Craaappp!!!

[Turfmanbrad]

This had to be the worst brew i've ever been through. I started late with my partial mash version of a Fresh Squeezed IPA. After I mashed my grains, I began my boil, which took over an hour to get to boil. Once I had my weak boil going, I put in my 7lbs of extract which took another half hour to reach boil. Once I got everything rolling, I did my 90 minute boil which went well. Since I don't have a wort chiller, I prepared my ice bath. I transfered the wort into my glass carboy and added 2.5-3 gallons of water. When I put it in the ice bath, boom, the carboy blew and my beer dumped into the ice bath. Hindsight 2020, cool the brew pot (as I have in the past) then transfer into the carboy. Well there's a great $150 loss, and 5.5 gal of a fantastic fruity hoppy beer ruined. Stupid Supid, i'm freaking pissed, and I keep hoping my ice bath evaporates and the wort comes out fine. Time for bed after a wasted 6 hour brew. Till next time- be smarter than me!

 

[Mongrel]

Well there's a great $150 loss, and 5.5 gal of a fantastic fruity hoppy beer ruined.

I'm sorry for your loss, but how does this equate to $150?

 

[petey_c]

Sorry for your loss. I only hope you have other beer to make these difficult times more bearable...

 

[Turfmanbrad]

It was a $90 brew with a $50 carboy. Actually I still have the yeast and hops for dry hopping so maybe $125. Either way, beer is gone.

 

[Mongrel]

You need a new LHBS. 7 lbs of liquid extract is less than $20. 6 gallon carboy is $30 with free delivery.

Again, sorry for the loss. Next time preheat the carboy, or cool your wort a lot more. Hot liquids and cold glass don't mix.

 

[petey_c]

Yowza! I'd have to agree with Mongrel, a $90 brew and a $50 carboy? Ouch, that hurts more than the beer loss. If not another LHBS, then one of the fine online brew stores...

 

[Jwood]

ouch, hot glass carboy into ice bath? man, that's dangerous. Non tempered glass doesn't do well with rapid temp changes.

It is a bummer to have lost all that time and wort. Hope it goes better next time

 

[dover157]

verry rough lesson in thermodynamics, glad your not hurt.

 

[Phantastik]

Thermal shock can be a dangerous thing. Next time, avoid this by cooling your brew to temp beforehand.

 

[Rev2010]

As someone that started brewing in January of this year let me recommend two things and save you some frustration:

1. Buy a wort chiller!!! They are awesome and you will never have to deal with an ice bath again. You can even hook them right up to your kitchen sink with a simple adapter from the hardware store

2. Seriously consider brewing outside. After upgrading just recently to a 10 gallon pot I couldn't maintain a rolling boil on the stove with even 4 gallons of liquid. I just recently got a floor burner and will be brewing outside starting tomorrow. Now, this is my first time... but so far everything I've read is boil can be achieved often in 20 minutes. Either way even if it's a little longer it will still be nowhere near the time it takes on a stove. So -> quicker steep and boil reach times = quicker and more efficient brew day.

One thing is for sure you will eventually get a chiller and you will kick yourself for not doing it sooner. You may still do it all indoors, but I tried to keep that going and found that for my stove full boils just weren't gonna happen. Sounds like you might have the same issue I did so think about it.


Rev.

 

[birvine]

Glad you're ok - with those huge chunks of glass it is possible that the breakage occurs at the worst possible moment and cuts you big-time.

I recommend the chiller, too. I made mine from HD parts or you can order one ready-made. Worth the dollars as you have learned.

B

 

[count_dookie]

you could just pour the wort back into the boil kettle through a strainer, to get the glass out, and boil it for a while longer to get the volume down/kill any bugs that are in it. Then throw it in fermenter and see what happens, I mean really its not like it will be worse than dumping it.

 

[Turfmanbrad]

I was brewing outside with a propane burner. I don't thunk it's output is all that good, plus the burner is about 4 or 5" from the bottom of my pot. Luckily it was just the bottom of the carboy that blew out as I was setting it in the water by the handle. Stupid move. Common sense and sober mind now wonders why I did that, but I have the rebrew ingredients, a better bottle, and I'm going after it again tomorrow. Hopefully no wortsplosion.

