What's the dumbest thing you have done on brewing day???

[tankdeer]

@majorvices

Besides running off into a kettle that the spigot was turned to the “open postion” at least a million times…

Been there, done that. That’s how I learned not to brew barefoot.  :-[

@euge

Lautering 14 gallons of wort into the brand-new 80qt kettle sitting on the floor, then realizing I had no way/strength/ability to dead-lift it up to the kitchen stove- which wouldn’t boil it anyway

Yeah, done that one too - just not in the kutchen.

Surprisingly, I haven’t done that much stupid stuff - which is surprising for a guy like myself. Although I still use carboys, so Denny might say otherwise. 

[blatz]

on a december morning years ago, when I still used glass carboys and a plate chiller, I promptly hooked up said plate chiller and hose, opened the ball valve onto my kettle and walked away, quickly turning around to hear a sound similar to ice cracking as I realized I never actually turned the hose ‘on’

[roguejim]

@denny

@roguejim

@denny

Like dunngood, using carboys was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done while brewing.

Oh c’mon, man!  The dumbest thing was you used the carboys incorrectly.

Filling them with wort and picking them up is incorrect?  Cleaning them in a sink is incorrect?  All when I was completely sober?  Tell me, Jim, how do you use them?  ;)

I thought you had told me you dropped a carboy full of a pils.  That would be incorrect handling procedure.  Having said that, I will admit that a carboy is a dangerous thing, and frankly, I don’t really trust them for strength.

[denny]

@roguejim

I thought you had told me you dropped a carboy full of a pils.  That would be incorrect handling procedure.  Having said that, I will admit that a carboy is a dangerous thing, and frankly, I don’t really trust them for strength.

Yeah, I did, but I doubt I’m the only one who’s picked up a full carboy.  Of course, I’m certainly not saying I didn’t or wouldn’t do something dumb!

[scruffymmh]

Stupidest thing I did happened 3 days ago, my most recent batch:

1. Put half my grain in, then rice hulls, then baked pumpkin; added strike water, stirred till hit mash temp (154), let sit 10 mins before realizing the other half of my grain was still sitting on the table
2. Added the other half of grain  → mash temp down to 149
3. Quickly boiled some water (amt. I didn’t measure), added to tun → only brought to 151
4. Quickly boiled some more water (again not measured but more than last time) → way too much and way too hot → mash temp to 165
5. 15 mins of constant stirring and feeling like an idiot, mash temp finally down to 156; figured that’s fine
6. First running went well. batch sparge → went to drain second runnings → stuck sparge
7. Reached into tun to check clog → scorched my arm
8. didn’t end up sparging b/c of clog → didn’t hit target gravity (compensated a bit by decreasing volume though)
9. During ferment, also realized 7 degree difference between ambient air and fermenting beer temp → explains the fruit esters and fusel alcohols in my beer; now using water bath

BUT, I’m actually glad all that went wrong b/c at least I learned from it

[a10t2]

@mikeybrew

Carboys are fine, unless you don’t know what you’re doing. might one day make a mistake.

Fixed that for you. ;D

My worst brewday mistake to date was actually my most recent brew. I measured out 3.75 gal of strike water instead of 4.75, so needless to say I massively undershot my mash temp. That 1.051 APA got down to 1.005…

[tschmidlin]

@scruffymmh

BUT, I’m actually glad all that went wrong b/c at least I learned from it

Definitely the right attitude

And you never know, the beer could still be drinkable.  Ish.

[euge]

@tschmidlin

@scruffymmh

BUT, I’m actually glad all that went wrong b/c at least I learned from it

Definitely the right attitude

And you never know, the beer could still be drinkable.  Ish.

Sounds like an eventful and “interesting” brew session.

Just like an amalgam of some of my early efforts. Don’t worry- one’s own brew is almost always drinkable. You know you’ve reached some sort of new low when you end up with a dumper.

[rabid_dingo]

@tankdeer

@majorvices

Besides running off into a kettle that the spigot was turned to the “open postion” at least a million times…

Been there, done that. That’s how I learned not to brew barefoot.  :-[

Shoeless Brew Jackson!

