Worst Brewing Disaster. Ever!

[Kleiny]

Early brewstand caught fire due to be thrown together out of some redgum sleepers, i dropped inside for a few seconds and returned to a fair size fire for under my carport. No problems got it out before any damage was done to the beer and the carport.

 

[Tim F]

Yes, this is a brewing disaster; read on.

My SWMBO has a nice hedge running up the fence, she is a very serious gardener. The hedge was getting overgrown and was having trouble getting through the gate, so I took to the hedge with a wipper snipper. She went absolutely beserk, through the roof!!! I only cut a few leaves off, but it was enough to cause all h*ll to break loose as far as she was concerned.

Unfortunately for me at the time I had a lovely Coopers Heritage Lager going in the shower recess. When I got home from work the next day I rushed into the bathroom to check the temperature of the brew, only to find that SWMBO had opened the tap and the whole thing had run down the drain.

I think there's a lesson there somewhere. I have a new brewing rule, whenever I boil the kettle I make her a cup of tea. Seems to make the brewing go a whole lot better.

I don't even want to think about what would happen if she poured out my beer in the heat of the moment. Don't think either of us would be walking away...

 

[browndog]

This happened just last night, and is more of an inconvenience than a disaster, but anyway...

Before I started on my first ever mead I decided to make some space in my drying rack by putting some things away. One of the things in the rack was my hydrometer, as I'd used it just the other day. Not wanting the hydrometer to get damaged I dropped it's tube... not realising that i'd taken the end off it when i washed it up the night before. The hydrometer dropped right through the tube and the base shattered on the kitchen counter.

It was my last hydrometer too

So now I have to put off finding out what the starting gravity was. And buy a new hydrometer.

Haha.. I've done that one before.

Snow, I saw you on TV the other weekend too.

cheers

Browndog

 

[Lobsta]

one time, i did a k+k brew.

if you dont think that this is much of a disaster, ask ross, zizzle, jai or a couple of the other members of BABBs how it tasted...

Lobby

 

[TidalPete]

A warning to all you Tight-Arse Stirplate afficondos out there.

My 3068 starter was stepped up nicely from 100ml through to 2000ml (double batch) & was quite ok when I went to bed the other week.
When I went out to the workshop the next morning the closer I got, the more I could smell that great banana aroma. :beerbang:
Wow! I thought, I have never smelt the 3068 so strongly before. this starter is going to be a ripper alright. :super:

Oh s*%t, one of the magnets on the stirplate fan had come loose & the vibration from the lopsided fan had tipped the Erlenmeyer onto the workbench & all over a few tools, bits & pieces, etc as well as the floor.

Just as well it has not fallen the other way onto my partialy completed MashMate collection & other electric bits & pieces. then I would really been in deeep s*%T.

Just happy that all it took was a little cleanup & a repair job on the stirplate. If anyone has found a way to bolt their magnets to the stirplate fan please let me know.

TP :beer:

 

[Snow]

Snow, I saw you on TV the other weekend too.

cheers

Browndog

Yeah they'll put anyone on telly these days. Not ready to go head to head with Mercs Own yet though!

- Snow

 

[sqyre]

Yay its Sunday which means BREWDAY!!!! :super:
As soon as the washing machine finishes this load of washing i will fill up the HLT....
Ummmm... what's that beeping alarm on the washer??
Hmmmmm... Low water pressure. <_<
Dogs must have knocked the Pump Plug out of the Power point again... No... thats fine...?
Might just have a look in the tank.... . . . . .
EMPTY!!!!!!!!

Its going to be one of those days....

Sqyre..

EDIT: and i just realized the crapper will only have one good flush left in it..
and after the amount beer i drank last night it better be a good flush...

 

[winkle]

Yay its Sunday which means BREWDAY!!!! :super:
As soon as the washing machine finishes this load of washing i will fill up the HLT....
Ummmm... what's that beeping alarm on the washer??
Hmmmmm... Low water pressure.
Dogs must have knocked the Pump Plug out of the Power point again... No... thats fine...?
Might just have a look in the tank.... . . . . .
EMPTY!!!!!!!!

Its going to be one of those days....

Sqyre..

EDIT: and i just realized the crapper will only have one good flush left in it..
and after the amount beer i drank last night it better be a good flush...

so the missus gets the shovel & date roll today?

 

[Carbonator]

Had a fermenter explosion today, catastrophic failure of vessel when it hit the floor. The brew inside had stopped fermenting and I was decanting it. It must of had about 6 litres still in it when it hit the floor and burst open. I'm thinking some carbonation must have been present, as it split right open;



Upon further investigation, it was found to be very brittle as a result of age, and probable sunlight exposure by the previous owner!

