Fail thread (mistakes you’ve made 2021)

[NBillett09]

@Classic Brewing Co I did expect the longer fermentation as the recipe advised but having reached the 7-10 day mark, 17 gravity points seems like a long way to go particularly at the tail end of the predicted fermentation period when you’d expect the yeast to have slowed right down. Mayhaps ill be pleasantly surprised!

[Classic Brewing Co]

Just now, NBillett09 said:

@Classic Brewing Co I did expect the longer fermentation as the recipe advised but having reached the 7-10 day mark, 17 gravity points seems like a long way to go particularly at the tail end of the predicted fermentation period when you’d expect the yeast to have slowed right down. Mayhaps ill be pleasantly surprised!

Yeah, when the krausen disappears into the wort you think the yeast has stalled but I kept checking my temperature regularly & it didn't go below 20-22c & this was brewed at ambient temperature.

 

[Oldbloke]

18 minutes ago, NBillett09 said:

Temp was definitely stable at 19 and then at 20.

I have upped it to 22 now. Ill see what happens by tomorrow afternoon. If it hasn’t dropped SG at all, then perhaps a dash of sugar and a coopers yeast thereafter.

thanks @Oldblokeand @Classic Brewing Co

Precisely what I would do.

[NBillett09]

Onya @Oldbloke : ) 

[NBillett09]

Out of interest when adding sugar in a brew, does it make much of a difference whether it’s white/brown/raw etc?

[Oldbloke]

21 minutes ago, NBillett09 said:

Out of interest when adding sugar in a brew, does it make much of a difference whether it’s white/brown/raw etc?

Brown has molasses in it. Raw also has some.  Molasses is very slow to ferment. It effects taste too. Ive just started a stout with 100g of molasses to modify the flavout a bit.

 

I would not use brown or raw it in this case.  I would just use table/white sugar. It's a good fast fermenter. Caster or icing sugar is the same at white I think. Just finely ground. But i might get corrected there.

 

Edit: near bottom of the page. 

 https://www.aussiehomebrewing.com/HomeBrewingTips/AlternativeBrewingSugars.html

Edited March 6, 2023 by Oldbloke
Link added

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

48 minutes ago, NBillett09 said:

Out of interest when adding sugar in a brew, does it make much of a difference whether it’s white/brown/raw etc?

If upping the temp doesn't work I would just add more yeast and forget the extra sugar. It's already a high gravity brew.  Either would still work and the choice Is yours to make.

[Oldbloke]

19 minutes ago, Uhtred Of Beddanburg said:

If upping the temp doesn't work I would just add more yeast and forget the extra sugar. It's already a high gravity brew.  Either would still work and the choice Is yours to make.

My thought was that the additional sugar would help the new yeast Ark up. 

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

8 minutes ago, Oldbloke said:

My thought was that the additional sugar would help the new yeast Ark up. 

yes it probably will help it go faster you are right. I was more thinking if it was already strong enough for him it would still work without it.  Going by it already having un fermented sugars to eat.

[Cheap Charlie]

9 hours ago, beach_life said:

12 year old computer died - last beersmith back up was from 08/2021

All good mate, rip the HDD out and copy the data.. shame you have to fork out for a new one though

 

[Cheap Charlie]

Favourite glass, changing music ffs

It was an old one, Cooper's with an apostrophe.. I'm guessing worth something.. not sure how old.

Edited March 6, 2023 by Cheap Charlie

[RDT2]

3 hours ago, NBillett09 said:

@Classic Brewing Co I did expect the longer fermentation as the recipe advised but having reached the 7-10 day mark, 17 gravity points seems like a long way to go particularly at the tail end of the predicted fermentation period when you’d expect the yeast to have slowed right down. Mayhaps ill be pleasantly surprised!

Have you checked your hydrometer for accuracy and how much yeast did you pitch?

Have you tasted it to see if it’s sweet etc.

I have just used so4 in a stout of 1050 and it’s back to 1012 now and I only pitched it on Friday. Very quick I have lifted it to 22 now and will cold crash in a few days then keg for st pats!

I did a breakfast stout with SO4 that would of been around your sg maybe higher but I used a yeast cake to make sure there was plenty of yeast.

Edited March 6, 2023 by RDT2

[NBillett09]

@RDT2 yeah it’s brand new glass one from KegLand, I checked it and it’s perfect. I bought it because I found all 3 of the coopers ones I had were all slightly off (each by a different amount…)

I packet of yeast 11.5g, it’s only an 8.5L batch. 
I tasted the sample this morning. Strong chai, slightly chocolate, quite sweet. Not bad, but not quite like beer yet.

Edited March 6, 2023 by NBillett09

[Graculus]

11 hours ago, beach_life said:

12 year old computer died - last beersmith back up was from 08/2021

Pull the hard drive out. When you get a new computer buy a SATA dock off ebay

You may be able to get just a cable, I'm not sure though

See if you can pull the info off

Please ask if you need some help

Edited March 6, 2023 by Graculus

[Classic Brewing Co]

2 hours ago, Cheap Charlie said:

Favourite glass, changing music ffs

Ahhh! sacrilege do not break a Coopers Glass. 

[Cheap Charlie]

7 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Ahhh! sacrilege do not break a Coopers Glass. 

I'm thinking Cooper's with an apostrophe was from many years ago, a mate of mine speculates 40 years?

[Classic Brewing Co]

Just now, Cheap Charlie said:

I'm thinking Cooper's with an apostrophe was from many years ago, a mate of mine speculates 40 years?

