Take a break. I did after a spectacular fail on a Nina Colada inspired brew. You'll feel like brewing again, dust off the gear, and be back at it. FYI - The break did me good and my brews are much better, and enjoying the brewing process much more.
No for a bunch of reasons. Yes, boiling will kill bacteria and likely neutralize fecal matter (bats and critters using the cave), but won't do anything for metals. Know the geology and if the cave was a mine. Does Wards Lab do metals? Yes, mineral water is great for browns and stouts.
Pretty much what was running through my head. Lots of reasons for this result, and not all mean the brew was a fail batch. When in doubt, bottle and wait (Okay, keg and wait for those that do not bottle).
Others have given a lot of good info. When I used buckets, the lids would leak. A little petroleum jelly on the rim and duct taping the lid down solved the leaking (some freak over the jelly use and say to use keg grease). Adding a spigot to the bucket allowed bottling directly (6 oz dextrose to...
Sound like you see what we all endure with hazy beer. These helped. Using a teaspoon of Irish Moss @ 15 minutes of the boil, and a week in the frig in the bottle. Adding a few days before bottling helped greatly (patience is not my virtue). What you see at bottling can be what you get. Tastes...
Fill bottles without spilling any? I'm in the towel crowd. The spring-loaded stainless bottle filler was one of my better investments. It breaks down for complete cleaning and no leaks.
I did a brown with Safale 04 and bottled at day 10 and had a respectable amount of carbonation at day 17. It was drinkable but much better three weeks later, and a whole lot more carbonated. No bottle bombs but I knew I was pushing my luck. (The temp was ~72-76 F during the entire...
Don't waste that wort and use a strainer to catch the hops and any other debris. The slight deviation in O.G. is normal. I made a batch yesterday and today that were the same other than the yeast used. One had a BRIX of 15.1 and the other was 15.9, or in other words it was a measured O.G of...
I have primed bottles and the bucket method. Priming bottles is easier for me. I do get some variability in carbonation time and level, but nothing I can't live with. AVOID this mistake - Add water to sugar for the final volume. I use 5.5 oz dextrose and water until 550 ml and boil. Then use 10...
I use the stick-on thermometers, too. Good to see others are trying to keep it simple. My fermenting room stays ~72 F and found I can keep the ferment near 64 F for 12 hours with a gallon jug of ice under a towel. A few additional ice packs are sometimes needed for the first few days when the...
Base jumping at the New River Gorge Bridge. Started jumping in my late 30s. Not one to sit around fearing the Grim Reaper. FYI - Ya all owe one. I'm sliding into that coffin like it's home plate.
Same path for a different reason. I finally had time to brew when I retired, was old, and about used up. I knew all grain was going to be a dream after few batches. Partial grain was doable and sure helped improve my brew. I see 2 1/2 gallon batches in my future.
Temperature control, was a game changer for me, too. Particularly during the first three to five days. The difference in quality and taste going from 70 degrees to 64 degrees was huge. A lot less off flavors, too.
Yep, some folks get lucky. Your turn is coming, as my beer mentor told me. I use the same cleaning and inspection routine. Its just one of those mindless "work yourself out of a job routines". A nice cold one makes the time seem to fly by and then your on to bottling before you know it.
I like bottling, too. Only one "bottle bomb" so far. A chunk of glass blew out of the side of the bottle. Depending on the bottle cool down cycle when made and other factors, a bottle can have stresses and flaws already present.
[QUOTE="Steve SPF, post: ... Craft keg people just don't seem to care, if the beer is good then price is less of a factor. ... Big lessons here have been that enough people will pay for quality, but plenty of people will still drink Fosters and Carlsberg even when they strip 10% out of the ABV...
I use Safale 05 and give it at least 10 days, and 18 days seems optimal. Don't sweat the air lock. I have had small leaks that stop activity, especially when I used buckets. Yes, the OG drops like a rock and then the last few points take another week or so. I now use clear ferment vessels and...