NSMikeD
Well-Known Member
Ever brew a beer that you decided to throw out? Have you ever grinned and beared through a bad brew? Are you a perfectionist that you will cast aside less than awesome brews?
I dumped a batch for the first time this week. I brewed a black IPA a few months ago, splitting the 5 gal kit into 2 x 2.5 batches brewed one day apart. I prime and keg. I had brewed a Stone clone in between so the rotation into the kegerator was the first black IPA, then the stone and then the second black IPA. The keg was stored at room temp for a week or two before being moved to the fermentor at 67° for more weeks before getting taped at 44°,
Way too sour. My suspects are as follows: missing gasket on BrewDeamon conical lid, air getting sucked into transfer tub at spigot connection. Too long at room temp and then when I cleared out the fermentor, didn't cold crash and hold it there and instead just left it at 67. I am pretty sure my sanitation is good, I clean and soak every thing in beer products manufactured for hime brewing (which BTW oxy cleaners are what hospitals use to sanitize) and use a commercial food grade contact spray sanitizer (nu-foam) on everything (thus my focus on infection during fermentation and kegging)
I had a friend who really liked the sour and I suspect I might be patting myself on the shoulder if I had set out to make a sour beer.
I bit the bullet and dumped it. Then I took a 1.5 gallon mini keg to the growler station of a distributer and filled it with Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Ale from Non Sequitur Project. (they operate pop-up tap rooms in NYC and use existing breweries to make their beer- tying them to various charities). This is a beer I could have probably never tried, but the empty kegerator gave me the opportunity to go outside my comfort zone and try something different. I am glad I did and now am looking at watermelon recipes for a summer beer for next year.
So, I think cutting my losses on that black IPA opened a new door in my homebrew journey.
Share your Dump or No Dump stories.
I dumped a batch for the first time this week. I brewed a black IPA a few months ago, splitting the 5 gal kit into 2 x 2.5 batches brewed one day apart. I prime and keg. I had brewed a Stone clone in between so the rotation into the kegerator was the first black IPA, then the stone and then the second black IPA. The keg was stored at room temp for a week or two before being moved to the fermentor at 67° for more weeks before getting taped at 44°,
Way too sour. My suspects are as follows: missing gasket on BrewDeamon conical lid, air getting sucked into transfer tub at spigot connection. Too long at room temp and then when I cleared out the fermentor, didn't cold crash and hold it there and instead just left it at 67. I am pretty sure my sanitation is good, I clean and soak every thing in beer products manufactured for hime brewing (which BTW oxy cleaners are what hospitals use to sanitize) and use a commercial food grade contact spray sanitizer (nu-foam) on everything (thus my focus on infection during fermentation and kegging)
I had a friend who really liked the sour and I suspect I might be patting myself on the shoulder if I had set out to make a sour beer.
I bit the bullet and dumped it. Then I took a 1.5 gallon mini keg to the growler station of a distributer and filled it with Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Ale from Non Sequitur Project. (they operate pop-up tap rooms in NYC and use existing breweries to make their beer- tying them to various charities). This is a beer I could have probably never tried, but the empty kegerator gave me the opportunity to go outside my comfort zone and try something different. I am glad I did and now am looking at watermelon recipes for a summer beer for next year.
So, I think cutting my losses on that black IPA opened a new door in my homebrew journey.
Share your Dump or No Dump stories.