Great Brewing Screw Ups

[Wasabi]

A perfect night of brewing where everything was going just fine? No boil overs, no last minute "Damn I forgot to buy x), and my yeast starter was bubbling like a trooper.

Then poured the wort into my fermenter and shook it up to get lots or airation, swirling it round the bottom.

Had I not been doing this in the garden, I may have noticed a little sooner that I had forgotton to close the fermenter tap, and not lost 3L of porter onto the grass.

On second thoughts, had I been doing this inside when I discovered it, I may have ended up spending the evening in the shed.

SIGH......

 

[Gout]

on behalf of most, "been there done that"

But i beat it!
I had layed down a super brew and while taking the drum outside to my brewing fridge, the tap cliped the sliding door, pulling it out of its thread and beer went all over me and everything else........ I was NOT!!!!! happy

 

[joecast]

made the same mistake on my first brew, and i was inside. didnt lose much and i check that tap every time now. i guess some of us learn the hard way!
joe

 

[jayse]

another great brewing stuff up.once while i was not watching. a hose come of my pump which was pumping the mash through my H.E.R.M.i got to it in time to save some only to later pump it through the chiller to the fermentor then straight out the open tap.a 20L brew ended up a 750ml brew. properly not a good idea to brew when you've had more then your fair share of pints.

 

[Gough]

Yep, similar story except I was inside, it involved my first ever effort at bulk priming and I lost about 5 litres instead of 3. Have managed not to do it since, amazingly!

Thankfully we don't have carpet...

Gough.

 

[Nearly]

I am just new to brewing and already it looks like I am going to be able to show how NOT to do it... :huh:

When I got my gear I could tell on sight that it was a 25 litre fermenter. It had graduations down the side marked every 5 litres to make it easy to use. Even more conveniently it had a strengthening section just on the 23 litre mark.

I made my Black Rock Lager up and planned to step immediately up to racking to secondary even though it was my first brew. It went pear shaped on racking because the flow in the tube was pathetic. The fix for that was discussed in 'Racking - The Definitive Post'.

Anyway after I kegged the beer and then poured it came out looking like pale piss. No amber. Then I thought I would check the calibrations on the fermenter... it isnt 25 litres.... its a *`^%#~! 30 litre fermenter. 5 litres of extra water!! I had counted down from the top... Idiot.

Just to add insult to injury it has a off smell from the oxygenation it got when I racked (but it doesnt seem to have an off taste as yet). Feeling reeeal stupid now....

 

[Jazman]

i wouldnt feel that bad about it nearly as all you would have had is a lower alcohol and thinner beer and also blander beer.

i spose it would be like most aussie and yankee mega swil