 

[Turfmanbrad]

Ice bath was 20lbs of ice and around 5 gal water. Dump, rebrew.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

I was brewing outside with a propane burner. I don't thunk it's output is all that good, plus the burner is about 4 or 5" from the bottom of my pot. Luckily it was just the bottom of the carboy that blew out as I was setting it in the water by the handle. Stupid move. Common sense and sober mind now wonders why I did that, but I have the rebrew ingredients, a better bottle, and I'm going after it again tomorrow. Hopefully no wortsplosion.

Better Bottles are only rated to 140F!! Don't dump hot wort into a Better Bottle!!!!

 

[mrk305]

Stupid move. Common sense and sober mind now wonders why I did that......

Brewing drunk requires several batches of experience, brewing drunk.

 

[DoubleAught]

Sorry for your loss. Reminds me of the time when I was a kid and threw boiling water on an ice covered windshield...lol.

 

[bottlebomber]

I would have siphoned the wort out of the ice bath, and reboiled it, Come what may. Better than wasting a brew like that...

 

[maltoftheearth]

Having messed up more times than I can recall all I can say is I'm sorry to hear this story. The good news is that this will only happen once and you have a story about homebrewing that the rest of us don't have

 

[MilesLong]

$90 bucks IPA!!! Wow that sucks -Glad your ok

$38
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NZNJG2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[BeerCrafter2011]

Definitely get a wort chiller, but if you cant just chill the pot in the water bath next time.

 

[jfr1111]

Buckets, buckets, buckets.

 

[MyNameIsPaul]

Get a plate chiller. I finally got a 30 plate and felt so danged stupid for not buying one earlier. Other than fermentation temp control, it was the one thing that really improved my processes/beers

 

[MrManifesto]

i use a wort chiller to get down to 80, throw it in an ice bath for the rest of the way and am a big proponent of buckets. they're easier, lighter and more opaque. my .02. either way, that's a rough way to learn a lesson, sorry man.

 

[FatherJack]

As someone who's ready to upgrade to carboys, I have decided to go with the better bottle carboy model.

I've read too many bad things about glass carboys here.

 

[Rev2010]

I've read too many bad things about glass carboys here.

Me too. I've seen many threads complete with pictures showing blood and stitches. I stay far away from carboys, also because of the odd sizes (6 gallon for a 5 gallon batch? Not much headspace). I use the plastic Cooper's fermenters, but many here love their carboys and mention if care is given to using them they are quite safe and they do have their own advantages. Everything has it's pluses and minuses.


Rev.

 

[lgilmore]

Along with about half the posters here.. I vote for the wort chiller. You can buy one for around $50 or even consdier the hardware store and make your own.

But honestly, how hard do you need to work to make your beer? After reading so much here about ice baths, 30-40 pounds of ice, hauling the kettle over or in your case the carboy, wouldn't be easier to just drop the chiller in the kettle and in 8 minutes be ready to transfer to your fermentor? God's gift to man was the ability to use tools to improve our lives. A wort chiller is an excellent tool for brewing beer.

 

[FatherJack]

God's gift to man was the ability to use tools to improve our lives.

Incomplete.

God's gift to man was the ability to use tools to improve our lives by brewing beer.

 

[scrambledegg81]

Brewing drunk requires several batches of experience, brewing drunk.

This, but isn't that one of the steps when brewing? Consume, create, ad infinitum?

 

[el_caro]

i stay far away from carboys, also because of the odd sizes (6 gallon for a 5 gallon batch? Not much headspace). I use the plastic cooper's fermenters,

rev.

+1

 

[Turfmanbrad]

FYI, rebrewed yesterday and all went well. This stuff better be good! Thanks for all the comments...and my new favorite saying- brewing drunk requires several batches of experience, brewing drunk.

 

[rhamilton]

Chem Lab 101

Hot glass + cool water = boom.
Cold glass + hot water = boom.

Just be happy you aren't hurt.

 

[Whippy]

Hey, at least it is over and you are back to brewing! Well done, you have survived to make more beer for humanity!

 

[Homercidal]

Where you live, the water should be pretty cold for chilling. Get thee a chiller, man!

And FWIW - I prefer to primary in buckets, for several reasons. But hot stuff NEVER goes in glass carboys.

 

[CoalCreekBeer]

That which does not kill you, only makes you brew better beer:cross:

 

[MonkeyWrench]

I've learned my lessons as well. The biggest one is that when I try to cut corners and save money, it always costs me more in the end. Spend your money smart, don't spend your money twice.