Confession Time

[Kee]

After reading this thread I have to confess that I am very hydrometer dependent. Not knowing the OG or FG would drive me crazy.

I've had my share of lapses but the one thing I do on purpose sometimes is pitch a little high when the wort chiller is taking too long. There. I said it. Pitch in the mid-70s, chill down to the mid-60s, then let it rise again.

 

[Woodro]

I sometimes forget to kiss my wife goodnight but I never forget to kiss my dog. P.S. I never make starters.

 

[ibbones]

I made a yeast starter yesterday and today I poured a vile's worth and then added about a teaspoon of DME back into the flask. No adding water or boiling, just straight into the flask. Brewing tomorrow and hope this adds a bit more sugars to the yeast.

 

[Chadwick]

When I buy liquid yeast....I make a starter, then double up on that starter, then harvest it all back into flasks in the fridge. Now I have 3-4 flasks of liquid yeast. Before the actual brew day, I make a starter. Risky? Yeah, it might be. But luck has been on my side and so far, so good.

 

[Chadwick]

When I buy liquid yeast....I make a starter, then double up on that starter, then harvest it all back into flasks in the fridge. Now I have 3-4 flasks of liquid yeast. Before the actual brew day, I make a starter. Risky? Yeah, it might be. But luck has been on my side and so far, so good.

 

[kpr121]

When I buy liquid yeast....I make a starter, then double up on that starter, then harvest it all back into flasks in the fridge. Now I have 3-4 flasks of liquid yeast. Before the actual brew day, I make a starter. Risky? Yeah, it might be. But luck has been on my side and so far, so good.

That just sounds like good practice to me. I think I'm doing that next time I buy liquid yeast. What flasks are you using? The regular while lab vials or something else?

 

[Black Island Brewer]

That just sounds like good practice to me.

I wonder if that wasn't the point of his confession. Most of the confessions on this thread are about how little care is given about different aspects of brewing ("and I still make amazing beers, not that I have ever put anything up for judging, but all my friends tell me it's great, so I must be doing it right!"), and now, to confess that you actually do something that shows more care to the process is ironic.

That said, I find the thread refreshing in that so many of us really do just "relax, don't worry, have a homebrew" vs. "OH MY GOD you can't possibly be making good beer if you're not doing xyz!" Beauty truly is in the eye of the beerholder.

 

[Chadwick]

That just sounds like good practice to me. I think I'm doing that next time I buy liquid yeast. What flasks are you using? The regular while lab vials or something else?

Yes, I'm using the White labs vials. I've kept all of my vial from the last 2 years and have quite a number of them laying around. My practice of doing this started with an instance of me having to reschedule brew days repeatedly. In the end, I decided to cold crash my starter and save the yeast for later. I was delighted when I realized that I just produced about $20 worth of yeast. Been doing it ever since.

 

[Natdavis777]

I have a confession:

I trusted a fart once....once

 

[kombat]

I've made 90 batches of beer and have never once measured my efficiency. I'm not sure how.

 

[redwing_al]

My wife is the only person I can let brew with me. Everyone else gets in my way and I become angry then make mistakes...then I get even madder!

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

I watch tv or play video games during most of my brew day. Yay for indoor breweries.

 

[Rotor_Head]

I've been glued to this site all day and last night (after several commercial beers). Am obsessed with the beer I made last weekend. SWMBO is not pleased.

 

[1977Brewer]

I've been glued to this site all day and last night (after several commercial beers). Am obsessed with the beer I made last weekend. SWMBO is not pleased.

I literally tucked a carboy in for the night last week. That and the video I made of peak fermentation have my wife very concerned.

 

[Culinarytracker]

Last night, I ran out of home brew.

 

[Rotor_Head]

I literally tucked a carboy in for the night last week. That and the video I made of peak fermentation have my wife very concerned.

That's HILARIOUS! I actually put beer into a clear fermenter and not a bucket just because I love to watch the beer ferment. Its awesome to watch it bubble around.

 

[1977Brewer]

That's HILARIOUS! I actually put beer into a clear fermenter and not a bucket just because I love to watch the beer ferment. Its awesome to watch it bubble around.

Yessir. Sea Monkeys that make beer.

