Confession Time

[wi_brewer]

Don't make starters? Poor sanitation practices? What do you have to "confess"?

I'll start.

I've never used a blowoff tube. I oxygenate with pure O2, pitch adequate starters, and ferment at the lower end of the optimal temp range. Never found a need for one.

 

[Kevin79]

I fear the foam. Star-San foam that is. Whenever I sanitize my carboys before I pour in my wort I always do a second small rinse to get some of that foam out. Harp all you want about star San breaking down into yeast nutrient or what not but it bothers me how that star San tastes, and I don't quite like the idea of THAT much foam going into my beer. Doubt I need that much "yeast nutrient" in there either, especially when I have actual yeast nutrient to use if I want to.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

I don't stir my mash after dough-in. Once I've doughed in, I put the lid on it for the full mash time, and only stir when I'm about to recirculate for mash out.

 

[ChefRex]

I was conjugal with Billy's grandma, I may be in fact be the grandfather of @Billy-Klubb

 

[Barley_Bob]

I frequently wait ~18 hours before pitching my yeast post-boil while allowing the wort to slowly drift down to the right temp on its own.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

I hit my mash temp after dough in +- 3 F. Shoot for 152 and stop adding boiling water when I get close.

 

[fastengine]

I use a washtub full of snow and water to set my brewkettle in to chill the wort. In the summer it is the same washtub with my garden hose and 40 something degree spring water to chill. Works great for me.
P.S. I never make starters.

 

[tally350z]

I must confess..Sometimes I just over think things... KISS

 

[BarkingSpider]

I don't wet the bed anymore, but I have forgotten to check the gravity of a couple of batches well after the fact.

 

[Melana]

I have never used a blow off tube.

 

[GHBWNY]

First 7 batches I ever did, I never aerated. Didn't even know what aeration was or that it had to be done. Nothing mentioned in the kit instructions. I just brought wort up to volume, cooled, pitched, fermented. Beers turned out great in spite of it. But maybe could have been better? I'll never know...

 

[Onkel_Udo]

First 7 batches I ever did, I never aerated. Didn't even know what aeration was or that it had to be done. Nothing mentioned in the kit instructions. I just brought wort up to volume, cooled, pitched, fermented. Beers turned out great in spite of it. But maybe could have been better? I'll never know...

Meh, more than 100 batches in, I still just splash aerate.

 

[lcbjr77]

I'm pretty new to home brewing and cant stop thinking about it 24/7

 

[Zekk]

I've never rehydrated or made a yeast starter. I also still drink more commercial beer than hb.

 

[nzeman20]

I am afraid of liquid yeast and starters. 10 batches in and dry yeast is working fine so...

 

[ibbones]

I stopped taking notes. I brew a batch, check SG and try to remember it for FG a few weeks later.

 

[TipsySaint]

Have a science degree and my note making still sucks. do the basics in brewsmith, nothing more.

I often filter the yeast out of my beer, but recently I did several batches in a row and started with a beer with rye in it, and contaminated the next beer with rye flavor despite my (apparently not good enough) filter cleaning.

I once punched a bum....

 

[WI_Wino]

I don't boil the water I mix my priming sugar with.

 

[sumbrewindude]

I consider using a drill powered paint mixer during chilling and a funnel adequate airation.

I've pitched 4 different beers into the same carboy and onto the same yeast cake/trub/et all. Beer was just fine.

 

[billybryson54]

My homemade maple mash paddle is now nothing more than a decoration on my wall. I mix my mash with a paint mixer for a drill and it works absolutely fantastic. No effort needed and I'm guaranteed to have no clumps.

 

[grrickar]

I brewed for years without a hydrometer. I simply checked the airlock activity and racked to secondary when it slowed to next to nothing, then I'd wait another week or so. I did not bottle in those days, so no bottle bombs...

 

[David_Trucks]

I don't care about water quality. I use tap water for everything and, because I only do partial boils, I top off with straight tap water. So far so good. (Knock on wood).

 

[riderkb]

I don't clean my counter flow chiller or my O2 air stone. I just rinse them right away with Starsan and store them in Starsan until next brew day.

I also don't use a recipe most of the time. Just grab one of the premeasured and precrushed bags of base malt that came in my last Midwest order, which might have been 2 months ago. When the mash is working I open the freezer to see what my hop options are. Most of the time I just use the hops that are in open packages.

