I need help. I started homebrewing 4 years ago. Since then I've generally averaged 1 batch per month, so somewhere in the range of 50 batches. I've never had a problem with infection before. It happened to me for the first time recently, where I had to dump my batch of British golden ale. Now I just checked my second attempt 1 week into fermenting, and again, hydrometer reading is way too high. (1.006). Looks like it's happened twice in a row! I'm pretty frustrated, but also at a loss. My sanitation practices are sound. For this batch I took extra steps, like soaking my hoses in hot water and OxiClean, rinsing them well, and then submerging them in a bucket of starsan until needed. Same with all of my ferment gaskets and parts.
I'm not sure what to do next. I figure I'll post my equipment and process and see if anyone has some advice. If I strike out for a third time in a row, I'll want to burn my brew shop to the ground. lol
Cheers!
I'm not sure what to do next. I figure I'll post my equipment and process and see if anyone has some advice. If I strike out for a third time in a row, I'll want to burn my brew shop to the ground. lol
- 15-gallon Spike Brewing Brew Kettle (1 ball valve Coupler) I always spray outside of valve liberally with starsan before connecting pump hose. after brewday I always use a bristle test tube cleaning brush to scrub the inside of the valve.
- Blichmann Riptide Pump - as mentioned, I soak the hoses in OxiClean, rinse, and then submerge in a bucket of starsan. Before transferring wort, I run the pump for a couple minutes with starsan solution and turn it off to let the starsan sit so the interior parts of the pump are sanitized.
- Spike Brewing CF10 14 Gallon Conical Fermenter - I disassemble and wash thoroughly in OxiClean and allow to air dry. On brewday I submerge all parts in a bucket of starsan, then spray the interior and underside of the lid with starsan. Then assemble the fermenter just before transferring the wort.
- oxygenate the wort with Spike Brewing Oxygenation Kit, sanitized with starsan.
Cheers!