[tschmidlin]

@rabid_dingo

@tankdeer

@majorvices

Besides running off into a kettle that the spigot was turned to the “open postion” at least a million times…

Been there, done that. That’s how I learned not to brew barefoot.  :-[

Shoeless Brew Jackson!

I still haven’t learned that one . . . I brew barefoot whenever the ground is warm enough.

[mainebrewer]

Similar to the Major, a couple of brew sessions ago I started the cold water through my IC.
I don’t have a pump to do the re-circ process, so I just let the cold water run for a few minutes then start stirring the wort to keep it circulating in the kettle.
Looked over at the kettle in about 10 minutes and noticed the blue flames under the kettle!
Was surprised, as the Major noted, that even with the flame on, the temp had dropped by 40 degrees!

[tankdeer]

@tschmidlin

@rabid_dingo

@tankdeer

@majorvices

Besides running off into a kettle that the spigot was turned to the “open postion” at least a million times…

Been there, done that. That’s how I learned not to brew barefoot.  :-[

Shoeless Brew Jackson!

I still haven’t learned that one . . . I brew barefoot whenever the ground is warm enough.

Honestly I haven’t either. I don’t know what it is, but there is something strangely satisfying about stumbling straight out of bed and into a brew session. 

[denny]

@tschmidlin

@rabid_dingo

@tankdeer

@majorvices

Besides running off into a kettle that the spigot was turned to the “open postion” at least a million times…

Been there, done that. That’s how I learned not to brew barefoot.  :-[

Shoeless Brew Jackson!

I still haven’t learned that one . . . I brew barefoot whenever the ground is warm enough.

Wow, brave man!  After the first time I stood by the burner wearing Tevas, I decided it was shoes from then on, no matter how hot the weather was.

[tschmidlin]

@denny

@tschmidlin

I still haven’t learned that one . . . I brew barefoot whenever the ground is warm enough.

Wow, brave man!  After the first time I stood by the burner wearing Tevas, I decided it was shoes from then on, no matter how hot the weather was.

I don’t know about brave, it’s just what I prefer.  Remember, I did get thrown out of Club Night for being barefoot  ;D

[denny]

@tschmidlin

I don’t know about brave, it’s just what I prefer.  Remember, I did get thrown out of Club Night for being barefoot  ;D

Ahhh…I thought it was for just being yourself! 

[tschmidlin]

@denny

@tschmidlin

I don’t know about brave, it’s just what I prefer.  Remember, I did get thrown out of Club Night for being barefoot  ;D

Ahhh…I thought it was for just being yourself! 

Could have been, but that’s not the reason they gave 

[majorvices]

@mainebrewer

Similar to the Major, a couple of brew sessions ago I started the cold water through my IC.
I don’t have a pump to do the re-circ process, so I just let the cold water run for a few minutes then start stirring the wort to keep it circulating in the kettle.
Looked over at the kettle in about 10 minutes and noticed the blue flames under the kettle!
Was surprised, as the Major noted, that even with the flame on, the temp had dropped by 40 degrees!

HEY LOOK! Someone else as dumb as me! 

[micsager]

@denny

Like dunngood, using carboys was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done while brewing.

I’m with ya Denny.  I replace my buckets about 10 brews or so…  And do not go to secondary fermentation.  11 days, and I’m kegging it up.

[blorvak]

@micsager

@denny

Like dunngood, using carboys was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done while brewing.

I’m with ya Denny.  I replace my buckets about 10 brews or so…   And do not go to secondary fermentation.  11 days, and I’m kegging it up.

I use the same bucket from when I started about 6 years ago, and I’m still using the same tubing that came with my auto siphon from the same era… I think plastic is more durable than it’s reputation.

My worst brewday offence is a starter day offence.  Turns out that if you put a smack pack in an oven, and then forget about it and turn on the oven, it goes POP!

[majorvices]

@blorvak

My worst brewday offence is a starter day offence.  Turns out that if you put a smack pack in an oven, and then forget about it and turn on the oven, it goes POP!

Hey Look! Someone dumber than me!