Thinking of giving up brewing!

[smuth10]

You could also post an ad in craigslist or freecycle looking for free equipment. Or in the least, a very good deal.

 

[AiredAle]

Warning thread hijack:

Conputer,

I have a 3/8" copper tube in a garden hose CFC, and have used it for literally 20 years. A couple years ago I began to suspect it was less efficient that when it was new. Now, I am pretty obsessive about sanitation, and always cold rinsed, then hot rinsed then sanitized the chiller after use, and sanitized before use. I thought it was as clean as could be. Wrong. For some reason I decided to run a test tube cleaning brush I had into it. I got it about 8 inches in before the curvature defeated me, but I couldn't believe the brown crap I got out of it. The efficiency went back to normal. I had protein coated the interior of the tube.

I straightened it out (that was fun) and ran a copper wire through it followed by a nylon string and a 45 caliber pistol cleaning brush. I couldn't believe the goo that came out. The thing was absolutely filthy. I was really lucky not to have gotten it infected.

Now I pump hot double strength beer line cleaner through it every three of four brews. The BLC is potassium hydroxide, and it will dissolve the protein/cold break that I think is being deposited on the walls of the chiller during use. The BLC solution always comes out green and ugly for the first couple minutes of pumping, then clears up. After that I hot rinse and starsan it to neutralize the hydroxide and sanitize it.

I don't know what configuration your chiller is, but I'll be if you do the strong BLC treatment you'll be surprized by the sh!t that comes out of it.

Just a thought for you to consider, even if the infection source isn't your CFC.

 

[conpewter]

Thanks AiredAle! I ran some (unused) earplugs through it to try to clean it out, but not sure how much that would do. I like the BLC idea. I'll try my no-chill brew (with new transfer equipment) and see what happens with that.

Do I need to replace the gas lines on my kegs to rid infection?

 

[SkiSoloII]

I took 8 years off when I got married and had kids. Even had 2 3-gallon cornies at the wedding reception, well received!

Got back into it as a New Years's resolution last year, added all-grain capability, and haven't looked back! It's more fun than ever. Even won an award at the Michigan RenFest.

Drink that Wee Heavy, and take a break is my suggestion.

Dave

 

[JNye]

i agree if you still enjoy brewing you need to keep the eqt. One of the main reasons i like this hobby is because it works with my schedule. I don't HAVE to do anything. My other hobby is a fully stocked reef aquarium. I love it, but when i get bored, lazy, depressed about it, things die. I usually end up staying up late to do my chores on the tank and brewing "chores". Actual brewing is "me time"(saturday evenings usually).
i feel sorry for the dude who has to wait till payday to buy an o-ring

 

[jiggs_casey]

'Tis all good! Take a break. Let that wee heavy sit. I bottled a brew last week that has been in the secondary since January!

It will all be there when you return...

 

[MVKTR2]

Wow when I posted the op pretty much in disgust I figured I'd get hammered for wussing out. You guys are great.

Though still frustrated with brewing and more I'm about to go in for a nice long sleep and see how things look in a few days (no I'm not sleeping that long, I don't have access to those kinds of narcotics).

I was so mad last night, I was almost POed enough to take a fermenter full of Wee Heavy and toss it as far as I could get it into the backyard. Fairly sure I might have set a new 'Full Carboy Toss World Record' as I'm fairly large and was VERY not happy! I had been trying to find time to rack it or bottle it for weeks. I filled up the dishwasher and sanitized my bottles, had everything ready. Next thing I know I was taking care of other stuff and couldn't get to it, had to put the bottles back up etc.

Don't get me wrong we're financially challenged (ie broke), but it's not as much the money as it is the time. Sure times are tough on me and the family but we're making do! Fact is the brewing is my 'release/down time' and that's what's frustrating is not getting to it. Brewing is the therapy which keeps me straight, sort of like working out used to be. Thinking maybe I should take up something more easily attainable like gameshow watching, toenail clipping, or watching paint dry! That's why I'm frustrated and it's only exacerbated by the problem of not scraping together kegging equipment etc. which would make the process quicker.

Schlante,
Phillip

OOOOHHHHHH and this is post 666!!! Some bad Mojo on me!

 

[jdp]

Well, when I first saw the thread title, I was all ready to call "dibbs" but fortunately some of the less opportunistic members talked you down a little. You will be glad you took a breath anyway. You'll end up finding time somewhere.

 

[Dynachrome]

I'm out of work too. I just bottle 4 gallons of Weise beer and I have 12+ gallons in the fermenters.

How would just good old barley do for making beer inexpensive? Can you roast your own grains?

 

[fatcoxhomebrew]

My advice: Don't let something you love become a source of frustration. Just put it out of sight for however long it takes you to get the money. Saving $80 shouldn't take too long. You just have to prioritize. Say you spend $10 on food every day. Eliminate that expense and you will have what you need in 8 days.

 

[Zamial]

Every problem in life is temporary except death.

I had a sneaky feeling this was a "No time" deal but I wanted to let that come out all on its own. I had actually started to type up some things and then deleted them as I was not sure that was the deal.

Speaking from MY own experiences, life will take every free breath you have away from you as long as you allow this to happen. I had this very talk with SWMBO and let her know that I was unhappy and unwilling to let things continue as they were going.
My solution was simple I get 1 weekend a month to me. On my weekend I get to do what I want to do. I will clear my calendar for that weekend with her help of course and I should be considered unavailable unless someone/something is bleeding, dying, dead or on fire. I do not have to help with chores or anything.
The other side of this coin is I also wanted her to have this luxury so on her weekend I work x2 as hard but our stress level has come down ALOT because of this.

FYI I seldom brew on my weekend off....It is amazing how forcing yourself to take a small bit of time will bleed into your everyday life! It starts small and slow but suddenly you will find time for the things you want to do.

I wish you the best of luck!