 

[shellnaf]

As I'm a noob I have no shame in this. I went to test the SG of my 1st brew last week, had the hydrometer tube in hand, turned the tap on to fill, heard running water sound and looked down to see the vacuum getting a good soaking, some idiot forgot to put the cap on the end of the testing tube, vacuum was happy though. Not sure if it still works, not game enough to turn it on.

Nathan

 

[stillscottish]

I decided to brew a Duvel clone on Monday.
Nice easy recipe with a 4 hour, 5 step mash. Despite only having an esky to do it in, Beersmith let me hit my times and temps (almost).
Drained the first runnings into the boiler. Mmmm. Hot, thick and sugary.
Added the first sparge addition, stirred the crap out of it and put the block of timber under the end to tilt up the esky as I normally do to get maximum drainage through my poorly positioned tap.
Went into the garage to get my extension lead for the boiler, was turning around to come out when I heard the sound they must have heard during the Great Porter Disaster of 1814.
The esky slid off the edge of the table, lodged in the top of the boiler and a tidal wave of malt and wort (only about 1/3 of the contents, thankfully) slopped over the edge and on to the pavers.


Now, a four hour mash leaves a lot of time for drinking so at this point I screamed like a schoolgirl, leaped into the steaming puddle in my bare feet and started scooping up handfuls of grain and flinging it into the esky until I stopped and thought about what I was doing.
So I chucked another couple of litres of water into the esky, gave it another stir and proceeded as normal.
I hit about 78% efficiency so it would have been interesting to see what it could have been.
And I'm still trying to get rid of the stickiness out the back.

Cheers

Campbell

 

[Bribie G]

For months to come when you walk out there in rubber soled shoes they will go 'rripp rripp rripp'

Glad you saved the day, heck it's only the mash, imagine if the kettle had fallen over. Great efficiency.

 

[jonocarroll]

Worst Brewing Disaster. Ever!

Without a doubt in my mind...

No question about it...

Worst. Brewing. Disaster. EVER! ...

:icon_vomit:


Edit: File dimensions.

 

[winkle]

I decided to brew a Duvel clone on Monday.
Nice easy recipe with a 4 hour, 5 step mash. Despite only having an esky to do it in, Beersmith let me hit my times and temps (almost).
Drained the first runnings into the boiler. Mmmm. Hot, thick and sugary.
Added the first sparge addition, stirred the crap out of it and put the block of timber under the end to tilt up the esky as I normally do to get maximum drainage through my poorly positioned tap.
Went into the garage to get my extension lead for the boiler, was turning around to come out when I heard the sound they must have heard during the Great Porter Disaster of 1814.
The esky slid off the edge of the table, lodged in the top of the boiler and a tidal wave of malt and wort (only about 1/3 of the contents, thankfully) slopped over the edge and on to the pavers.
View attachment 22707

Now, a four hour mash leaves a lot of time for drinking so at this point I screamed like a schoolgirl, leaped into the steaming puddle in my bare feet and started scooping up handfuls of grain and flinging it into the esky until I stopped and thought about what I was doing.
So I chucked another couple of litres of water into the esky, gave it another stir and proceeded as normal.
I hit about 78% efficiency so it would have been interesting to see what it could have been.
And I'm still trying to get rid of the stickiness out the back.

Cheers

Campbell

It'll just be the same as the Prince of Wales Hotel's carpet in Melbourne :super:

(wear double pluggers)

 

[Rodolphe01]

I've made kit beer following the instructions a few times... :lol:

 

[NickB]

OK,

16.5L cube of RIS (OG of 1.091) brewed on the big brewday Friday before last. Have the Partigyle batch from that brew in the fermenter currently, building up a nice big slurry of 1028. Came home from work today to find my precious cube like a balloon. Took the cap off just now, and watched in horror as my RIS is slowly glugging out the top and onto the grass....

NOT F**KING HAPPY. :angry: Have NEVER had an infected cube...and of course, the first HAD to be this one.....

DAMMIT. Need several beers to drown my sorrows.

 

[Tony]

Was brewing my IPA last week while home alone. It was night time and the Wife was at work.

Finnished the boil about 10pm and let it stand for 10 min before draining to the cube to No Chill.

I...... as i always do, stood the cube at an angle with a block under the front of it to make the cube spout sit to the top, naturally forcing all the air out. If i have got my water calcs right, it will fill to the top, no air, with just a drop left in the kettle.

After doing this many times with no problems i was oblivious to the dangers of the process...... just waiting to bite me.

The cube was 95% full. I was watching it with my hand on the kettle tap, ready to close it as it got to the top when........ all by its self, the mongrel thing slowly fell over backwards. It was like slow motion. Not in my mind, it was actually like slow motion. It slowly rolled over away from the block it was sitting on at the angle.

Well by this time of the night........ im brewing right next to a fridge holding a 50 liter keg full of 6% Oktoberfest, i have a bit of courage under my belt and also not thinking as sharp.