My mash tun and kettle are aluminum with brass fittings. As a chemist I know I'm supposed to worry about galvanic corrosion, but it just doesn't seem like a problem.

 

[David_Trucks]

Oh, and my mash temps are CRAZY high. I have difficulty controlling it and have had some go up to much higher than desired. I think my Barleywine got to near boiling at one point (had too my much to drink that day). Still tasted great.

 

[watermelon83]

I have used a cleanser to clean a carboy. Hot water a rag and swirl, rinse repeat until there is nothing visable on the glass or plastic. I always clean them immediately after emptying, I'm sure that helps.

 

[Beerbeque]

I've brewed over 200 batches now and I have almost never checked my final gravity. I don't care what it is. I bottle all my ales at ~14 days. It always works just fine. Anybody want my useless hydrometer?

 

[fj605]

My temperature control occasionally sucks during mash and don't take gravity readings.

 

[Hoppity]

I make up recipes on the fly while the mash water is heating.
SWMBO: "What are you making today?"
Me: "I don't know yet."

 

[ibbones]

. I bottle all my ales at ~14 days. It always works just fine.

Ha ha ha...I do that also. But I go for around three weeks or when I have time to keg it and sometimes I do not clean out the FV until two or three days later. Gotta love the Marks Keg and Carboy Washer.

 

[Einberger1]

I consider using a drill powered paint mixer during chilling and a funnel adequate airation.

I've pitched 4 different beers into the same carboy and onto the same yeast cake/trub/et all. Beer was just fine.

This is genius...I use a spoon to stir during cooling and then a paint mixer once it is cooled to aerate...I am embarrassed to admit I never considered using it to effortlessly agitate the wort while chilling. Bravo!

 

[MrFeltimo]

Im an eater, and the wifes a feeder, i think i will pop one of these days.
I hate late people and being late, on time is 15 minutes early.
Im a nervous driver, so much so i chew on the inside of my cheek to the point it bleeds.
but seriously, i dont bother taking FG anymore.
All of the above is true.

Big weight of my shoulders, thanks guys...

 

[b-radbrew]

I don't play with water chemistry. Tap water only so far.

I no-chill in the kettle until the next day before transferring to fermentor and pitching.

 

[hunter_le five]

I have never used a blow off tube.

Me neither.

And I've only regretted not using one a few times.

 

[geoffey]

I don't follow recipes either. I just pick up whatever the homebrew store has in that day. I also never measure ingredients. Usually I just open the fridge with my eyes closed and grab whatever my hand touches first. I just throw ingredients in until it "feels" right.

I never cool my wort. I just pitch yeast at some point and walk away. I usually don't bother with an airlock since we all know the c02 blanket protects the beer.

Measuring Gravity is for newbs. It's just beer. Sometimes I don't even pitch yeast and it turns out ok. Making yeast starters is for idiots. Total waste of time. I've never noticed a difference in the 1500+ batches I've made. I've won countless medals, too many to list, and my friends all love my beers.

Don't worry, have a homebrew and do what ever feels right: DWHAHADWFR.

 

[sportpak]

I think I know what I'm doing, but still never really know HTF it's going to turn out. Lol

 

[indymedic]

You guys are like outlaws. After reading these I feel like I am taking this hobby way to seriously.
But. I never wash my equipment. I rinse and scrub with water as soon as I get done with a piece and then sanitize on my next brew day. Haven't had a problem yet.

 

[Zepth]

My preboil sanitation doesn't exist
If I take the FG before packaging it's to know if I'm in the ballpark - the 3 day rule is gone
I adjust recipes to accommodate my inventory before the first try

I do try to keep processes intact and repeatable, but those ones just didn't make the cut.

 

[Psylocide]

I clean my glass carboys out a week after bottling.

 

[ChefRex]

You guys are like outlaws. After reading these I feel like I am taking this hobby way to seriously.
But. I never wash my equipment. I rinse and scrub with water as soon as I get done with a piece and then sanitize on my next brew day. Haven't had a problem yet.

I try to keep my equipment clean and I hope me partner does too

Don't be too serious

 

[mrphillips]

One time I dropped a non-sanitized pint glass into my primary bucket just before adding my yeast...and just reached into the bucket up to my elbow to retrieve it.

Two months later, it took 3rd place in the CASK Beer Blitz. Maybe I should sanitize less often.