# What have you dropped into the Fermenter?



## ManVsBeer (23/7/14)

I have an old coleslaw container from Woolies that has ended up as my Hop Transferring Device (HTD). Whilst dry hopping tonight, the HTD fell out of my hand and fell upside down into the Krausen.

The HTD was sprayed with Starsan on the inside, but the outside..... I poured a home brew, relaxed and had a laugh. 

Anyhow, what have you dropped into your fermenter and how did it turn out?


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## hellbent (23/7/14)

the O Ring from the cube lid


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## MastersBrewery (23/7/14)

my sons hands, and I'm sure they'd been all over the floor the dog and cat and in his mouth, somehow the brew survived!!


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## Lodan (23/7/14)

A spoon or two which never bothered me. Somehow lost a tea towel in a batch once, don't ask me why I had a towel near it!
Never an infection thankfully


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## ManVsBeer (23/7/14)

Skanky hands and tea towels :lol:.​ They say brewing beer is forgiving.


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## Scooby Tha Newbie (23/7/14)

Stir bars from growing up yeast. And they are really hard to find again.


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## Black Devil Dog (23/7/14)

Scooby Tha Newbie said:


> Stir bars from growing up yeast. And they are really hard to find again.


Yep, written a few post-it notes and stuck them on fermenters as reminder to retrieve stir bar.


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## mxd (23/7/14)

hellbent said:


> the O Ring from the cube lid


too many times for me


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## Mardoo (24/7/14)

Stainless steel scrubbie. No idea how it got in there. Last I saw it was in my bucket of Starsan.


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## H0U5ECAT (24/7/14)

Half litre jar of honey, lid and all.
Thankfully I had the jar immersed in hot water to soften the honey prior.

I won't know for three months if the cider is going to be a turf or any good.


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## sponge (24/7/14)

Black Devil Dog said:


> Yep, written a few post-it notes and stuck them on fermenters as reminder to retrieve stir bar.


I've had big black marker writing all over a couple of fermenters which seem to be magnets for stir bars (no pun intended... or was there?).

Then I just use a rare earth magnet to fish it back out.

Otherwise I have dropped the yeast nutrient pack from a smackpack into the fermenter and upon seeing it, my mate who was there panicked and heroically fished it out with his hand. Nice fella... beer still turned out decent enough though.

Then there's the occasional cube o-ring and my HTD (stainless bowl).

There was one time I cut my hand on a kit tin when I was starting out and bled into the brew. I didn't serve it to anyone but myself, and remember it being pretty sub-par... along with most of my beers back then.


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## Dan Pratt (24/7/14)

ManVsBeer said:


> .......... I poured a home brew, relaxed and had a laugh.


Thats excellent! :super:


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## i-a-n (24/7/14)

My specs. I'm still not used to having to use them 10 years down the road.


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## Not For Horses (24/7/14)

A plate of biscuits and cheese. First and last time I used gladwrap on my big FVs.


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## oakburner (24/7/14)

USB drive.... oh well it was only work stuff....


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## oakburner (24/7/14)

have always hated shirts with pockets.....


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## mje1980 (24/7/14)

Not For Horses said:


> A plate of biscuits and cheese. First and last time I used gladwrap on my big FVs.


******* genius mate. Brewing a beer with a cheese platter already in it. The hipsters will go nuts for it 


Serve it in a jar on a cheese platter for full effect


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (24/7/14)

Had the 21 month old poke the cling wrap on my fermenter in the laundry (I had 3 in there, only 2 fit on the bench, so one on the floor).


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## 431neb (24/7/14)

I didn't drop it in as such but I came back from the pub to my chilled wort and started to drain to the fermenter when a sneaky little Nelson flower blocked my pickup. Being lazy and a little over-refreshed I promptly cleared it by - and please keep your mind out of the gutter - by blowing up the drain hose.

The flow resumed and I pitched ASAP. Guess what?! No infection!! 

Another brewing whilst drinking adventure brought to you by 431.

It just occurred to me that I may have innoculated it with the coopers yeast from the pub.


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## MartinOC (24/7/14)

H0U5ECAT said:


> Half litre jar of honey, lid and all.
> I won't know for three months if the cider is going to be a turf or any good.


GO!!!! The Cyser! Magnificent Pantie-dropper if ever there was one! 

'Hope it works for you ('can't seeing it not doing-so)


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## Asha05 (25/7/14)

A strainer, about 20 mins ago. Was trying to keep alll the hop matter out, 
lucky I sanitized the srrainer and was in there for all of 10 seconds...


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## Dave70 (25/7/14)

A digital thermometer.

Then my monocle (lucky it was on a chain..)