Possibly, I have quite a few of them from years gone by but I have also broken the odd one 

[Cheap Charlie]

2 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Possibly, I have quite a few of them from years gone by but I have also broken the odd one 

It's a shame, it was the only glass I had with the Cooper's logo.. I have a few more Coopers glasses btw

[ben 10]

9 hours ago, Graculus said:

See if you can pull the info off

Nahh, it's all good, pretty sure the drive is cactus. I have everything I want apart from a beersmith back up.

[iBooz2]

Damn it Janet!

Opened up my keg chest freezer to put in an fresh keg and bloody hell it was flooded with my Coopers Sparkling Tonic Amber Ale and I have lost the whole keg.   Pic shows all other kegs removed for washing down,  old red towel in the bottom I use for soaking up any keg condensate under normal use on account of lifting the lid all the time to pour a beer.

Turns out this was the exact same keg that partially leaked last time causing me grief and an afternoon of cleaning up.  Back then I caught it much sooner and suspected it was the Pluto gun's fault.  Not this time as the evidence from the crime scene, (or should I grime scene), showed spray droplets near where the beer out post was so suspect the ball lock connector has not mated with the post properly, although it was pouring a beer or two OK.   Now this keg was given to me secondhand and I replaced all the seals and "O" rings on posts and dip tubes etc. but suspect that there is a subtle difference in the beer out post and gas in post design as I also lost about 2/3 of my 6 kg gas bottle as it was empty too.  Another afternoon of cleaning up and bleaching the inside of my keezer.

This keg is a genuine Cornelius keg made in the USA called a Super Champion.

I will order some new dip tubes and posts form KL and hopefully they will fit the opening holes in the Cornelius and I will be able to refurbish this keg.  Anyone else had any experience with genuine cornies and replacing dip tubes and posts with generic ones?

Edited April 29, 2023 by iBooz2

[kmar92]

Wow @iBooz2 quite a mess, almost looks like a red ale! Fortunate, I guess, that it was in a chest freezer rather than an upright.

[Oldbloke]

That's a bummer. 

[Shamus O'Sean]

4 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Damn it Janet!

Opened up my keg chest freezer to put in an fresh keg and bloody hell it was flooded with my Coopers Sparkling Tonic Amber Ale and I have lost the whole keg.   Pic shows all other kegs removed for washing down,  old red towel in the bottom I use for soaking up any keg condensate under normal use on account of lifting the lid all the time to pour a beer.

Turns out this was the exact same keg that partially leaked last time causing me grief and an afternoon of cleaning up.  Back then I caught it much sooner and suspected it was the Pluto gun's fault.  Not this time as the evidence from the crime scene, (or should I grime scene), showed spray droplets near where the beer out post was so suspect the ball lock connector has not mated with the post properly, although it was pouring a beer or two OK.   Now this keg was given to me secondhand and I replaced all the seals and "O" rings on posts and dip tubes etc. but suspect that there is a subtle difference in the beer out post and gas in post design as I also lost about 2/3 of my 6 kg gas bottle as it was empty too.  Another afternoon of cleaning up and bleaching the inside of my keezer.

This keg is a genuine Cornelius keg made in the USA called a Super Champion.

I will order some new dip tubes and posts form KL and hopefully they will fit the opening holes in the Cornelius and I will be able to refurbish this keg.  Anyone else had any experience with genuine cornies and replacing dip tubes and posts with generic ones?

My worst nightmare.  Especially with an upright Series X kegerator, in the lounge room, on cream carpet.  An issue like this would see the kegerator banished to the garage (at best).

I got some second-hand kegs recently.  Not sure of their history.  However, 2 of them had leaks from the beer out posts.  These were not very noticeable until I pressure tested the kegs empty.  If you have a litre or 2 of sanitiser or beer in the keg, and pressurise it, the sanitiser/beer will push up the beer out tube and very slowly leak from the beer out post.  It will be barely noticeable.  Once the sanitiser/beer is pushed out, then tell-tale gas bubbles will appear.  In my case, the beer posts were old and battered and seemed to have at least one tiny groove on the inside of the hole where the poppet sits.  For one, I used a second-hand beer out post that fitted the thread.  Plus added new seals.  And was all good.  The other, I used a brand new generic beer out post from Kegland.  It fitted the thread.  Plus new seals and again was all good. 

Coincidentally, subjecting one of those kegs to 40psi of carbonating pressure right now.  Hopefully I do not find beer on the carpet tomorrow morning.

[Kegory]

I had a cunning plan.

Back in March when I was planning my first purchases and my first brews it all seemed so simple. Four easy, basic brews first up to gain hands on experience and, hopefully, make most of my mistakes. Then I could try making some interesting, more complicated beers.

It didn't turn out that way at all. Whilst not perfect I don't think I made any actual mistakes in my first four brews. They were all "by the book."

Instead, it seems I saved up all of my mistakes for brew 5. First, I forgot to take a gravity reading, leading to an extra day of dry hopping. Oh, well, I'll learn from that, I figured.

Next, as I was bottling the hop sock quite unhelpfully decided it would float across to the front of the fermenter above the tap. I managed to float it back a couple of times but it was determined to block the tap. Just before I filled the last few bottles I grabbed one of the paddles and pushed it back out of the way. But I forgot to sanitize the paddle. Oh, well, only the last four bottles are at risk.

It was only after I'd finished bottling everything that I realized I'd forgotten to sanitize the tap before inserting the wand. 

Hopefully I'll get away with it but it's disappointing to make all my mistakes on the fifth brew. I'd hoped to have ironed them out by then.

[Oldbloke]

"was only after I'd finished bottling everything that I realized I'd forgotten to sanitize the tap before inserting the wand. "

 

I never bother. Just rinse/ clean. Perhaps 1/10 gets a soak in bleach.