Catalogue of disasters

[PaulStat]

I'm not having much luck with my brewing at the moment, started about 530pm but didn't get to bed until after 1am!!! Here's what happened

(a) My manifold disconnected from the mash tun tap during the mash, which meant come sparge time it just would NOT drain! I ended up jugging it over and using a sieve.
(b) Because of the above instead of a 1056 beer I ended up with a 1040 beer
(c) After the boil I opened the ball valve on the boiler to drain into the FV and...... the hop strainer (spatter guard) failed me, once again it would NOT drain. So I had to sanitise a jug, a sieve and a funnel and jug it into the FV.
(d) I was aiming for 25L but got 22L, which I suppose isn't too bad considering

I'm knackered today!!! If the beer doesn't develop an infection it'll be a miracle. It is however happily bubbling away now this morning so I suppose that's something

[clogwog]

Sorry to read of your disasters. I guess we all have them from time to time.

The issue is:
Did you enjoy yourself? Did you sink a few of your finest during the proceedings?

[booldawg]

Its all about overcoming the problems which you have done sufficiently. It'll be beer in the end!

[PaulStat]

Sorry to read of your disasters. I guess we all have them from time to time.

The issue is:
Did you enjoy yourself? Did you sink a few of your finest during the proceedings?

Yeah had my mate round last night as well to teach him how to brew, I did have a few of my own! I think I enjoyed it right up to the point where I really wanted to get to bed

Its all about overcoming the problems which you have done sufficiently. It'll be beer in the end!

Yeah hopefully, like I said I'm just hoping it doesn't develop an infection

[PaulStat]

a) + b) - have a ritchies mashing and sparging bag handy, if you get a stuck mash and can't clear it in 5 mins, don't persevere with it getting into a sweat, hang the bag in a fermenter with a tap, carefully dump the goods in and sparge away, i've never known a stuck mash using these bags, £8.50 can save you a lot of heart ache and a few hours sleep.

c) a copper tube with lots of 3mm holes makes an excellent hop strainer for whole hops, i've never had one block, it'll be worth using one just to get yourself back on the right track before looking into a new design for a mesh type strainer.

An (23L) auto siphon will help if you get another blockage. Allow the hops and trub to settle, set the siphon unit a couple inches below the liquid and pump to get it stated, keep lowering the siphon as the level drops and stop when it stats to suck up hops or it blocks, then you'll only have a few litres to deal with.

Jug them out into a 5L plastic water bottle (or 2 as required), pitch your yeast in to the bulk of the wort, have a cup of tea and a fag, watch a bit of telly/read Jims Beer Kit, check on the 5L bottle and decant off the wort when you can into your fermenter.

Thanks, I obviously need to invest in some emergency equipment then! I do need to improve my system, I need to find a way to actually screw the manifold onto the drum tap of the mash tun so that it doesn't come out so easily, I'd also like to have an improved hop strainer, but I'm not sure what my options are for a burco boiler. To be fair that is the first time the rolled up spatter guard has failed me

[grmills]

You wouldn't be at all surprised if you get an infection, I wouldn't be at all surprised if you don't. The performance you've just been through is the sort of thing I used to put up with fairly regularly, and never resulted in infection. It's for reasons of convenience that I've built a complete new system, not fear of infection.

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I'm Mr Perfect

[grmills]

I'm Mr Perfect

Sorry, this wasn't what I was trying to get across. I'm sure that there's plenty wrong with my beer but I like it and that's what counts in my book. I was trying express an alternative view to the obsessive cleanliness which is pushed on this and other forums (fora?), which in my experience (maybe 60 or 70 AG brews) is largely a waste of time and effort.

Vodka mouthwash before syphoning anyone?

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I'm Mr Perfect

Sorry, this wasn't what I was trying to get across. I'm sure that there's plenty wrong with my beer but I like it and that's what counts in my book. I was trying express an alternative view to the obsessive cleanliness which is pushed on this and other forums (fora?), which in my experience (maybe 60 or 70 AG brews) is largely a waste of time and effort.

Vodka mouthwash before syphoning anyone?

I totally agree, I've been brewing for 25 years and never had an infection, most of the time I just steam out the fermenters with the final 10 mins of the boil.
The only thing I sterilise properly is the bottles and kegs. Regarding the syphon pipe, I wipe my mouth and suck.
I've been to some micro breweries and was alarmed how grubby they look.

Dont let steralization become an obbsession!

John

[gr_baker]

Funnily enough the only times I've ever had a problem with infected brews was back in the days when I used one of those bags to do my mashing in. I used to find that no matter how hard I tried I could not sterilise them properly and they would only be good for 3 brews before needing to be changed. I've not had the problem since I changed to plastic/metal mash tun.

[196osh]

Because the mash is pre boil it does not need to be sanitised.

So odds are the bag was not the cause of your issues.

[gr_baker]

Maybe you're right but I prefer to sanitise the mash tun. I only have time to do 5 or 6 brews in a year. When I get the mash tun and boiler out, there are often spots of mould growing in place and a musty smell. I just feel easier scrubbing that all off and letting the santiser do its work for 30 minutes before I start using anything. But even with that I never get infections that I got a lot with a bag.

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Maybe you're right but I prefer to sanitise the mash tun. I only have time to do 5 or 6 brews in a year. When I get the mash tun and boiler out, there are often spots of mould growing in place and a musty smell. I just feel easier scrubbing that all off and letting the santiser do its work for 30 minutes before I start using anything. But even with that I never get infections that I got a lot with a bag.

10 gallon every 3 weeks here, I've got my father hooked on Guinness..
It's what makes brewing worthwhile to me, people enjoying it. He's 72 and never drank in the house or went out much over the years, now he's tasted my stout he's hooked

[PaulStat]

Well kegged it today, it tastes ok, hopefully if were going to have developed an infection it would of done so already? Slightly odd smell to it maybe but hopefully I'm wrong