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## Edgebrew (25/7/14)

My stir bar when puring in my starter ... Every time so far. Bah!


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## Beer Ninja (25/7/14)

Just leaning over my fermenter as I was topping up with water and the pair of reading glasses I had propped on my forehead dropped into the wort and sank to the bottom.

I thought about it for a few seconds - do I leave them in and risk contamination or get them out and risk contamination. Seemed an even bet. Panicked, rinsed hand and arm up to elbow in the bowl of diluted StarSan I had at hand (didn't wait long enough for StarSan to take effect I'm sure) and delved in.

So now it's just a matter of wait and see....


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## manticle (25/7/14)

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/81618-what-have-you-dropped-into-the-fermenter/


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## Beer Ninja (25/7/14)

manticle said:


> http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/81618-what-have-you-dropped-into-the-fermenter/


Ah OK .... Maybe merge my post?


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## manticle (25/7/14)

Done


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## mje1980 (25/7/14)

Manticle, does your merging power extend beyond the internet?, I could see a great future ahead if so. Imagine manticle, on opera, she's holding an old antique tea pot. She passes it to manticle, who chants his merging chakra and whoosh!, it's back on one piece. I bet the crowd would go wild. Wild indeed


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## sponge (25/7/14)

You've been inside too long, Mark.


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## mje1980 (25/7/14)

Well, it would've been awesome to have manticle merge my knee cap instead of a shitload of wire 

But yes, you're probably right.


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## sponge (25/7/14)

Post your knee cap in the wrong thread and let Manticle shine.


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## geneabovill (25/7/14)

Had a kitten crawl in through the airlock one time.


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## Porkchop (1/8/14)

Ruckus said:


> Had a kitten crawl in through the airlock one time.


that'll learn ya for not keeping a Rottweiler in you airlock.


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## Dan Pratt (1/8/14)

Hops....alot of hops!!


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## boybrewer (1/8/14)

Try this one . Was brewing the best ever Golden Strong . Placed it in the fermenter transferring to the ferm fridge slipped on wet ground buried my head into the inside lip of the fermenter , where I cut my scalp in not one but three places and dripped blood into it . Sorry didn't slip I was pissed is more like it but the ground was wet .


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## JonathanD (11/5/17)

Just had the o ring from a cube fall into my fermenter. After reading all of your experiences I'm no longer worried, it could have been worse.


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## Grott (11/5/17)

The whole tin of Coopers English Bitter into dissolved liquid malt. F.....'n sticky mess.


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## flocculated (12/5/17)

A souvenir fridge magnet from Prague. 

I had my cube on the fridge shelf and was siphoning the wort out into the fermenter. I rested my head on the (closed) freezer door and knocked the magnet into the fermenter. I quickly grabbed it out. No infection.

It was an ESB, but I'm sure in a few retellings it will eventually become a Pilsener.


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## droid (12/5/17)

stir bars for me


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## Mr B (12/5/17)

JonathanD said:


> Just had the o ring from a cube fall into my fermenter. After reading all of your experiences I'm no longer worried, it could have been worse.


Yeah i've done that.

I got it out eventually, turns out they float.

Also turns out you can be remarkably sensitive feeling about in a batch of wort for a small object under a layer of foam to find it.


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## dirtynidge (14/6/17)

Mr B said:


> Yeah i've done that.
> 
> I got it out eventually, turns out they float.
> 
> Also turns out you can be remarkably sensitive feeling about in a batch of wort for a small object under a layer of foam to find it.



Yep, I've just done the same, bloody white seal, never even saw it was stuck to top of cube threads. 
What's the consensus - try and fish it out or just leave it be?


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## Andy_27 (14/6/17)

Bloody stir bars again! Yesterday, I was about to pour in my yeast then remembered 'The stir bar!!' So I ran back to the house and got my magnet. Placed magnet next to stir bar, poured yeast, plop into the wort goes stir bar.... wtf?!?! several curses later and now I have to remember to find it when I empty the FV into the bath before it goes down the drain. Ah well.. shit happens I guess!


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## Rocker1986 (14/6/17)

Stir bars here too, just fished one out of the empty fermenter today. Actually, I didn't, I left it in there so it can soak in the perc with the fermenter  I clean/rinse the fermenter in a stainless steel tub so the stir bars just stick to the tub anyway and never get lost down the drain. Totally forgot it'd dropped in there 4 weeks ago until I heard something rattling around in the FV today while rinsing the trub out.


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## mongey (27/1/19)

Damn it. Last night . After a bunch beers decided to a hydro test my saison that had been on a week. Removed airlock , took sample , when putting airlock in for some drunken reason decided to push it in a bit further than usual and the grommet popped out and fell into the beer. Fell straight to bottom so at least had enough sense not to try to fish it out. 

