Things I've learned after my third Home Brew

[Aaron Rennie]

So tonight was the night I kegged my Wilko IPA and brewed a triple Hopped IPA kit (with dry malt instead of sugar and needs dry hopping in a few days), and there were a few things I've learned:

1, Screw bottles can not be capped. They break. FULL STOP. Stop being cheap and buy some bottles, you'll only end up wasting beer.

1(a) think through every action and don't act on impulse. Poring the other 5 bottles into your keg that you have filled into screw tops is a really good idea, until you allow your slow brain (reference to the book thinking fast and slow) to engage and realise it will oxygenated your keg. I assume this may not end well. The slug in the drain is now having 'the best night ever'.

2, The wife loves home brew more than me. The kitchen is mopped and cleaned twice in one night. Once before to get EVERYTHING ready and once again after to stop her moaning. Turns out the avoidance of a moan has proven to deliver brownie points.

3, There is a reason why you drink home brew while brewing. The reason, in my personal opinion, is that it acts as a constant reminder how good it tastes. The human race has a very sort memory. Without the constant reminder how good it was, I would have stopped at filling the fermenter with warm water and chained it off.

4, I'm sure there are more leasons I could reflect on but I'm 3 pints in, and a little hazy.

Oh, one final lesson. Put the lid on before doing anything. I've just flicked the bull dog clip into the 23 liters of lovelyness, that usually holds a space blanket around my fermenter. It's now sat at the bottom. Do I risk it, or plug my hand in? I went for the risk it. I'll assess when I go to put the hops in but fingers crossed.

#failinthelastminute

 

[Drunkula]

Welllll - if you could sanitise your arm, which I have done, then yeah, pull it out. This is only assuming that the clip had some crud that wouldn't immediately release - like some hard baked gunk that would get released by softening.

You don't just throw things away until they're really underway unless:
a) It stinks like vinegar.
b) It stinks like death.
c) It's a lager.

And make sure it's the right kind of death. If you think sulphur might be death then stop! Some yeasts do make them smells, sometimes if stressed from lack of nutrients, sometimes just out of spite because they're being used to make lager.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

No point in binning it now you may as well see how it turns out.

.

 

[Leon103]

And don't buy bottles. Get them free from your local pub

 

[Aaron Rennie]

And don't buy bottles. Get them free from your local pub

Are the happy to give them away, I feel a bit necky going up and asking.

 

[Mavroz]

If you use the pub and know them then there shouldn't be an issue. I have had maybe 500 bottles now over 4 months or so from a pub we use regular and I am friendly enough with the manager to buy each other beer.
If you have never used the pub and they don't know them, they may well say no..

 

[Leon103]

Are the happy to give them away, I feel a bit necky going up and asking.

Pubs pay for glass collect so you are doing them a favour.

I had all these grolsch bottles recently, even though they get a small refund on them

 

[Llamaman]

Do I risk it, or plug my hand in? I went for the risk it. I'll assess when I go to put the hops in but fingers crossed.

Mmm, Hairy Arm Ale... Been there, done that...
Worst brewing mistake.

 

[Bigjas]

I dropped my shed keys in to my fermenter just before pitching the yeast on my last brew day. I plunged my arm in to fish them out (needed to lock the shed) and was worried I had spoiled the brew. I’m now supping on a lovely keg of Porter, guess I was lucky? My shed keys and key ring are far from clean and sterile, and my arm wasn’t sterile.

 

[DavidDetroit]

Pubs pay for glass collect so you are doing them a favour.

I had all these grolsch bottles recently, even though they get a small refund on them

That photo of the Grolsch makes me jealous! It's not a big deal but I have to buy a whole four-pack if I need to replenish though I don't prefer the product in them.

 

[ukphiltr7]

Being still quite new at this game I am still using the PET bottles that I got with the kits. I find th.to be OK and quite is able. However, in saying that I have not used glass yet, but soon I will give it a go. So you never know when I try the glass, Iay never go back to plastic lol.

 

[ukphiltr7]

One thing that I have learnt is a good thing, is to get the family involved as much as possible. When brewing, the wife will help make the kits up. Even though she does not drink herself. My son and daughter likes to help wash and sanatise the bottles with the little washer I have. That way it all helps get the job done and everyone has an it erst in the results. Also you are sharing the skills that you learn.