A sad day in my brew life

Ron Reyes (Papa Piggy)

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Well I poured out my first batch of beer. About 3 weeks ago I made a catastrophic error in adding almost 3 ounces of Lactic Acid to my mash instead of 3 millimeters. After talking to some folks I decided to ferment it anyway. Who knows.... Well today I tested it and i think the yeast must have died cause the gravity was 1.020. it was very clear but you guessed it. it tasted like vinegar. very sad. well i guess it won't be the last failure.
 
Never made that mistake, but had plenty of others. Fortunately, Never had to dump a batch. The main thing is that you've learned from it and won't make the same mistake again.
 
Yeah, on the bright side, it was human error and easily remedied!
 
I had a spoiled batch last year, it got infected, I feel your pain
 
I've gotten lucky so far, I even recovered my infected batch but did give away a couple kegs cause I didn't like them. Others did though so in 2 years of brewing I've avoided a dumper so far.
 
I've had my fair share of dumpers the pappa Piggy best lessons in life come from the school of hard knocks guess you'll use that lactic acid sparingly in future. A good syringe helps for accurate measurements... chin up Pal brew on I say brew ON!
 
My first homebrewing purchase was a book. Before I ever made a drop of beer, I read Charlie Papazian’s book,The Joy of Homebrewingcover to cover. Looking back, I realize that only an infinitesimal amount of that valuable tome actually stuck in my brain that first time through. I’ve read it many times since and something new “clicks” every time—and Charlie’s passionate, encouraging style is a treat. If you’re looking for more book recommendations, I also strongly recommend Randy Mosher’sRadical Brewingand John Palmer’sHow to Brew—both outstanding books no matter how long you’ve been wielding your beer paddle. These tips may help you make same mistake again, https://docsbay.net/10-tips-for-beginning-homebrewers
 
I read about 3 pages honestly and got bored. Watched a bunch of youtube videos which promptly convinced me if I couldn't keep my mash at exactly X degrees with zero variance you might as well dump the batch. Took a buddy walking me through it to convince me to do grain, after the first batch and I realized how frankly up their own ass a lot of the youtube people were I have made over a hundred batches since, that was June 2017.
 
I read about 3 pages honestly and got bored. Watched a bunch of youtube videos which promptly convinced me if I couldn't keep my mash at exactly X degrees with zero variance you might as well dump the batch. Took a buddy walking me through it to convince me to do grain, after the first batch and I realized how frankly up their own ass a lot of the youtube people were I have made over a hundred batches since, that was June 2017.
And the people said, amen.
 
My first homebrewing purchase was a book. Before I ever made a drop of beer, I read Charlie Papazian’s book,The Joy of Homebrewingcover to cover. Looking back, I realize that only an infinitesimal amount of that valuable tome actually stuck in my brain that first time through. I’ve read it many times since and something new “clicks” every time—and Charlie’s passionate, encouraging style is a treat. If you’re looking for more book recommendations, I also strongly recommend Randy Mosher’sRadical Brewingand John Palmer’sHow to Brew—both outstanding books no matter how long you’ve been wielding your beer paddle. These tips may help you make same mistake again, https://docsbay.net/10-tips-for-beginning-homebrewers

I read about 3 pages honestly and got bored. Watched a bunch of youtube videos which promptly convinced me if I couldn't keep my mash at exactly X degrees with zero variance you might as well dump the batch. Took a buddy walking me through it to convince me to do grain, after the first batch and I realized how frankly up their own ass a lot of the youtube people were I have made over a hundred batches since, that was June 2017.

My copy of the latest edition of How to Brew looks like a preacher's Bible:). You just can't make all that stuff stick in your head (not when you're 66, at least). The sub-title - Everything you need to know to brew great beer every time - promises a little more than the book delivers, of course. That would take a lot more than just a measly 600 pages. But it's a great book, I think. With all it's shortcomings it still has amazingly few. But it's not a book for reading in one sitting, nor from page 1 to the end.

The Godfather of Norwegian homebrewing (now a very successful brewmaster at one of our best craft breweries) once said that getting the right mash temp is quite easy: Just poke your thermometer around in the mash until you find it. I stick to that. Just about the funniest joke I know is this: In order to brew good beer you need to spend a month's salary on a brewing machine that can keep your mash temperature constant.
 
The Godfather of Norwegian homebrewing (now a very successful brewmaster at one of our best craft breweries) once said that getting the right mash temp is quite easy: Just poke your thermometer around in the mash until you find it.
And the people said, amen. I was doing passive mashing - mashing in a cooler with no heat source - then stepped up to recirculation, PID, RIMS and guess what? I can't tell a difference, even with controlling mash temps to +/1 1 degree F (0.5 degrees C).
 
And the people said, amen. I was doing passive mashing - mashing in a cooler with no heat source - then stepped up to recirculation, PID, RIMS and guess what? I can't tell a difference, even with controlling mash temps to +/1 1 degree F (0.5 degrees C).
Your pallet is obviously deficient :rolleyes:
 
Clearly we are plebes with no taste buds.
 

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