Guessing it will be fine.


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## wide eyed and legless (28/1/19)

A shirt.


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## JDW81 (28/1/19)

Nothing that hasn't been intended.

There's a few things I am meticulous with, and what goes into my fermenter is one of them (yeast and sanitisation are also notable inclusions). I've been brewing for 10 years this year, and have never had an infected batch, and don't intend to ruin my record by dropping unwatned items into my fermenter.



wide eyed and legless said:


> A shirt.



That's easily fixed, brew naked - its the only way to go!


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## wide eyed and legless (28/1/19)

I was just relieved it wasn't my under crackers.


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## JDW81 (28/1/19)

wide eyed and legless said:


> I was just relieved it wasn't my under crackers.


Once again, if you aren't wearing any, there's no risk of them falling in!!


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## Wobbly74 (30/1/19)

If there's a market for beer made with the yeast from a lady's nether regions then there may be one for a farmhouse under cracker saison with added funk...


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## PTG (31/1/19)

Ha ha ha yeast infection saison thats gold.


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## captnhaddock (1/2/19)

PTG said:


> Ha ha ha yeast infection saison thats gold.



Sure why not? Rogue Brewing's "Beard Beer" uses yeast cultivated from the head brewers beard.


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## beer gut (15/2/19)

My first go at AG was in November and was my second attempt at home brew after a Coopers kit about 10 years back tasted bad.

Mini BIAB with Big W 19l pot, everything went pretty good until I went to put the airlock into the fermenter pushing the grommet through the lid into the wort. In a panic I grabbed the (unsanitized) mash potatoes mashed and fished it out.

Ten days later I had some bad smelling off tasting beer that went down the sink.


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## wide eyed and legless (15/2/19)

beer gut said:


> My first go at AG was in November and was my second attempt at home brew after a Coopers kit about 10 years back tasted bad.
> 
> Mini BIAB with Big W 19l pot, everything went pretty good until I went to put the airlock into the fermenter pushing the grommet through the lid into the wort. In a panic I grabbed the (unsanitized) mash potatoes mashed and fished it out.
> 
> Ten days later I had some bad smelling off tasting beer that went down the sink.


The mashed potatoes would have been sanitised from the boil, or had you already added milk and butter?


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## beer gut (15/2/19)

wide eyed and legless said:


> The mashed potatoes would have been sanitised from the boil, or had you already added milk and butter?



Just noticed I typed mash potato mashed instead of masher (bloody autocorrect)

It was “clean” out of the drawer, I suppose it could have been infected another way but I am just guessing that was the cause.


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## wide eyed and legless (15/2/19)

beer gut said:


> Just noticed I typed mash potato mashed instead of masher (bloody autocorrect)
> 
> It was “clean” out of the drawer, I suppose it could have been infected another way but I am just guessing that was the cause.


Guessed that was the case, no spuds involved. I was only joking.


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## brewgasm (16/2/19)

Wobbly74 said:


> If there's a market for beer made with the yeast from a lady's nether regions then there may be one for a farmhouse under cracker saison with added funk...


It's been done a few times all claiming to be the first lol


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## Milhouse (16/2/19)

Not quite dropping something in the fermenter but I did a good one today - one I'm sure a lot of you have done.

Whilst filling up my fermenter I realised I had left the tap open, only realising after about a litre of wort was spilled on the laundry floor...


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## brewgasm (16/2/19)

Milhouse said:


> Not quite dropping something in the fermenter but I did a good one today - one I'm sure a lot of you have done.
> 
> Whilst filling up my fermenter I realised I had left the tap open, only realising after about a litre of wort was spilled on the laundry floor...


Someone should print a t-shirt


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## JDW81 (17/2/19)

Milhouse said:


> Not quite dropping something in the fermenter but I did a good one today - one I'm sure a lot of you have done.
> 
> Whilst filling up my fermenter I realised I had left the tap open, only realising after about a litre of wort was spilled on the laundry floor...



You're not a real brewer until you've done this!!! (You also need to have broken at least 2 hydrometers and incorporate a blue milk crate into your setup)


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## wide eyed and legless (17/2/19)

Milhouse said:


> Not quite dropping something in the fermenter but I did a good one today - one I'm sure a lot of you have done.
> 
> Whilst filling up my fermenter I realised I had left the tap open, only realising after about a litre of wort was spilled on the laundry floor...


I would be surprised if there was no one who had done that, as brewgasm says there should be a t-shirt,
I would suggest 'Shut your ******* tap'


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