This past weekend I had my biggest failure of a brew session. I thought it'd be fun to hear similar stories. So here's what happened...
I started an all-grain apricot wheat IPA recipe that I was experimenting with on a beautiful sunny day in NH. The forecast showed a 30% chance of showers, and I was brewing outside but I decided to risk it. Everything was going great, until 20 minutes into the boil. Out of the blue, the sky opened up and I was brewing in what I can only assume was a full on monsoon. All the hop pellets I had tediously divided up for continuous hopping were now sitting in dixie cups full of water. To make matters worse, my propane tank ran dry with 25 minutes left in the boil. I sprinted to my neighbor to house through the torrential downpour, grabbed his propane tank and hooked it up. 3 minutes later the flame sputtered as the 2nd take ran dry. I dropped in my heat stick, but being only 120 V 2000W, the temp continued to drop as chilly rainwater filled my keggle. Now bolts of lightning were dancing across the sky and I decide my life was more important than saving this brew, so I dumped the remainder of my soaking wet hop pellets into the pot and kicked on my chiller. Finally able to pull the pot inside, I was able to check the damage. I checked my sight gauge and saw I had 7 gallons of wort, almost 2 more than I should have had. My OG, which was supposed to be 1.070, was 1.040. I pitched my yeast because, why the heck not. Another 20 minutes outside to try and rescue my equipment and I had had enough. I dried off, just in time to see the rain let up and sun shine through the clouds. I haven't tried the batch yet, I'm sure I'll have beer in 3 weeks but it definitely won't be what I was going for. Total disaster.
Feel free to share your biggest failure. A good laugh never hurt anyone!
I started an all-grain apricot wheat IPA recipe that I was experimenting with on a beautiful sunny day in NH. The forecast showed a 30% chance of showers, and I was brewing outside but I decided to risk it. Everything was going great, until 20 minutes into the boil. Out of the blue, the sky opened up and I was brewing in what I can only assume was a full on monsoon. All the hop pellets I had tediously divided up for continuous hopping were now sitting in dixie cups full of water. To make matters worse, my propane tank ran dry with 25 minutes left in the boil. I sprinted to my neighbor to house through the torrential downpour, grabbed his propane tank and hooked it up. 3 minutes later the flame sputtered as the 2nd take ran dry. I dropped in my heat stick, but being only 120 V 2000W, the temp continued to drop as chilly rainwater filled my keggle. Now bolts of lightning were dancing across the sky and I decide my life was more important than saving this brew, so I dumped the remainder of my soaking wet hop pellets into the pot and kicked on my chiller. Finally able to pull the pot inside, I was able to check the damage. I checked my sight gauge and saw I had 7 gallons of wort, almost 2 more than I should have had. My OG, which was supposed to be 1.070, was 1.040. I pitched my yeast because, why the heck not. Another 20 minutes outside to try and rescue my equipment and I had had enough. I dried off, just in time to see the rain let up and sun shine through the clouds. I haven't tried the batch yet, I'm sure I'll have beer in 3 weeks but it definitely won't be what I was going for. Total disaster.
Feel free to share your biggest failure. A good laugh never hurt anyone!