You know you did it wrong when...

I made a Kolsch 3 weeks ago, fermented in my garage at 12.8°C. The smack pack never swelled. I’ve seen that once before. The beer fermented that time, but it took a while. This time, my OG was 6 points lower than the expected 1.048. Today, it reads 1.020. And it’s dark. It shouldn’t be dark, it’s a light colored beer. It’s a Kolsch, but it looks like a brown ale. What could make a beer get darker like that? Could an infection do that? It didn’t taste putrid, but it sure doesn’t taste anything like my Kolsch is supposed to taste.

Warm it up a little and start an exbeeriment. Dark side is prob not good:(
 
Yeah, I plan on dumping it. First batch ever in 22 years brewing that didn’t make it through fermentation, not bad. I got time to brew tomorrow. I think I’ll call the brew store and have them smack a pack for me, and when it starts to swell, call me. My fault for not noticing the yeast was expired when I bought it.
 
Yeah, I plan on dumping it. First batch ever in 22 years brewing that didn’t make it through fermentation, not bad. I got time to brew tomorrow. I think I’ll call the brew store and have them smack a pack for me, and when it starts to swell, call me. My fault for not noticing the yeast was expired when I bought it.

Will tag on, you didn't babysit it either, or you would have seen it wasn't coming out. Shame on you. Now you have dead little yeasties floating around in your unfinished beer poor little guys. So much for set and forget.:eek: May they rest in peace.:oops:
 
Nah, I knew it probably wasn’t going to turn out. I did check it after a week, and it looked like there may have been krausen. But it should’ve still been there, not gone by then. Plus I worked like 20 days in a row without a day off. It was low on my priority list.
 
Don’t you hate when you finish your brew day and you find an ingredient on your table? I forgot to put in my 5 oz bag of corn sugar. That explains 2.4 of the 5 points I came up short.
 
Don’t you hate when you finish your brew day and you find an ingredient on your table? I forgot to put in my 5 oz bag of corn sugar. That explains 2.4 of the 5 points I came up short.
Yep. Did that with some molasses last batch. Cut it 50% with water, boiled it 5 mins and chucked it in. BTW, i'd add the corn sugar late to keep the yeast happy longer.
 
Yeah, I plan on dumping it. First batch ever in 22 years brewing that didn’t make it through fermentation, not bad. I got time to brew tomorrow. I think I’ll call the brew store and have them smack a pack for me, and when it starts to swell, call me. My fault for not noticing the yeast was expired when I bought it.

I love the Wyeast smack packs, but I've been saved by a packet of dry Nottingham. I now keep one just in case of swell failure.
 
When you go to add your dry hop to your latest beer and discover youve used the wrong hops in the recipie:p!

I got my simcoe mixed up with summit!

So i dry hopped with simcoe so now its a galaxy summit simcoe ryepa ha ha.
 
I recently fell asleep on brewday , was a trial run of a new local malt I was gifted for trials on home brew scale .
Woke up 7 hours later to a horrible smell in brew shed and much swearing was heard .
Have sourced fresh malt and rebrewed without falling asleep .
Up to my yeasty friends now
 
I recently fell asleep on brewday , was a trial run of a new local malt I was gifted for trials on home brew scale .
Woke up 7 hours later to a horrible smell in brew shed and much swearing was heard .
Have sourced fresh malt and rebrewed without falling asleep .
Up to my yeasty friends now
what you boiled it dry Mark?
 
I'd imagine, letting it mash for 7 hours wouldn't really hurt it.
 
nodded off during the boil , didn't boil dry and there's still a safety cutout built in to my system
you know yourself all to well then Mark prepare for the worst dont wanna burn the house down all for mere beer:p.
 
I didn't add the cutout , its a thermal overload switch built in from factory .
Remember I use what's essentially a extra large catering kettle for tea / coffee .
Really need to finish building the larger system and hopback .
Having mains natural gas has me leaning towards paying the extra for correct burner and I can never run out of very cheap gas
 
Farkin o-ring gasket popped off my damn lid tonight right after I filled the keg to the damn near top with delicious homebrew. I ended up using my racking cane and fished it out 1st try. Some pretty spectacular vocabulary flying out of the basement tonight.
 
Ive had that happen a time or two, especially when I cleaning and it falls in the sludge on the bottom, lol
 
Farkin o-ring gasket popped off my damn lid tonight right after I filled the keg to the damn near top with delicious homebrew. I ended up using my racking cane and fished it out 1st try. Some pretty spectacular vocabulary flying out of the basement tonight.
that sucks but you saved the beer right? crissis everted
 

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