brew without a beer somewhere within three steps' reach (though if you're brewing in a.m. hours, I find that coffee is an acceptable substitute... I think the coffee brew gods are the dark-moon aspect of the beer brew gods).

3. Always whirlpool clockwise (or as the old world pagans put it, deosil). Widdershins beer makes baby Jesus cry, and baby Cthulhu bite your little toe off.

4. If a child is present, he/she must touch the fermenter at least once. Fail this, and a greater infection than what lies on those little petri dishes of fingers will befall you.

 

[KayaBrew]

This gimmick is already be done here, FYI.



99% of homebrewers never have infections? Hahahaha, yeah right.



Stagnant is a word and like other words it is defined. You might want to familiarize yourself with the definition.



That's because you are making ales, sport.





Thanks for the concern about how I spend my money, but I have an awful lot of it and I have to spend it on something. My wife doesn't approve of hookers, she tolerates the 55 gallon drums of star-san.

This may come as a surprise, but some homebrewers endeavor to make beer that is better than fine. Don't let that threaten you.

Great attitude, SPORT. SOME people need to get over themselves...

 

[remilard]

Here you go smart guy:
Lacking freshness, motion, flow, progress, or change; stale; motionless; still.

I wonder what those parts of the definition that you chose not to highlight mean?

 

[Yooper]

Chill people. Seriously.

Agree to disagree and move on. No namecalling will be allowed.

Brewing is fun. Talking about brewing is fun. Drinking the brew is fun.

Don't get your panties all in a wad because you don't like someone's tone. Just walk away if you don't have anything valuable to contribute.

Go drink a beer. Or a cup of coffee since it's like 8 AM here. Either way, RDWHAHB.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

I don't "waste" star san. I always make sure to drink it after I "oversanitizetothepointofsterilization" (German Style Word).

:rockin:

 

[smizak]

Mixing a bit of fresh wort with an equal part of scotch and sipping it while chilling the brew has a calming affect on the beer gods (and the brewer).

Must try next brew. It's gotta make Johnny Walker taste better, right?

 

[BuonAnno]

Mixing a bit of fresh wort with an equal part of scotch and sipping it while chilling the brew has a calming affect on the beer gods (and the brewer).

Of all of the nuggets of wisdom I have come across on this site, this may be the best!

 

[zuesy]

3. Always whirlpool clockwise (or as the old world pagans put it, deosil). Widdershins beer makes baby Jesus cry, and baby Cthulhu bite your little toe off.

But, but...what if you're in the Southern Hemisphere?!

Also, any who steers a would be convert away from the true Beer religion shall be forever cursed with wimpy, tasteless beer (always poured in a cup with a hole in it, naturally), in this world and the next.

 

[Zamial]

I see the main point of contention being "wasted money". If someone is more comfortable spending an extra 5 bucks a brew day for the piece of mind that in 1 month or more they will be enjoying good beer, is it really that big of an issue to you?

Let's say we make 2 imaginary batches of beer. Both batches yield 50 12 oz bottles and cost $30.00 a batch. Batch A is completed at $30.00. Batch B the brewer went over board and wasted some Star San and replaces all the tubing for every batch.

Point being, tubing is .14 cents a foot at the hardware store So if the brewer replaced all 10 feet of it... let's see that is like... $1.40 + tax, let's just say $1.50. Let's add in the "extra,wasted star san in an abundant "over use" scenario and say that is $4.00 so you have an extra $5.50 "wasted" on the batch.

30 / 50 = .60 or 60 cents a bottle for Batch A.

30 + 5.50 = 35.5
35.5 / 50 = .71 or 71 cents a bottle.

71 - 60 = 11

So every beer you drink from batch A you save .11 cents. To demonstrate the power of savings...after 273 beers (or 6 batches) you would save enough money to brew an entire batch of beer. Which is just fine as long as the brewer never has a bad batch.

My point is that the "wasting of money" vs. the peace of mind that can be had for .11 cents a beer may not be as large of a concern for some people. Let's face it, the "savings" is minimal at best.

