Rites of Passage for a Noob

[WickedLB]

After months of reading HBT I have come across a lot of things that nearly all brewers encounter when they are first learning. I have done my best to learn from others mistakes, but alas, I am not immune to mistakes.

I realized how much I haven't learned, yesterday I broke my first Hydrometer while bottling batch #6. Then brewing batch #7 tonight (possibly because I had a bit too much of my buddies Belgian Ale) I experienced my first boil-over.

What other cherries do I need to pop as a Noob?

 

[Yooper]

Hmmmm. Lemme think.

I tried to rack 6 gallons of beer in a 5 gallon carboy, but didn't notice until I walked away and had about a gallon of beer on my kitchen floor. (6 gallon carboys and 5 gallon carboys look an awful lot alike!).

I've dropped the airlock grommet from the lid of the bucket into the beer.

I've scalded my arm.

I've forgot to add hops to a brew.

I forgot to add yeast and only noticed when the beer didn't ferment for a couple of days.

I broke a carboy.

I pushed a bung right through the neck of the carboy into the beer.

I found out that a 5 gallon batch in a 15.5 gallon keggle CAN and WILL boil over when you aren't looking.

I learned that 5 gallons of kegged beer, under pressure, with the "out" stuck, can cover your entire kitchen in just a few seconds.

I've learned the whole concept of "counter pressure" in filling bottles and what happens when you try to defy the laws of physics.

I'm sure there are lots more. Those are just the ones that come easily to mind at the moment. If you're smarter than me, you won't have to learn all of these the hard way!

 

[funkapottomous]

i boiled over on the first batch! HAHA! do I win?

 

[WickedLB]

Yooper,

My next brew will be your extract Cali Common (Michigan Common?). I bought the ingredients today.

I'll let you know how many from your checklist I achieve this weekend!

 

[Duckfoot]

Hmmmm. Lemme think.

I've scalded my arm.
Check

I've forgot to add whirfloc to many brews.
Check

I broke Six hydrometers.
Check

I learned that 5 gallons of kegged beer, under pressure, with the "out" stuck, can cover your entire kitchen in just a few seconds.
Check
.........

Always check your recipes in whatever software you may be using.. If not be prepared for an Imperial Pale Ale (21+ lbs of 2-row instead of 16 during a webcast brewday with out of town brewer's present... Thanks olllllllo)

Never assume when making even a semi-big beer that you won't need a blowoff tube...

This obsession, er, hobby will cost you WAY more $$$ than you ever imagined....

You will be beeming with pride the first time someone says "WOW! You made this?"

 

[brewagentjay]

i boiled over on the first batch! HAHA! do I win?

Me too. It was almost as if the brew new I wasn't looking. I had been watching like a hawk I had to step a way a moment not even 5 seconds to answer to the SWMBO I come back and I can tell I had a boil over because my propane burner is out and there wet spot under it. However I must admit I never really saw it but my burner still hasn't burned all the evidence off. :rockin:

 

[Yooper]

Yooper,

My next brew will be your extract Cali Common (Michigan Common?). I bought the ingredients today.

I'll let you know how many from your checklist I achieve this weekend!

Hopefully none!

Just when I think I have this whole brewing process down, I find a whole new way to screw up.

Don't even get me started on wort chillers! I just remembered when I first got mine, someone told me to boil it to sanitize. They forgot that I'm not very bright, and I stood in front it as I placed it into my boil kettle. Apparently, the water still inside the chiller vaporized immediately and shot out at my bare legs. Duh!

 

[WickedLB]

Hopefully none!

Just when I think I have this whole brewing process down, I find a whole new way to screw up.

Don't even get me started on wort chillers! I just remembered when I first got mine, someone told me to boil it to sanitize. They forgot that I'm not very bright, and I stood in front it as I placed it into my boil kettle. Apparently, the water still inside the chiller vaporized immediately and shot out at my bare legs. Duh!

Sounds like a very painful lesson. I hope the beer came out OK!

I am currently using the snowbanks to chill my wort, but will keep that in mind when I eventually build myself a wort chiller.

From what I understand, Cali Common can have a rather powerful blow-off so maybe that batch will give me an opportunity to learn what that is like!

 

[dracus]

ok..I would never have thought 5 gallon batch would boil over in keggle.

Added to my procedure check list to avoid.

Let's see about this one. Shipon wort into keggle with ballvalve open all over floor.

Or by personal favorite tipping mash tun to dump out grains only to have a bag containment issue with hot wet grains all over floor.