Confession Time

[drainbamage]

I cannot stress this enough...I confess I just like beer. As in Ale or lager with a predominate flavor of beer.

Fruit...no thanks
Sour...heck no
Coriander, lemon zest, coffee, etc...not really

In the end, it is all about well made, flavorful beer that tastes like beer.

And this also goes for over-top hops, particularly anything that can actually smell like cat pee.

I embrace your right to try these things, but stay the frack out of my brewery.

#GaryOakLives

Just kidding. I'm OK with experimentation, as long as the brewer knows what every component adds and puts it there for a reason. Anyone can make a barrel-aged sour coffee blackberry habañero stout, but to make it in such a way that all of those ingredients are noticeable and balanced is a challenge.

In my own brewing, I'd rather have a strong "main" recipe that is complemented by additives (if there are any at all), but I can't fault anyone who likes to use adjuncts.

 

[biochemedic]

I confess that I used a packet of US 05 from 2014 (Mfg date July) for a SMaSH yesterday....

I was slightly worried but within 24 hrs it looks like this:

View attachment 1452201228930.jpg

 

[drainbamage]

I confess that I had a boil over yesterday...on a yeast starter. :smack:

 

[phug]

I made bread the other day and forgot to activate the dry yeast before kneading it into the dough. Took a long time to rise and still ended up being denser than it should.

 

[eastoak]

i've never segregated my sour and clean equipment.

 

[Renegades_Brew]

i've never segregated my sour and clean equipment.

Neither Have I. However the number of sour's I do is a lot more than the number of non-sours.

 

[hunter_le five]

Neither Have I. However the number of sour's I do is a lot more than the number of non-sours.

Because you keep infecting your non-sour batches?

 

[jlinz]

I drink beer every single day.

 

[Renegades_Brew]

Because you keep infecting your non-sour batches?

No. It's Intentional souring. And extreme cleaning of my equipment before non sours.

 

[kombat]

I confess that I had a boil over yesterday...on a yeast starter. :smack:

Want to never have to worry about that again?

 

[normonster]

I drink beer every single day.

This.

 

[drainbamage]

I drink beer every single day.

This.

It's only a confession if you feel guilty about it.

 

[GHBWNY]

My pipeline is running low, and I didn't want to get caught beer-less over the holiday weekend when beer stores are closed. But I'm too cheap to buy 4 days' worth of craft beer. So yesterday, I bought a 28-pack of Coors Lite tall boys.

What's a "Coors Lite"?

 

[kombat]

What's a "Coors Lite"?

Assuming you're picking on my spelling, touché. I assumed they'd used a bastardized spelling of "light" so they could trademark it, but as it turns out, they do indeed just call it "Coors Light."

If you meant something else, well... you lost me. Please expound.

 

[djt17]

I cannot stress this enough...I confess I just like beer. As in Ale or lager with a predominate flavor of beer.

Fruit...no thanks
Sour...heck no
Coriander, lemon zest, coffee, etc...not really

In the end, it is all about well made, flavorful beer that tastes like beer.

And this also goes for over-top hops, particularly anything that can actually smell like cat pee.

I embrace your right to try these things, but stay the frack out of my brewery.

I confess..I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[eastoak]

Because you keep infecting your non-sour batches?

that's a good one

 

[MFWINZLOW]

Do it. Hump that notify button like it's prom night!

One of the most hilarious challanges to BS I have seen in a while...laughing out loud is a rarity with the BS I regularly have to deal with - and you gave me a healthy dose...

It is Friday, it has been a hard week and I needed that!!
(now raising a glass of my most recent Galaxy / Citra / Simcoe IPA to you Slym)

Thank you!

 

[slym2none]

*takes a bow*

 

[MattyWeiss]

My first brew was yesterday, so I don't have much experience to lead to confessions...but in the spirit of admitting to our "mistakes", let's dissect my first brew problems

-Couldn't get the wort to boil on my stove top, had to split into 2 pots and cover one partially with a lid
-Found out my wort chiller didn't fit any of the faucets in my house (even with the adapter), had to run my garden hose through my side door to my kitchen.
-Misplaced the exit tube for my wort chiller causing very hot water to pour out over my foot and all over the floor
- Dropped the grommet for the lid into my chilled wort, had to retrieve with my "sanitized" arm
-Gave up on rehydrating my yeast, so pitched dry over the foam.

After all that though my OG was spot on, wort tasted great, and have had positive fermentation throughout the day

I'll take that as a win

 

[Firewalker11]

CONGRATS! I run the garden hose to the counter chiller in the house too and I pitch dry yeast without rehydrating all the time. A win? I'll say!

 

[Tomcat0304]

I hadn't found this thread before now, but boy do I have one to add!

I had my brother over for my annual "New Year, New Beer" brew. I try a technique/style/beer I have never done before on New Year's Eve or day. This year, I got over ambitious and in way over my head.

A little information on my standard, very inefficient, time management process:
I live in apartment and still brew on my stovetop (confession #1).
I use a 7.5 gallon kettle to mash and brew in (confession #2).
I have a 9 month old in the next room, this was an overnight brew session.

