Wine Thief Fail.

[Barnzy02]

So i brewed a stout up last night and was finishing up, had just cooled everything down to pitch temps. Poured from my brewpot into a better bottle, and was getting ready to take pull a sample out for a hydrometer reading. The first time didn't extract enough for a sample, so back into the fermenter i went, only as i was pulling the thief out, the tube came detached from the pump and PLOP, right into the beer.

I spent a few minutes staring at the better bottle and then enlisted the help of my girlfriend to find a way to get it out. About 10 minutes later success was had, and i was able to pitch the yeast, put the airlock on and then start thinking about whether or not i'm going to get an infected beer.

I'm not terribly worried about it, but this has made me come to one conclusion. Ale Pails from now on, no more plastic carboys :cross: I just dont' feel like dealing with the hassle of cleaning the SOBs, along with the current problem i just had. Granted i love being able to actually 'see' the fermentation take place.

So anyone else ever pull a move like this? Results?

 

[riverfrontbrewer]

Sounds like operator error!

I have been elbow deep in an ale pale retreiving that damn O-ring that the airlock fits into.....as long as you were sanitary with your fishing techniques you should be fine.

FYI-I normally get my OG sample straight out of the tubing as it's flowing inot my primary instead of putting it in the primary then trying to get some back out.

 

[Barnzy02]

Was most definitely operator error!

I was trying to pull it out too quick and next thing i knew i was just holding the pump in my hand, staring at the tube in the fermenter and kinda laughing to myself and kicking myself at the same time. I sanitized all i could with what i used to get it out, i'm just hoping it was sufficient because after tasting the sample, i can't wait for this batch to finish up!

Just thought i'd share, as it was the first bump in the road i've hit. Granted i'm only on my 6th or 7th batch. I imagine problems can arise no matter the equipment being used, like you had to fish around for that o-ring. Not using a carboy was more of just a knee-jerk reaction, i'm sure i'll continue using them. Was just a pain in the ass trying to get that thing out!

 

[IrregularPulse]

I agree with the buckets!. IMO they just make sense. They're cheap enough to toss when they get scratched up and they have a wide opening. I don't see any reason to do anything else unless you go the SS conical route to harvest yeast.

 

[jfr1111]

After a few fails (not enough liquid, everytime), I stopped using my wine thief as a wine thief. I just take a sterilized glass measuring cup, scoop 100ml of beer and pour that into the wine thief wich serves as a test tube. I was always wary of that damn thing anyway: small little moving plastic parts that get scratched easily and are tough to clean...

Need to ferment in buckets for this though.

 

[dzlater]

To check my OG I just scoop a cup out of the boil kettle before transferring.

 

[Smokeater233]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but what is this pump the OP is referring to? Do you mean the thief tube detached from the nozzle end? If so, that's not operator error - that's a defect. But that doesn't sound like what happened and I'm not clear on what this pump is all about given that thief's don't require a pump to get the job done.

 

[Barnzy02]

Well, there's only two parts to the thief ... the tube and for lack of a better word ... the 'pump', the rubber bulb that you squeeze to extract a sample...

When i was pulling it out of the carboy, i might have caught the neck of the carboy but whatever happened, the tube came detached and dropped back into the beer and i was left holding just the rubber bulb.

as an aside, the beer has been fermenting nicely. I'm hoping all is well, not worrying too much, i suppose i'll find out if there was any issue in 2 weeks when i move it over to secondary and add some vanilla to it.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

Granted i love being able to actually 'see' the fermentation take place.

Ditch the novelty and get the ale pails. Plus cleaning carboys, especially better bottles, after fermentation sucks.

 

[bja]

Well, there's only two parts to the thief ... the tube and for lack of a better word ... the 'pump', the rubber bulb that you squeeze to extract a sample...

Sounds just like my 99 cent turkey baster.

 

[Rossnaree]

Just use the ale pail and just float your hydrometer in the wort, right? No fail that way. Can't get the hydrometer out of a carboy, though; at least not in any way I'd like to try.

 

[Barnzy02]

Just use the ale pail and just float your hydrometer in the wort, right? No fail that way. Can't get the hydrometer out of a carboy, though; at least not in any way I'd like to try.

Yeah, that's what i've done when using the ale pails, just plopped the hyrdometer in before pitching, which is also why when i end up buying a few more fermenters i'm sticking to the ale pail...

Last time i fermented in the better bottle, i had just broken my hyrdrometer, so i didn't take any readings on that batch and just left it sit for a little over a month .... So obviously the one time i try to get a sample from the carboy, i do some stupid **** like this

Oh well, mistakes happen so you can learn from them...I'm not worrying too much, as there is nothing i can do about it except hope that it will work itself out.

 

[duckmanco]

^^^ is it safe to assume the reading won't be affected by NOT using the testing jar for the hydrometer readings? That would be so much easier than sanitizing the jar just to take a reading.

Also, I'm real new to this game, and have already realized that ale pails take the cake IMO. I'm gonna use a carboy for extra long secondary of big beers, but but apart from that, its ale pails from here on out.

 

[dzlater]

^^^ is it safe to assume the reading won't be affected by NOT using the testing jar for the hydrometer readings? That would be so much easier than sanitizing the jar just to take a reading.

Also, I'm real new to this game, and have already realized that ale pails take the cake IMO. I'm gonna use a carboy for extra long secondary of big beers, but but apart from that, its ale pails from here on out.

Don't sanitize the jar, just don't dump the beer back into the fermentor
drink it!

 

[krisagon]

I actually use the Fermtech thief....
no pump or whatever required.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

Yeah they are pretty slick and I would recommend them to anyone that doesnt have one. Plus, for around $8-9, they are a cheap and highly valuable tool.

 

[specialkaye]

Don't sanitize the jar, just don't dump the beer back into the fermentor
drink it!

Ha! Very first sample from very first homebrew, I sanitized that silly little tube. As I'm drinking the sample, I'm thinking, "Sample goes into me, not the carboy. No need to sanitize." Now, once I get the Hydro reading, I just dump that sample, and a bit more, into a cup and drink from there.

 

[specialkaye]

FYI-I normally get my OG sample straight out of the tubing as it's flowing inot my primary instead of putting it in the primary then trying to get some back out.

I like this. Kind of takes the middle man out of the sampling.

 

[KCBrewer]

I actually use the Fermtech thief....
no pump or whatever required.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1RIYXDWtec

That was the cause of my first infection, which infected two brews before I knew it was the problem. I tossed it once I figured out it was the culprit, and bought another. I used the second one maybe two times, then pulled it out of the drawer a couple days ago only to find the side was cracked. From what I don't know, I don't recall dropping it or it getting hit hard. All I know is I'm done with those things. Going with a SS turkey baster next.

My best "fishing" experience was when I was using an aquarium stone to aerate and it popped off the end of the air hose inside the carboy. A sanitized wire hanger and about 15 minutes later I managed to hook the end of it and pull it out. Not fun. I don't aerate with a stone anymore either.

 

[Olddog]

Ditch the novelty and get the ale pails. Plus cleaning carboys, especially better bottles, after fermentation sucks.

I have to disagree that cleaning better bottles sucks. All I've ever had to do was soak mine overnight with a scoop of Oxyclean and then rinse. Works like a charm.

The same thing works for buckets also.