 

[jpsloan]

But, but...what if you're in the Southern Hemisphere?!

You know, I've always wondered if Australian wiccans circled widdershins.

Maybe we should do a study to see if drunk Australians stagger in a clockwise motion or counter-clockwise. That should be our true indication of the beer gods' preference.

 

[remilard]

$4 is a lot of wasted star-san. I pay like $40/gal for it (and it can be had cheaper on group buys) and a tenth of a gallon undiluted makes an awful lot of solution. If anyone is using that much on a batch, they could get away with less I concede that. At the same time, I'm not sure I want to sanitize my kegs with a spray bottle. There is a happy medium.

 

[smizak]

At the same time, I'm not sure I want to sanitize my kegs with a spray bottle. There is a happy medium.

I'm the same way. Pour a bunch in, shake it around, and run it out. I don't keg yet, but I feel much better racking into a bottling bucket full of Star-san foam, any dust/hair/whateva is going to hit sanitizer foam first before it hits my beer.

 

[doctorRobert]

Im getting tired of hearing people so afraid of infection, that they use NEW TUBING EVERY-TIME THEY BREW! -- to prevent this mysterious infection that 99% of us brewers have never experienced.

Or the people claiming leaving water out at night will make it "stagnant".

Or the people obsessing with starsan to the point it becomes wasteful and expensive.

Or how about DMS and HSA. I rarely do a 90 minute boil with pilsner malt, and have never had DMS. I stir it vigorously, and my beer is never oxidized.

Fact is, its tough to eff up a beer (unless of course its just a bad recipe). The only time i will get an infection is when I PURPOSELY INFECT MY BEER.

A canister of starsan will last us multiple batches. And we have a lot of equipment.

all the people being "super sanitary" are wasting money, on a risk that's very low. Im obviously not condoning no sanitation, but just not overdoing it!

Take for example this logic. I read one post where some guy buys new tubing for every brew.... BUT does he change his racking cane? Does he change his fermenter? Does he change his chiller? NO. Therefore is it logical to change the tubing every brew? No. Of course not.

Or the guy who friggin wastes half a bottle of $10 star san on each brew "just to be sure". Its a total waste.

And these are just a few examples. I could go on and on.

My goals for this hobby are to (and in this order). Brew quality, delicious beer, have fun, experiment, and keep costs low.

Wasting sanitizer when its not necessary raises costs per batch, and NEW TUBING EACH TIME!!!! come on... Your looking at raising your costs 15-20% just in those two steps.

So everybody, don't get to anal to the point it costs you money each batch. Your beer will come out just fine. Don't waste sanitizer, propane, or tubing!

why do you care so much what other people do?

 

[artyboy]

People can sanitize their beer as much as they like. It doesn't affect my brews in any way. Personally, I just use Oxyclean and bleach. My beers turn out "fine". Your recipe and your process makes a lot more difference than how clean you are. For my kegs I just clean everything very well then dump some boiling water in it and seal it. The steam should sanitize it as well as an expensive sanitizer. Considering that I've never had an infection I must be doing something right.

 

[smizak]

expensive sanitizer

Your method is fine and all, but I'm just not getting this. I've had the same $12.99 16 oz. bottle of Star-san for the last 2 yrs. and 15+ batches. How it that expensive? That's 16¢ a gallon.

 

[pacebrew]

A note on the cost. 5.5/30 is close to 20%.

Please people it was a rant!!! Things that annoy me. Do I care? No. Doesn't mean I can't get annoyed and offer a different viewpoint.

 

[Pilgarlic]

More pugilistic posts to help wean me from Mixed Martial Arts... I only wish you could hear me cheering y'all on.

 

[tamoore]

I think it's been determined that many home brewers have 'infection' in their beer.

I think it's also been determined that a sizable percentage of microbreweries have infection in their beer.

Sanitation is something that is cheap compared to a 5 gallon batch of beer to try to mitigate the effects, IMO.

Never had an infected batch, don't want to start any time soon, either.