Common brewing practices you’ve never done

[Sadfield]

I wonder if there's a correlation between not having studied a detailed water analysis and worrying about trace chemicals in no rinse sanitisers?

 

[An Ankoù]

Never used recipe software. Don't see how you're supposed to learn to formulate a recipe if you let some dodgy machine do all the fun stuff! Remember the Cylons, huh?
Never used a blowoff tube. Sure The Wise One insists I stick one end of a length of garden hose under the duvet and the other end out of the bedroom window after a night out on the andouillette vindaloo, but that's another matter.

 

[strange-steve]

I wonder if there's a correlation between not having studied a detailed water analysis and worrying about trace chemicals in no rinse sanitisers?

We live in a very chemophobic society, mostly down to ignorance I think. Reminds me of this reddit post:

 

[PhilBrew]

Checked pH.

... nor me, I've never checked a mash pH ... I've also never measured a gravity of any wort until it was in a FV (either about to have yeast pitched or after pitching to check on fermentation progress, never during brewday before "about to pitch" stage)

Cheers, PhilB

 

[DavidDetroit]

Remember the Cylons, huh?

funny.

 

[An Ankoù]

Sodium Percarbonate, followed by a rinse. Starsan is no-rinse, so it stays in whatever you are sanitising. To be honest, I said it tounge in cheek, though it is true that I never use it.

I've never used Starsan either, but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't rinse if you want to.

 

[DavidDetroit]

Widespread and/or reasonably common that I haven't done?
1.Blow off tube because I use a large enough fermenting vessel. I can't see losing any beer.
2. Beer fining agents used to make beer clear.
3. Using electricity to keep the beer at a certain temp. No electric gadgets at all.
4. That cylinder you fill with a few ounces to check gravity. I sanitize the hydrometer and put it in the FV.
5. Multiple FG readings. I check gravity when I make it and three weeks later.
6. I don't re hydrate yeast or make starters.
7. I don't do no-boil or short-boil. Sixty minutes every time.
8. Tap and bottled water only. I have no idea what my water composition is.
9. Expensive SS and the rest of that.

 

[peebee]

On sodium percarbonate …

… IIRC you need to be using c10g/L for 30 minutes …

That does seem a lot? I've seen some suggestions of a teaspoon a litre (3g-ish), but have come across 10g a litre too. Even 30g per litre for cleaning decking!

I have found using it strong and hot (only 8-10g per litre but at 70-80C) does strip some (what I thought to be) permanent brown staining off my stainless steel vessels. Dodgy stuff, but not as dodgy as sodium hydroxide.

Here's a scan of the label on my bag of the stuff ... 100g per litre!!!

But not forgetting what this thread is about:

I've never used a decent guide of the amount of sodium percarbonate to use as a brewery cleaner.

(But I need to find one quick 'cos I've found myself with loads of the stuff!).

As for everything else; if I've known about it, I've probably tried it.

 

[Crappyfish]

What's water treatment. Lol
Never really looked at the contents of a hop just bought what there is as long as the names right.

 

[Sadfield]

@peebee I could well be wrong as it hard to find a definitive answer as some instructions are for cleaning, some for bleaching, but little for sanitizing and even then it depends on what microbes the end user is trying to remove. I found the following concerning hydrogen peroxide, which states 3% for 150 minutes contact time, which may help if you can work back to how much is produced by sodium percarbonate.Chemical Disinfectants | Disinfection & Sterilization Guidelines | Guidelines Library | Infection Control | CDC

 

[Clint]

In work we sanitise everything with industrial alcohols...gallons of the stuff!All quite horrible...

 

[Edison]

I’ve never brewed an extract beer, went straight from kits to AG,
Never brewed on a 3v system,
Never done a decoction mash step,
Never used an airlock (used to have an ill-fitting lid on a bucket, when I upgraded to SS I forgot to order one so made a blow off instead. Second ever beer what a wheat beer and I definitely needed it then!)
Never used a plate or counterflow chiller,
Not (yet) brewed a sour/brett.
No longer use any finings in the FV.
Not dispensed a beer under nitrogen or used a stout tap.

 

[foxy]

I have never used rice hulls, if I did I would wash them thoroughly, one of the most chemically sprayed cereal crops around. Here in Australia we produce a lot of rice, some of the hulls go into fodder but gets a bloody good wash before processing.
I do get complacent with the pH meter but never with the hydrometer. One day there will be a stuck ferment.
Wouldn't let anyone mill my grains.
I don't use finings and wouldn't call it a common brewing practice.
Everything else I do dry hop, rack to secondary, blow off tube with receiver, alkaline clean prior to acid sanitiser, no rinse.

 

[nixhaz]

I've never remembered to close the tap on my kettle when transferring hot wort into it. Plan to do this sometime. :tinhat:

 

[feemackenzie]

Never brewed Brew in a Bag or All Grain.....
The first one will be this weekend

Never brewed mead either

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Never been consistent!

Mostly because I just have to “improve” the recipe each time.

 

[DCBC]

I've never remembered to close the tap on my kettle when transferring hot wort into it. Plan to do this sometime. :tinhat:

This was a bit like me on my last brewday a week ago. 1.5" triclamp butterfly tap fully open when I disconnected the cam lock. Must have lost a good three pints all over the floor (and myself).

 

[Buffers brewery]

Never brewed a kit!

 

[AdeDunn]

So many it's not worth listing them all.... lol

 

[Druss]

Never had any spillages or made any significant mess when doing an AG brew.

Granted, I've only done four individual gallons of AG to date and they've all been in the last couple of weeks...but I think that's pretty good going