2nd batch, first disaster. . .

[Leonard Sidiski]

Don't worry, the disaster has nothing to do with my beer. It's in the
basement...er..beer cellar, happilly fermenting. It's batch #2 for me, a
porter (batch #1 was an amber ale which I'm very much enjoying).

The tragedy came when I was trying to chill the wort. Being new to the
hobby, I've yet to invest in a fancy heat-exchange chiller gizmo. I figured
that immersing the entire fermenter, wort and all, in a bathtub filled with
cold water would be better than doing nothing at all. So, while the boil was
boiling, I went upstairs to my bathroom and started the cold water running
in the tub. While the water was running, I went downstairs to check on my
wort. And give it a stir. And put away my excess ingredients. And. . . well,
you get the picture. THe next thing I knew, I was down to the last 10
minutes of boiling, and I heard water running - downstairs! I sprinted up to
the bathroom to shut the water, ran downstairs and put a bucket (NOT my
bottling or fermenting bucket!) under the leaky spot in the ceiling, then
returned to my beer. I took time out from blotting the carpet with old rags
and towels to add my finishing hops, the again to transfer the wort to my
fermenter. The next hours were spent vaccuuming the carpet with a wet/dry
vac, and (more importantly) pitching my yeast. There doesn't seem to be any
lasting damage to the house, and the yeast does seem to be doing its thing.

Anyone else have any disaster stories to share? Any suggestions or comments
(other than to pay attention?) I hope I can continue this hobby without
reducing myself to homelessness. . .

--LSid

[donw...@worldnet.att.net]

On Mon, 31 Jan 2000 03:24:13 GMT, "Leonard Sidiski"
<lsid...@sprynet.com> wrote:

>
>The tragedy came when I was trying to chill the wort. Being new to the
>hobby, I've yet to invest in a fancy heat-exchange chiller gizmo.

Go buy some copper tubing and make a wort chiller, you will be glad
you did. It is easy to do.

Don Watts
Boomer Den Brewing
Goose Creek SC

[Aleman]

Just the same as yours

"It doesn't rain indoors?" said spousal unit

"Oeerrrr" said I as I was dashing Upstairs

That and the time I pulled the tap out of the plastic boiler I was using
as I attached the wort Chiller, can you say 'ouch'. Saved the aerated
beer though 'More ouch'

--
Wassail !

The Scurrilous Aleman

Schwarzbad Lager Braueri, Blackpool, Lancashire, UK

Reply to Aleman at brewmaster dot demon dot co dot uk

ICQ 46254361