Embarrassed

[wmarkw]

Well I messed up my first batch. Only a 1 gallon brew but my first. The brewprocess went fine and I was all excited to bottle my summer wheat up last night.

Long story short I had a battle with my carboy, siphon, siphon hose and my brew pot. Carboy fell off the counter, about knocked me out, landed in my brew/bottling pot along with a drip container I had on the counter, beer all over the kitchen floor, and me mad as hell. At that point I knew it was ruined. I drained about 2/3's from my carboy and was having difficulty trying to get the remaining beer to siphon out, tipped the carboy while trying to get my bottling pot and it fell over.

F ME.

I practiced siphoning from the pot to bottles and it went fine but I guess going from the carboy to the pot screwed me over. So I learned from it. Next time I will have a 2nd person there to help, I'm ordering an auto siphon, and going to research how to make or buy a decent bottling bucket vs a normal pot.

Sad thing is I said F it and picked up my pot and took a few healthy swigs and it tasted good! So to make me feel better I got back on the horse and did a late night brewing of a blue moon clone. I'll be ready next time. Just had to vent.

 

[birvine]

When we're young and learning to ride a bike we are dead set on learning how to ride. We fall, we get back up and keep trying until we can do it. Some get it sooner; some get it later.

Keep going and you'll soon be rolling down the path!


B

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

Well I messed up my first batch. Only a 1 gallon brew but my first. The brewprocess went fine and I was all excited to bottle my summer wheat up last night.

Long story short I had a battle with my carboy, siphon, siphon hose and my brew pot. Carboy fell off the counter, about knocked me out, landed in my brew/bottling pot along with a drip container I had on the counter, beer all over the kitchen floor, and me mad as hell. At that point I knew it was ruined. I drained about 2/3's from my carboy and was having difficulty trying to get the remaining beer to siphon out, tipped the carboy while trying to get my bottling pot and it fell over.

F ME.

I practiced siphoning from the pot to bottles and it went fine but I guess going from the carboy to the pot screwed me over. So I learned from it. Next time I will have a 2nd person there to help, I'm ordering an auto siphon, and going to research how to make or buy a decent bottling bucket vs a normal pot.

Sad thing is I said F it and picked up my pot and took a few healthy swigs and it tasted good! So to make me feel better I got back on the horse and did a late night brewing of a blue moon clone. I'll be ready next time. Just had to vent.

My first brew was a disaster.. beer all over the floor...pots setting everywhere trying to heat enough water to do it. was so bad we named the beer CFA for Cluster F$#K Ale.... Got it bottled finally and it was good enough we have made it again a couple of times only with a more refined approach lol.
I now make what I consider pretty damned good beer . So just keep plugging along and do as everyone else does. ask ask ask questions on here. I have been brewing over 2 years now I think and I still average about a question a day on here lol.

 

[PIGMAN]

Much credit for doing the late night Blue Moon. At least you went to sleep knowing you made beer!

 

[beerloaf]

It happens to us all at some point usually when learning. I'm sure your beer will still be beer and turn out just fine. Read this....it might even make you laugh!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/absolute-disaster-bottling-day-239028/

It's one of the best beer I've made to date!

beerloaf

 

[nilo]

I think that a syphon system should not be used by beginners. I think it adds to things that can go wrong. Plastic buckets (or PET betterbottle) with spigots for both fermenter and bottling buckets should be recommended by the LHBS, but it seems that glass carboys are still in high demmand.
Here's how easy the process is when using buckets with spigots. You would not need a beer thief neither. Low risk of oxidation, clean and simple.

 

[solbes]

I certainly made my share of mistakes in batch #1. I think I counted 5 or 6 things that I changed when going to batch #2, then about half that going to #3. It's an iterative process.

As to the siphon, practice with water until you feel comfortable. I don't have an autosiphon and don't plan on buying one. I always have star san sitting around when I'm brewing, so you just squirt some in to the racking cane to start the siphon. Easy peasy.

I do have a bottling bucket though with a spigot.

 

[drainbamage]

Happens to the best of us. After some experimentation, I've found that my bottling goes best with 3 people, assembly-line style: one to sanitize the bottles, one to handle the auto-siphon and bottle filling, and one to put the caps on. It usually runs pretty smoothly, assuming you have enough space that everyone isn't in each others' way.

