I don't know if I hope this works, or not.

[siobhan]

I brewed as planned on the weekend. This is my third batch ever, a breakfast stout. I do partial mash and only have a kitchen to brew in.

I added some new techniques. Did a yeast starter, went well. Cleaned and sanitized everything, had everything I needed, was in really good shape to get going. 1st time doing DeathBrewer's partial mash technique for my grains (chocolate, victory, debittered black, roasted barley & rolled oats). That went almost too well - I had rescued a thick styrofoam box from work, where it arrived holding a large shipment of vaccines. It fit my pasta pot perfectly, which was just large enough for 4# of grain. The heat was a little higher than I expected, and didn't drop at all the whole time. I worried about tannins, but it tasted sweet and fine, so I pressed on.

Then it all went wrong.

HWMBO (yeah, right) spent the weekend on internet genealogy and kept wanting me to look at stuff, kept coming in to tell me stuff and generally distracting me. I stirred the lactose into my wort, then thoroughly stirred in 6# of LME, all the recipe called for. Another distraction hit. Came back and started dumping in another one. It was about halfway in when I realized the mistake.

I hadn't stirred yet, so I poured off all the wort into various pots. When it started looking thick, I scraped the unstirred LME into a separate container. I ended up filling the two LME jugs with mixed thick wort and LME. The rest of the thinner wort now was back in the big brew kettle, and contained a smaller percentage of grain and lactose than I intended, but probably 9# LME.


I did the boil, added cracked coffee at flameout & let it steep through the chill, then strained it into the bucket with a sterile sieve - got a whole lot of trub out with the coffee. Added water til the OG was 1.054, got 5.5 gal, pitched the yeast.

Incidentally, in the middle of this, I looked over to discover that HWMBO was 'sanitizing' the bagel cutter and a butter knife. If there's butter flavor in this brew, it's not diacetyl - it's butter.

It's fermenting, so I'm getting beer. The wort tasted really good; nice, balanced and subtle. I froze the 2 jugs of what we're calling "Mystery Wort" and may supplement it to make a chocolate stout later. It did freeze hard.

But if this is any good at all, I'll never be able to duplicate it.

 

[earwig]

Are you gay or a woman? Just curious.

 

[siobhan]

Female, last time I checked. Why do you ask?

 

[heferly]

Are you gay or a woman? Just curious.

Not sure why this matters...

Sounds like your beer will end up ok, 1.05 sounds about right!

edit: thanks for the laugh on hwmbo sanitizing the knife haha

 

[Brandonovich]

You know, I just recently had my first all grain brew day with no problems at all, and it did not turn out as good as all the other days where at least one big problem had come up. I think that the near disaster days end up being the best. It's just the duplication that gets you.

 

[Wyrmwood]

I don't know why, but this took me several reads to understand Let me see if I got it straight. So you had 2 x 6 lb jugs of LME on hand, and the recipe called for one, but you inadvertently added both, then prior to stirring, did some pouring mojo to separate out the LME (now partially mixed with wort), and successfully returned the wort to a desired gravity, right? That sounds like an amazing save and will perhaps make for one or two interesting brews that will be difficult to clone Then again, that will make it special!

 

[ChshreCat]

According to my SWMBO, if he's not a HWMO, then you're doing it wrong.

 

[edie]

nevermind

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Well, first let me say that your beer will probably be just fine.

Now to the issue at hand. You need to let your man know in no uncertain terms that until he keep his a$$ outta the kitchen when you are brewing, he gets absolutely NO HOMEBREW!! Unless he is actually going to help, rather than disrupt.

 

[Whut]

RDWHAHB if you've got one. Like BB says, most likely your beer will be fine. As for the post from earwig, who knows why.

As for duplicating it if it's good, I'd think your OP would be sufficient to guide you through the exact steps of repeating it. Cheers!

 

[siobhan]

Just checked a bottle for carbonation (2 weeks bottle aged, put 1 bottle in fridge for 2 days). Best stuff I've ever brewed.

Damnation.

 

[beaksnbeer]

Had you brewed this before? If not the fact that you added/removed malt maintained correct OG about the only real change might be hop note. I'd try it again per recipe this time may just be a brew you really like. my .02