Guess what i did!

It was pure reflex!

I lurched down over the top of the slowly falling cube to grab the handle and save my precious nights work.

Only problem was as i grabbed the handle, 90+ deg wort gushed out all over my arm and hand.

Ya!

In a nanosecond i thought to myself........ well im burnt now, night as well save it. So i stood it back up, still with the how wort running over my hand. It landed on its base, steady again and i ran......... saying, oh f#$k, oh f#$k, oh f#$k, all the way to the laundry and jamed my arm under some cold water. afterabout a minuite, my hand went very very red. Now ive had 2nt and 3rd degree burns before from steam..... melted all the skin off my right calf muscle, and i pictured the blister my hand would be shortly. I looked at my nice gold wedding ring and pictured it being cut off my blistered hand so i pulled it off...... taking a large portion of skin off my finger with it. Not good!

Resigned my self to a night of pain and went and sealed the cube up. IT was close to full and a squeeze got all the air out.

Poured my self a large glass of strait scotch on the way upstairs, used it to swollow a couple Nurofin + and sat with my hand under cold running water for 2 hours till the wife got home.

The cold water stoped the blistering. The skin is now peeling off my hand like a sunburn.

Anyway.......... No chillers beware!

cheers

 

[SDJ]

Was brewing my IPA last week while home alone. It was night time and the Wife was at work.

Finnished the boil about 10pm and let it stand for 10 min before draining to the cube to No Chill.

I...... as i always do, stood the cube at an angle with a block under the front of it to make the cube spout sit to the top, naturally forcing all the air out. If i have got my water calcs right, it will fill to the top, no air, with just a drop left in the kettle.

After doing this many times with no problems i was oblivious to the dangers of the process...... just waiting to bite me.

The cube was 95% full. I was watching it with my hand on the kettle tap, ready to close it as it got to the top when........ all by its self, the mongrel thing slowly fell over backwards. It was like slow motion. Not in my mind, it was actually like slow motion. It slowly rolled over away from the block it was sitting on at the angle.

Well by this time of the night........ im brewing right next to a fridge holding a 50 liter keg full of 6% Oktoberfest, i have a bit of courage under my belt and also not thinking as sharp.

Guess what i did!

It was pure reflex!

I lurched down over the top of the slowly falling cube to grab the handle and save my precious nights work.

Only problem was as i grabbed the handle, 90+ deg wort gushed out all over my arm and hand.

Ya!

In a nanosecond i thought to myself........ well im burnt now, night as well save it. So i stood it back up, still with the how wort running over my hand. It landed on its base, steady again and i ran......... saying, oh f#$k, oh f#$k, oh f#$k, all the way to the laundry and jamed my arm under some cold water. afterabout a minuite, my hand went very very red. Now ive had 2nt and 3rd degree burns before from steam..... melted all the skin off my right calf muscle, and i pictured the blister my hand would be shortly. I looked at my nice gold wedding ring and pictured it being cut off my blistered hand so i pulled it off...... taking a large portion of skin off my finger with it. Not good!

Resigned my self to a night of pain and went and sealed the cube up. IT was close to full and a squeeze got all the air out.

Poured my self a large glass of strait scotch on the way upstairs, used it to swollow a couple Nurofin + and sat with my hand under cold running water for 2 hours till the wife got home.

The cold water stoped the blistering. The skin is now peeling off my hand like a sunburn.

Anyway.......... No chillers beware!

cheers

Im trying really hard (honestly I am!!) really really hard not to laugh.......f#$k it thats funny :lol:
seriously Tony I hope you get better soon.

 

[Tony]

Im fine, and it was funny!

My wife came homeat about 1am, took one look at me, sitting on a chair at the kitchen sink, burnt hand under the tap, the other holding a scotch........ the third one i think, and said.......... what the **** have you done!

I told her and she just stood there shaking her head at me and said........ well your not feeling any pain now i see <_<

I just answered..... naaaaa im fine

It hurt like holy hell the next day but a bit of pain never hurt anyone.

I saved the cube..... that was the main thing. Skin grows back. IPA on the floor is lost forever!

Edit: boiling an Altbier behind me in the garage and just exchanged the thongs for socks and leather boots. One day.......... one day, that kettle will fall off its complex house brick stand the the skin between the toes...... well i dont want to think of it!

cheers

 

[SDJ]

Im glad to hear you are ok Tony.
Ive done about 20 or so BIAB no chill brews now and never worry about getting all the air out of my cube, most times the brew is 3 inches or so from the top, what I do is squirt some CO2 into the cube b4 filling with hot wort and then squeeze the cube in the back gate b4 putting the lid on, so far (touch wood ) ive never had and infection, just bloody good beer (please to excuse blowing smoke up ones own arse)

P.S I have been drinking several hours now and may not make sense, **** happens ay!!