 

[midfielder5]

Auto siphon FTW!!
Remember that the spigots need to be taken off, separated [pull apart with a lot of pressure (for me, I'm a chick) after the plastic has been softened with hot water] cleaned out each batch (oxi soak) and then reassembled correctly so they don't leak.

 

[Ozzfest05]

Please buy a bottling bucket with spigot, hose and bottling wand. Cost me 12 dollars total and it's so much easier you'll beat your formal self up

 

[bredstein]

Much credit for doing the late night Blue Moon.

I second that - respect for doing it late. I tried to bottle in the evening once, and after having capped some twenty or so bottles, I realized that I forgot to add priming sugar. Had to open those bottles, pour back in the bucket, add sugar... it was a long evening. Strangely enough, the beer turned out to be OK. But I learned the lesson for myself - never to do anything related to beer (drinking beer is the only exception!) when it is late in the evening...

 

[Hang Glider]

AutoSiphon - seconded.

However, never siphon anything hot....

 

[cfonnes]

I think that a syphon system should not be used by beginners. I think it adds to things that can go wrong. Plastic buckets (or PET betterbottle) with spigots for both fermenter and bottling buckets should be recommended by the LHBS, but it seems that glass carboys are still in high demmand.
Here's how easy the process is when using buckets with spigots. You would not need a beer thief neither. Low risk of oxidation, clean and simple.

With the setup in your picture, how do you get rid of trub?

 

[unionrdr]

You'd be using the spigot on the primary to siphon off the trub onto the priming solution in the bottling bucket. I have a bottling video in my gallery that shows it all,with some tips.

 

[nilo]

With the setup in your picture, how do you get rid of trub?

Place the spigot about 2 in from the bottom. If you have less trub and need to get more beer out, just bevel the bucket a bit.
Also, you don't need to take spigots apart every batch, like you don't need to do that with ball valves neither. I just take then from the bucket (10 seconds deal), wash then well and soak in sanitizer while I brew the batch. I take then apart perhaps every 10 batches or when I remember to do it. Soak in hot water (170F - can be your sparge water) and it pops out very, very easily. I wash it and lubricate with food grade petrol-gel. it pops right back in.

 

[unionrdr]

I put the spigot on my bottling bucket 1" to 1 1/4" from the bottom,& only leave a couple tablespoons in the bottom with a shallow tilt at the end. Nice clear beer with plenty of yeast still in suspension to do the job.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Please buy a bottling bucket with spigot, hose and bottling wand. Cost me 12 dollars total and it's so much easier you'll beat your formal self up

Amen to that. If you're going to bottle, then get a bottling bucket with a spigot.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,when I got the pale & spigot at JW Dover over in Westlake,it only cost me $10 & a little time with a dremel & a router bit. & the pale is 7.9G as well. Lower & wider than the BB ale pale at only 6.5G.

 

[browncoat]

AutoSiphon - seconded.

However, never siphon anything hot....

The first time I used an auto siphon for my sparge water was the last. Made a really nice half circle after it was done.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

I have only seen an auto siphon used 2 times. seemed to stir up trub too much for me. I use the 3 piece someone on here came up with. no moving parts except a couple of clamps. so simple to make and about 5 bucks in parts maybe. As for bottling i HIGHLY recommend revvys bottling thread.

 

[djfriesen]

I searched the DIY and didn't find anything. You have a link to that build? Don;t have an autosiphon, but looking to get something soon. Would love to be able to put one together for 5 bones.

edit: Nm, found it. I'm an idiot. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/flyguys-t-siphon-3-replacement-autosiphon-25774/

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

I searched the DIY and didn't find anything. You have a link to that build? Don;t have an autosiphon, but looking to get something soon. Would love to be able to put one together for 5 bones.

edit: Nm, found it. I'm an idiot. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/flyguys-t-siphon-3-replacement-autosiphon-25774/

yep thats it. I added a second clamp. one on the hose you start the siphon with and one on the end going into your vessel. You can start and stop a siphon by just clamping the hose shut.

 

[wmarkw]

Awesome replies ya'll! Thank for the tips. I got about 3 weeks to figure out my plan of attack!!