My Beer is Ruined!

[The Brew Mentor]

OK, this is just for fun!

List "Bad" things you've done and still made great Beer.

1) I fermented right in my brew pot with only the lid loosely sitting on top.
2) I forgot to aerate.

Carry on,
Brian

 

[jeffpn]

I secondary every batch.
I pitch dry yeast, never rehydrate.
I use dish soap to clean carboys and beer glasses.
I use bleach to sanitize.

 

[KC]

I sanitized fermenters using plain water

 

[soccerdad]

Down here in the deep South beer is never ruined.

It can, however, be rurnt

I almost never have sanitizer in anything but a spray bottle.

 

[J A]

I have the messiest brew area and most hillbilly brewing set up you can imagine.
And I do almost nothing to "prepare" for brew day. I work out a recipe in advance but when I'm ready to brew I start heating water and figure everything out on the fly while I'm milling grain and cleaning something major that I forgot to clean last time I brewed.

PS...this thread should be titled "Brew Confessions"

 

[Mase]

Mixed up a gallon batch of Star-San in a gallon plastic jug. Unfortunately, the label was never removed and we’ll... let’s just say the coffee from the Keurig the next morning was a bit foamy. But at least the coffee maker was sanitized!

 

[jmcnamara]

I very rarely use a refractometer, let alone a hydrometer.
I usually don't aereate beyond a vigorous pour and sloshing around as I carry the fermenter.

Phew...feels good to get that off my chest

 

[Head First]

Don't own a refractometer and just take a preboil, wait 2 weeks and take a fg while racking into keg.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I hate to say it I don't take measurements anymore of the wort, what ever it comes out to be, I drink

 

[BoomerBrian]

30 minute mash.
Pitch harvested yeast directly without starter.
I generally don't measure FG.

 

[jmcnamara]

And I thought I was the only one that wasn't too worried about hitting my numbers

 

[Nosybear]

I'm not that worried about hitting them, I just want to know how far I missed.

 

[sbaclimber]

Wow, nice to know I can hold with most of you on being a s "some-what-less-than-anal-brewer"
I do measure once before and once after fermentation with a hydrometer, but by now, that is more to double check my attenuation, 'cause my thermometer is less than reliable...
I do splash, I do pitch dry yeast often without hydrating, and I don't chill my wort.
The best so far though is having small children help while brewing and/or bottling...
"Oh, um, you just sneezed into the bottling bucket full of wort"
"AH! NO! don't pull out the water trap....too late"
"Get your fingers out of there"
"Please don't eat directly over that bucket"
"Do not touch that, or we will end up with a big sticky mess"
...or just a couple days ago while helping line up bottles to fill
"No, stop, do not put the sterilized bottle in your mouth!"

 

[soccerdad]

OK I confess.

These guys are all knuckleheads.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Maybe I should have called it confessions!
Awesome, keep them coming.....

 

[jeffpn]

OK I confess.

These guys are all knuckleheads.

You must be in my local homebrew club.

 

[Nosybear]

You must be in my local homebrew club.

There are two kinds of brewers: Those who have proven themselves to be knuckleheads and overconfident ones. My most boneheaded move so far has been using frozen strawberries in a beer after having heard they were sanitary. They weren't. Opening bottles wearing safety glasses and welding gloves is no fun.

 

[LindyBrew]

I secondary every batch.
I pitch dry yeast, never rehydrate.
I use dish soap to clean carboys and beer glasses.
I use bleach to sanitize.

No F's were given.

 

[okoncentrerad]

Right now, as the newbie I am, I'm too concered doing things by the book to have any confessions to make. Mistakes and mishaps yes; on my last brew, when going to pour my wort into the sanitized fermentor...and find one of my cats sitting in it looking all innocent of course

 

[jeffpn]

Relax. You’ll get to the point where you just pour the wort right over the cat, knowing it will move!