Brewing mistakes you really wish you'd avoided...

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Getting to the boil and realising your hosepipe is frozen solid so can’t chill the wort

Oh my....!

 

[Brewnaldo]

I had planned to brew this week and had to refrain for that very reason.

Well that and having covid

 

[Boney2728]

Switching the water back on to the garage ready for brewing tomorrow. Only to realise I did not drain the pipes before the freezing weather hit and ended up with an indoor water feature. Tomorrows job is mainly replacing the olives in the compression joints which have gone.

 

[DuncR]

Not so much a brewing mistake….
Drip tray removed for cleaning on the Keezer and noted slight dripping from one of the taps. Tap spanner out, quick clockwise tighten and…. should have been anticlockwise! Beer up my arms, beer up my left nostril and over the garage wall and ceiling. Managed to close everything down by pulling out the beer disconnect.
Everything mopped and cleaned and note to self… anti-clockwise next time, even if it was very impressive to see.

 

[RichardM]

Two mistakes today. Firstly I didn't clean the rollers of my grain mill after brewing a stout last time, so the Belgian Pale I am brewing today is ver dark. Hopefully the residual dark malts on the rollers will have more effect on colour than taste. On the plus side, the rollers are nice and clean now
Second mistake, went to weigh the hops and discovered I only have 30g of Saaz, not 40 as I thought.
Oh well, it will still be beer.

 

[DuncR]

Knocked the plastic cap off the end of the filter to the pump on my G30. First noticed that cooling water wasn't particularly warm and then no output when trying to transfer into FV (plastic bucket!).
Emergency syphon at the ready and managed to rescue 20l of wort (at 35C).
On a positive note, it is a cold day and I now know the internal workings of a GF pump in side out... literally (it was very smeggy in there, and not just from todays ingested hops)

 

[Agentgonzo]

Knocked the plastic cap off the end of the filter to the pump on my G30. First noticed that cooling water wasn't particularly warm and then no output when trying to transfer into FV (plastic bucket!).
Emergency syphon at the ready and managed to rescue 20l of wort (at 35C).
On a positive note, it is a cold day and I now know the internal workings of a GF pump in side out... literally (it was very smeggy in there, and not just from todays ingested hops)

If it happens again, you can temporarily clear the blockage by stopping the pump and blowing back through the output pipe. This can clear the hops from the pump. You'll have a hard job re-attaching the filter at this point and If you turn the pump on, it'll just clog again. but you can do a whirlpool, let it settle for 15 minutes and then turn the pump on and it'll mostly not suck hops in again.

David Heath has some hints in his videos to help against accidentally knocking off the filter or cap.

That reminds me, I should look at tearing down my pump and giving it a thorough clean.

 

[DuncR]

If it happens again, you can temporarily clear the blockage by stopping the pump and blowing back through the output pipe. This can clear the hops from the pump. You'll have a hard job re-attaching the filter at this point and If you turn the pump on, it'll just clog again. but you can do a whirlpool, let it settle for 15 minutes and then turn the pump on and it'll mostly not suck hops in again.

David Heath has some hints in his videos to help against accidentally knocking off the filter or cap.

That reminds me, I should look at tearing down my pump and giving it a thorough clean.

Blew, coughed, spluttered, swore and blew again. Even tried stomping around my garage looking really annoyed. The impellor was totally chocked with diced hops .

 

[Sozzled Sab]

Buying an AIO! 11brews in and still can't get decent beer out of the damn thing.
3v system which served me well for many years is going to get dusted down and put back in to service.

 

[sifty]

Had a blockage in my BZ last brew, minor panic but blowing backwards cleared things. Afterwards I opened things up to inspect for the first time (35 brews done). They are really simple, just a plastic impeller driven by magnets. Nothing too bad in there, just some discoloured silicone hoses (that I have spares for in case of rupture) I normally circulate some pbw post-brew that seems to keep it clear, might look at a gauze filter on the pump inlet...

 

[MashBag]

Buying an AIO! 11brews in and still can't get decent beer out of the damn thing.
3v system which served me well for many years is going to get dusted down and put back in to service.

I have often wondered if someone would post that. Gotta ask which one & why?

 

[Omega]

Leaving things unattended... I wanted to pressurise kegs after cleaning. Only I forgot to put air release valve in the right position and lost all my CO2...

 

[Sozzled Sab]

I have often wondered if someone would post that. Gotta ask which one & why?

It's a Brewzilla 3.1.1. All my brews seem to overshoot target og by a country mile but fg is usually about right. The brew usually turns out darker than I expected, a bit cloudy and with very little hop flavour or aroma. I have got mash temp spot on now but no difference.
I used my 3v system for 15 years with none of the above problems. I just make simple ales/bitters.
I will post a thread on this when I find my notes which seem to have disappeared into thin air.

 

[Paulcford]

Had a blockage in my BZ last brew, minor panic but blowing backwards cleared things. Afterwards I opened things up to inspect for the first time (35 brews done). They are really simple, just a plastic impeller driven by magnets. Nothing too bad in there, just some discoloured silicone hoses (that I have spares for in case of rupture) I normally circulate some pbw post-brew that seems to keep it clear, might look at a gauze filter on the pump inlet...View attachment 93223

Hi Sifty, sorry but I do not know what your BZ is, could you give me the make and model number please?

 

[sifty]

It's a 3.1.1.
Pretty easy to get at pump for inspection, remove bottom plate and a few screws...

 

[Paulcford]

It's a 3.1.1.
Pretty easy to get at pump for inspection, remove bottom plate and a few screws...

Thank you

 

[DuncR]

Yep, I was presently surprised how easy the pumps are to dismantle. I expected lots of springs flying across the garage with suitable bad language!
Four screws and happy days

 

[Twostage]

The outdoor tap I use for the chiller is also used for washing cars, filling buckets etc. After one brew I forgot to swap the hose back and the Missus flooded the brew shed trying to wash the car. Luckily it's a concrete floor so just dried on it's own.

 

[RichardM]

The outdoor tap I use for the chiller is also used for washing cars, filling buckets etc. After one brew I forgot to swap the hose back and the Missus flooded the brew shed trying to wash the car. Luckily it's a concrete floor so just dried on it's own.

That's not a brewing mistake of yours, it's a car washing mistake by your wife

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Four screws and happy days

Ah, those were the days...