This year was a multi rest, double mash, parti gyle Wheatwine and American Wheat. I thought it would be a good test to see if I could rest at 104, 122, 145, 155, and mash out at 168. I ended up within 1 degree of each. Resting 20 minutes each at 122,145,155. Total time from the start of mash to after the batch sparge: 4 hours... For each mash.

Then I had a 90 minute boil on the Wheatwine. Cooled with an immersion chiller to 62*.

Then the 60 minute American Wheat boil. Cooled down to 62*.

Total length of brew day: 16 hours until equipment was cleaned and put away.

Oh, I also put my brother to work bottling my Whoa Heavy strong scotch because I needed the bucket for the brew that was currently boiling.

My brother, who likes beer but had never seen the brewing process, was not impressed.

Oh, also, we broke a bottle during bottling (still in the kitchen) spilling beer everywhere. And I scorched the bottom of my kettle worse than I ever have during the second mash. I cleaned with bar keeper's friend for 40 minutes before beginning the first boil.

The American Wheat turned into a Wheat IPA at the 60 minute addition, so I changed that recipe on the fly.

Worst brew session in my 4 years of brewing....

 

[jschein]

CONGRATS! I run the garden hose to the counter chiller in the house too and I pitch dry yeast without rehydrating all the time. A win? I'll say!

Shhhhhhh... don't let out the secret

 

[petey_c]

For all youse Catliks... (think Brooklyn, NY)
Bless me brewers for I have sinned...
Don't bother taking three samples to verify that fermentation is done. 3+ weeks and we're good to go.
Leave my rinsed bottles sitting in Oxy for many days in a row.
Haven't been brewing as much as I could be.
Been having unclean thoughts about Mary Callahan....
Oh, and if I win that $700,000,000+ Powerball I promise to send my family lots of postcards (to be mailed from other locations...).

 

[cyanmonkey]

My last 3 brews have been grain to glass in 6-7 days. I'm impatient and don't brew enough to have a proper pipeline. I also enjoy high gravity brews, but I must say I've nailed each one of them pretty darn well.

1.056, 1.086 and 1.092, grain to glass in 7 days.

Granted, they generally get a long cold conditioning period as I slowly drink them, but I know that I have sinned...

My next brew is a tripel and I plan on racking 1 gallon onto Brett Brux and kegging the rest. That way I kinda force myself to properly age at least some of it...

 

[wi_brewer]

Want to never have to worry about that again?

I do this, can about 3 gallons of starter wort in quart jars every so often. Huge time saver.

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

I confess....I am an idiot! SWMBO appeared out of the kitchen awhile ago, grabs me by the arm while informing me "We've got a problem that requires your attention." Leading me into the kitchen, SWMBO points out a plastic deli container full of the spent specialty grains left over from my last brewing session (last weekend if I'm remembering correctly), that I had overlooked while cleaning up. To say that it was nasty is a bit of an understatement. The lesson here? Always double check your brewing area after a brew day, especially if you are using the kitchen, or suffer the wrath of your better half when she finds something festering on the counter that looks like a runaway science experiment. :smack:

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

My first brew was yesterday, so I don't have much experience to lead to confessions...but in the spirit of admitting to our "mistakes", let's dissect my first brew problems

-Couldn't get the wort to boil on my stove top, had to split into 2 pots and cover one partially with a lid
-Found out my wort chiller didn't fit any of the faucets in my house (even with the adapter), had to run my garden hose through my side door to my kitchen.
-Misplaced the exit tube for my wort chiller causing very hot water to pour out over my foot and all over the floor
- Dropped the grommet for the lid into my chilled wort, had to retrieve with my "sanitized" arm
-Gave up on rehydrating my yeast, so pitched dry over the foam.

After all that though my OG was spot on, wort tasted great, and have had positive fermentation throughout the day

I'll take that as a win

Congrats on the first brew
Sounds like you got it in the end. For what it's worth, no one has a smooth brew day their first go around, especially if it's solo.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I confess that I made an assumption during Saturdays brew day that my brew buddy turned off the burner. We were waiting out the mash rest and went inside to sample a BCBS and some other beers where it was warmer than the garage. I poked my head outside for something, not really sure what and smelled something... warm? odd? I don't know how to explain it. Jogged to the burner and sure enough it was still on and really heating the hell out of my kettle. Since it was almost time to start the sparge water to heating (yes, it was going that long), we filled her up hearing that wonderful hiss noise and kept on brewing.

Then, as with my last brew that needed a sugar addition to the boil we forgot to add the sugar. Dumped it in the fermenter and poured the wort vigorously over it to mix in. No wonder we were .01 points shy of our OG.

The beer is happily bubbling away as we speak. I bet you it is not ruined.

 

[Psylocide]

I confess that I ran out of StarSan 2 brews ago.

Every time I'm in the LHBS, I forget about it because... well, it's not the most exciting thing to buy over there.

So, for the past two brews, I've had a little spray bottle of the stuff mixed up and have been using that for all sanitizing. Spraying the kegs, fermenters, thief, what-have-you.

I'm almost out. Which means I better not forget when I go back next time. But I most certainly will.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

So, for the past two brews, I've had a little spray bottle of the stuff mixed up and have been using that for all sanitizing. Spraying the kegs, fermenters, thief, what-have-you.

Outside of hoses...that is all I do to sanitize.