BarrelheadBrew
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2013
- Messages
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- 5
This is my first thread, and of course, I love the site/obsession.
Yesterday I brewed my fifth batch since getting my kit for christmas. It's the "Robust Porter" from JZ's "Brewing Classic Styles" (Forgive me if the title isn't accurate, don't have the book handy, but I think most here are familiar with the book I am referring to.)
Had some friends over, pre-partying for the SB, enjoying the fruits of my previous labors (Porter, Amber Ale, and an Irish Red,) and learning with a good deal of interest about this new found obsession of mine. They got to see the process of transferring my brown ale to secondary, watched with great insterest as I added four gallons of Apple Juice ontop of the gallon I left in my primary of Brown ale for a "graff-like" concoction. Then helped as I had probably the most seemless and efficient brew yet with one exception.
A couple of notes first. Mash went almost perfectly to spec, it was my third partial mash, and it seems I'm finally getting the hang of it. This was also my first time brewing on a turkey frier I've had that needed some gas. Cut my boil time by 75%, also a huge bonus. And considering it was 72 degrees out, it was a perfect day to do it (Plus the SWMBO was happy to not have the house reek of hops.)
Everything thing went great, and I was feeling confident (and four HB's in a little tipsy.) OG was .002 off, but no big worries there. Thankfully the whole group had gone inside to watch the game when my great shame occured.
I realized too late that the extra fermenting bucket I bought would ALSO need it's own airlock (simple oversight, I have three airlocks, but lost the cap to one of them and should've picked up an extra at the LHBS.) So, I decide to go ahead and make a blow off tube using my transfer tube. When I go to push through the air lock hole, I ended up cramming the grommit through and right into my wort. I spent 15 minutes trying to fish it out with a sanitized ladel, but just couldn't get it... Not knowing what else to do, I sanitized the bejeezus out of my arm and dove in after it.
Grommit and arm were both sanitized, but there is something not right about cramming your arm into something you spend so much time and effort trying to protect. All is sealed up and bubbling away nicely this morning. I've got it stored in a closet and am not going to even LOOK at the room it's in until it's had a couple weeks. Definitely putting my ability to RDWHAHB to the test.
Don't really need advice or encouragement, I have full faith in the yeast to do what they do best, just had a funny story on my brew day, and thought I'd share.
Happy Brewing Everyone, and thanks again for all the great information on this site!
Yesterday I brewed my fifth batch since getting my kit for christmas. It's the "Robust Porter" from JZ's "Brewing Classic Styles" (Forgive me if the title isn't accurate, don't have the book handy, but I think most here are familiar with the book I am referring to.)
Had some friends over, pre-partying for the SB, enjoying the fruits of my previous labors (Porter, Amber Ale, and an Irish Red,) and learning with a good deal of interest about this new found obsession of mine. They got to see the process of transferring my brown ale to secondary, watched with great insterest as I added four gallons of Apple Juice ontop of the gallon I left in my primary of Brown ale for a "graff-like" concoction. Then helped as I had probably the most seemless and efficient brew yet with one exception.
A couple of notes first. Mash went almost perfectly to spec, it was my third partial mash, and it seems I'm finally getting the hang of it. This was also my first time brewing on a turkey frier I've had that needed some gas. Cut my boil time by 75%, also a huge bonus. And considering it was 72 degrees out, it was a perfect day to do it (Plus the SWMBO was happy to not have the house reek of hops.)
Everything thing went great, and I was feeling confident (and four HB's in a little tipsy.) OG was .002 off, but no big worries there. Thankfully the whole group had gone inside to watch the game when my great shame occured.
I realized too late that the extra fermenting bucket I bought would ALSO need it's own airlock (simple oversight, I have three airlocks, but lost the cap to one of them and should've picked up an extra at the LHBS.) So, I decide to go ahead and make a blow off tube using my transfer tube. When I go to push through the air lock hole, I ended up cramming the grommit through and right into my wort. I spent 15 minutes trying to fish it out with a sanitized ladel, but just couldn't get it... Not knowing what else to do, I sanitized the bejeezus out of my arm and dove in after it.
Grommit and arm were both sanitized, but there is something not right about cramming your arm into something you spend so much time and effort trying to protect. All is sealed up and bubbling away nicely this morning. I've got it stored in a closet and am not going to even LOOK at the room it's in until it's had a couple weeks. Definitely putting my ability to RDWHAHB to the test.
Don't really need advice or encouragement, I have full faith in the yeast to do what they do best, just had a funny story on my brew day, and thought I'd share.
Happy Brewing Everyone, and thanks again for all the great information on this site!