brewing confession

[artyusmc]

I take poor notes and dont follow the directions. Used Dry yeast straight on top of the wort. Tried and failed controling temps, but I 've made drinkable beer. I will improve,
maybe I'll take notes next time or get just too busy cleaning and brewing to bother.

 

[davefleck]

I also start suction on transfers by mouth. I do bathe weekly, usually.

 

[jake-k]

+1 on starting suction by mouth. Can't help it. It's just easier...

 

[mrmcdowe]

I use single malt scotch to sterilize my mouth prior to starting a siphon

Works every time!

 

[jsweet]

Since I got Beersmith, the quality and consistency of my notes has paradoxically declined. I just feel like, "Well, I've got the exact recipe, brew date, bottling date, and gravity readings recorded already, and a few short notes on anything unusual I did... why should I need more?" Of course, I know the answer to that question, but even still, I've gotten lazy.

I've been thinking of firing up a blog to take notes in. I think that's part of the problem, writing is too slow.

 

[cravej]

I throw the hydrometer right into the bucket to measure the gravity. Why bother pulling a sample out?

 

[Doctor]

I throw the hydrometer right into the bucket to measure the gravity. Why bother pulling a sample out?

I do this as well. It just makes sense to me.

 

[jessebymail]

I had mice get into my grain bag, poop everywhere.... Still been using it...

 

[redcoat_or_rebel]

I do this as well. It just makes sense to me.

you have to sanitize the theif or the hyrdometer...might as well only clean up one thing instead of two. you can always lick the hydrometer clean to get a taste if need be

 

[McMalty]

I had mice get into my grain bag, poop everywhere.... Still been using it...

Wow. I can't believe u just said that

 

[howabouttheiris]

Sme times I type withut using the letter .

Des that c..... wait can't use the wrd 'c0unt'. Never mind.

 

[badmajon]

I had mice get into my grain bag, poop everywhere.... Still been using it...

Are you serious?

In any case, for the last pilsner I made I had the bag break in the box and grain was spilled into the packaging peanuts. I just took out the peanuts, and used the grain. Hopefully I won't be poisioining anyone.

 

[dino2gnt]

I don't make water adjustments. I don't make yeast starters. I take gravity readings, but only OG and FG. I don't care about brewhouse efficiency. I think temperature control is overrated. I long primary. I don't brew to style, because if everyone did we'd only have one style of beer. I think the BJCP can suck it, that secondaries are for *******, and that anal retentive brewers need to RDWHAHB.

I make some damn fine beverages too, if I do say so myself.

 

[jessebymail]

Are you serious?

In any case, for the last pilsner I made I had the bag break in the box and grain was spilled into the packaging peanuts. I just took out the peanuts, and used the grain. Hopefully I won't be poisioining anyone.

No I worded that wrong there was nothing IN my grain bag some of it spilled and mice ate that. Droppings all over the table though. Confessions right, all is forgiven

 

[Bmorebrew]

My dirty little secret:

Three weeks ago when I bottled my IPA I used all the bottles I had. I still had about 3/4 liter remaining in the bottling bucket - with priming sugar dissolved.

I still drank it. Warm. And sweet.

 

[brewit2it]

i can understand you not feeling like taking gravity readings, but i don't understand why. It's incredibly simple and not difficult. It provides you insight as to if your brew is done fermenting or not and how much abv ur brew has. If you're just making your run of the mill brew, i guess you might not care that much, but if you're making something high abv like a barleywine or an imperial, without taking gravity readings, i can't imagine having to wait a few months to figure out whether or not something went wrong.

I only occasionally take SG readings. I don't need them to know my beer is done and I have a pretty good idea what the ABV is. Maybe it's because I use rehydrated dry yeast and don't make any real high ABV beers plus go 3 weeks in the primary, but I think for me at least, having stuck fermentation is about as likely as meeting the boogy man. I just don't find SG readings add anything.

Other short cuts I like.

-I do BIAB partial mash
-I Cool wort in a water bath
-I add about a quart of Star San to my Carboy and keg after cleaning (with water and a brush only) then just pour it out and fill it up the next time.
-I always pitch my next batch on top of the prior batches yeast cake so I only have to clean the carboy every other batch.
-I buy in bulk and almost always by mail so I can avoid trips to the LHBS.

 

[BuckeyeBrewAZ]

I don't follow receipts, I don't take notes, I don't take gravity readings, and I use the air lock as a sign of fermentation. :-D

 

[jeffjm]

I had mice get into my grain bag, poop everywhere.... Still been using it...

Did you make a **** brown ale?

 

[HSB]

I bottle condition at 69 degrees for 2.5 weeks.

 

[lylo]

My damned **** brown ale went to hell.Sorry I 'm just checking to see why sh*t always gets censored and if its is flagged somehow.

 

[lylo]

Aha it was.I don't understand.In Canada this is not such a terrible word.At least now I know how to spell it to get it out there.Sorry OP for getting off topic.I'm heading back to edit may baby name thread!

 

[Strave19]

Oh yea, one other thing. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Malty is actually a conspiracy founded by Breis and White labs to upsell malt extract and pitchable tubes. The owner of my LHBS uses exactly 1 expired smack pack of yeast per 5 gallon batch and wins lots of awards. I myself wash yeast, which means I underpitch the first batch with a new smackpack and grossly overpitch subsequent batches. The beer tastes identical. Pitching rates are overrated.

Well put. I began making starters mostly because I often use well-expired smack packs. I looked up the Mr. Malty calculator and it said something like 2 gallons of starter with "intermittent shaking". Get real Admiral Malty... 2 gallons? 2 GALLONS!? I really wanna punch this Mr. Malty in the tooth... I've grossly underpitched according to this ass-clown and made damn fine beer. I've also made starters and made worse beer than that which was underpitched. There are so many variables in 95% of homebrewers methods that noobs really shouldn't be stressing over not being able to make a starter and veterans shouldn't be making them think that their beer will suck for pitching an old smack pack. If I read "One of the most important factors in making great beer is pitching an appropriate amount of healthy/viable yeast" one more time I'm gonna absolutely lose it...

What was this thread about???

I guess that sometimes I dont make starters... although I've been guilted into it recently by HBT
I just use tap water as well. Water chem is something I hope to get to someday, but I'm very happy with my beer regardless. :rockin:
I pitch dry yeast dry
I fear the foam
I have used bleach to sanitize
I have used soap to clean
I have siphoned with my mouth out of frustration when my auto siphon clogs and I just want to get the damn beer in the carboy and add yeast!
I forget irish moss on 3/4 of my beers
I forget to boil my immersion chiller to sanitize it during 3/4 of my beers
I mash in my boil kettle, even though I bought a cooler 6months ago just to convert to an mlt
I have dipped my hand into cooled wort on multiple occasions due to dropping something
I like this thread... :rockin:

 

[nefarious_1_]

I don't boil at all. I just take all the ingredients, dunk them in sanitizer, then throw them in the fermenter with some yeast.

The beer is amazing. Trust me.