So I was brewing a hazy IPA yesterday, and I'm still tired and annoyed. Just sharing to vent, complaining to my wife just isn't cutting it.
First of all, god damn you grainfather - I spent 45 minutes just setting the bottom plate of the grain basket in place. The silicone ring came off EVERY TIME. This might be the dumbest design I have ever seen. If it isn't perfectly seated it can come off during mashing and ruin the whole beer.
Meanwhile I had set the mash water to heat, but when I returned to the grainfather, the heater hadn't switched on because of the idiotic breaker switch on the underside, which I had to press (why GF, WHY).
At this point I realize I forgot to put the hop filter in the bottom of the grainfather.... water was at 66 celsius, so I could either cool it down and wait or leave it out. I just decided to leave it out and use hopbags..whatever.
I add my grains (about 7 kg) and stir well, switch on the pump.... and ofcourse the mash is too thick and circulation is mega slow, so the temp at the bottom of the mash is too high, and the temp at the top is too low.
I keep having to switch the heating element on and off again throughout the whole mash to regulate it. (This is rarely a problem I have). No matter how much I stir it changed nothing (this always helps EVERY single time. not today)
After about 45 minutes, my skin tingles and my neck goes warm as I realize I forgot to add my brewing salts.. This is extra horrible since I brew with RO water. In a panic I add them to the top of the mash and stir like a madman.
Better late than never? Probably not. This sucks.
The mash is finished - now to lift the grain basket. The grainfather comes with a small metal handle that you insert into two holes each side of the grain basket. And the handle is nowhere to be found. I had to improvise with some metal thing I found in the toolbox, lift it on one side, prop it up on the edge and use my hands. FUN! took me a while to figure it out. (turns out my toddler had grabbed that shiny and fun looking handle and hid it in her box of toys).
I boil, add a small amount of bittering hops and do a 30 min hop stand.
Now, I use a garden hose adapter on my sink to feed the counterflow chiller, so when I start doing that water splurts out everywhere. Turns out the silicone/plastic thing on this adapter is getting worn, and most of the water goes outside rather than in the hose, giving me shitty water pressure into the cooler. No matter how much i try to adjust it, it just doesn't work properly. First time this has happened......
This results in getting the wort in my fermenter at a fantastic 32 C. Can i wait 30 minutes to add the yeast maybe? Probably. Did I do it? No. Cuz I'm a tired and worn out idiot and I don't.
(I'm trying out omega yeast tropical Ipa, which has a higher temp tolerance than I am used to, but 32 is just... bad).
I was unsure if i'd murdered my yeast, but here i am today and its bubbling away... Also, there is a tiny tiny leak in the handle at the bottom of my fermenter bucket.
If this beer comes out not tasting like absolute garbage, I'll be shocked.
TL;DR: I messed up everything. The end.
First of all, god damn you grainfather - I spent 45 minutes just setting the bottom plate of the grain basket in place. The silicone ring came off EVERY TIME. This might be the dumbest design I have ever seen. If it isn't perfectly seated it can come off during mashing and ruin the whole beer.
Meanwhile I had set the mash water to heat, but when I returned to the grainfather, the heater hadn't switched on because of the idiotic breaker switch on the underside, which I had to press (why GF, WHY).
At this point I realize I forgot to put the hop filter in the bottom of the grainfather.... water was at 66 celsius, so I could either cool it down and wait or leave it out. I just decided to leave it out and use hopbags..whatever.
I add my grains (about 7 kg) and stir well, switch on the pump.... and ofcourse the mash is too thick and circulation is mega slow, so the temp at the bottom of the mash is too high, and the temp at the top is too low.
I keep having to switch the heating element on and off again throughout the whole mash to regulate it. (This is rarely a problem I have). No matter how much I stir it changed nothing (this always helps EVERY single time. not today)
After about 45 minutes, my skin tingles and my neck goes warm as I realize I forgot to add my brewing salts.. This is extra horrible since I brew with RO water. In a panic I add them to the top of the mash and stir like a madman.
Better late than never? Probably not. This sucks.
The mash is finished - now to lift the grain basket. The grainfather comes with a small metal handle that you insert into two holes each side of the grain basket. And the handle is nowhere to be found. I had to improvise with some metal thing I found in the toolbox, lift it on one side, prop it up on the edge and use my hands. FUN! took me a while to figure it out. (turns out my toddler had grabbed that shiny and fun looking handle and hid it in her box of toys).
I boil, add a small amount of bittering hops and do a 30 min hop stand.
Now, I use a garden hose adapter on my sink to feed the counterflow chiller, so when I start doing that water splurts out everywhere. Turns out the silicone/plastic thing on this adapter is getting worn, and most of the water goes outside rather than in the hose, giving me shitty water pressure into the cooler. No matter how much i try to adjust it, it just doesn't work properly. First time this has happened......
This results in getting the wort in my fermenter at a fantastic 32 C. Can i wait 30 minutes to add the yeast maybe? Probably. Did I do it? No. Cuz I'm a tired and worn out idiot and I don't.
(I'm trying out omega yeast tropical Ipa, which has a higher temp tolerance than I am used to, but 32 is just... bad).
I was unsure if i'd murdered my yeast, but here i am today and its bubbling away... Also, there is a tiny tiny leak in the handle at the bottom of my fermenter bucket.
If this beer comes out not tasting like absolute garbage, I'll be shocked.
TL;DR: I messed up everything. The end.