 

[geoffey]

Ok, ok, ... I need to confess something here. Up until a few minutes ago I still believed "identical cousins" we're a real thing because of reruns I watched of The Patty Duke Show in the 80's. Thank god for google to put idiotic beliefs to rest...

 

[biochemedic]

That's HILARIOUS! I actually put beer into a clear fermenter and not a bucket just because I love to watch the beer ferment. Its awesome to watch it bubble around.

That's why I started using carboys too!

 

[dyqik]

MOTHER OF GOD! This actually exists? Costco, you've gone too far

You obviously haven't seen the $600 a bottle Kirkland brand 50 year old single malt...

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

I've made 90 batches of beer and have never once measured my efficiency. I'm not sure how.

Well I will be doing number 28 and 29 this week end and I have never measured it either. I am not even sure what it taste like, but there must be some of it our beer. Because after all it still taste's like beer.......good beer that is.

 

[72hw]

I was extra nice to SWMBO this weekend. She knows how to work a heymacytometer and is my supply of trypan blue!

 

[soccerdad]

My wife is the only person I can let brew with me. Everyone else gets in my way :

You dirty sexist ba$tard. How dare you treat women that way? I'm getting damn sick and tired of the misogyny around here -- damn Boys Club !!!!

j/k

 

[Chadwick]

Boil water advisory issued on brew day. Do I go buy bottled water? No. I smell the tap water. Smells strongly chlorinated. Ok, boil it first. Do some research about boiling chlorinated water. It appears the local water company favors chlorinates over chlorine. Boiling won't cut it. Ok, what neutralizes chlorinates in a hurry? Acids! Hmm.... Lemon juice has acids. We add lemon juice concentrate to the mash water. Hey, today we are going to brew an IPA. Citrus flavors are all the rave today. However, I wonder, was that enough? Looking around and thinking of a solution. Wait! I have a huge aquarium. I have drops that instantly remove chlorine and chlorinates. Use that too. OK, the label on the aquarium stuff strictly states that it is not for human consumption. But if it keeps my delicate "canary in the coal mine" fish alive, how can it be harmful? I use it. I brew my beer, boil water advisory be damned.

Send flowers to my wife.

On a positive note. My mash efficiency was really good.

 

[Rotor_Head]

As some of you may have seen, I ordered a beer kit last week that clearly advertised that indeed there was not yeast included. Kit comes in (with no yeast of course) so I sought to buy some yeast. I came away with the yeast, 2 carboy handles, 3 grain bags, another kit for some American Honey Ale and yeast for that guy as well. This is a great hobby.

 

[Singletrack]

I wash my bottles with warm water and a bottle brush. No PBW, oxy clean, soap, etc. Just water.

Give me a few more years, and I'll skip the brush too.

 

[Singletrack]

I bottle condition. (No that's not the confession.) After pouring a bottle of beer and leaving the yeast behind, I proclaim, "Vitamins!" and the dog comes running. I pour the yeast in her bowl and she gratefully laps it up.

Once at a party, the dog got drunk. So did I.

 

[Melana]

As some of you may have seen, I ordered a beer kit last week that clearly advertised that indeed there was not yeast included. Kit comes in (with no yeast of course) so I sought to buy some yeast. I came away with the yeast, 2 carboy handles, 3 grain bags, another kit for some American Honey Ale and yeast for that guy as well. This is a great hobby.

No, no, no.... Don't use the carboy handles!

 

[NewBrewB]

I bottle condition. (No that's not the confession.) After pouring a bottle of beer and leaving the yeast behind, I proclaim, "Vitamins!" and the dog comes running. I pour the yeast in her bowl and she gratefully laps it up.

Once at a party, the dog got drunk. So did I.

Hope you are kidding. Hops are poisonous to dogs. You can use spent grains to make dog cookies but once the hops have been added at boil....not a good idea...

 

[Kirkwooder]

Hope you are kidding. Hops are poisonous to dogs. You can use spent grains to make dog cookies but once the hops have been added at boil....not a good idea...

I have a toy poodle/silky terrier mix that weighs about 10#. She has been drinking my dregs for longer than I've been home brewing. She's just fine, and I love IPAs'.

(pronounced "eePaw" if Billy is reading.)