2nd Batch - I screwed up. How bad?

[rjanson]

So last night i brewed up a Russian River Blind Pig clone from MoreBeer.

Things were going smoothly. I was a well oiled machine, everything in place and ready to go for the next step. Unfortunately, my preparation was a little too good.

The kit includes 9 lbs of malt extract in a bag, and 1 lb of bavarian wheat. My prep included warming up the extract so it would flow more easily, and cutting the tops off the extract and wheat bags just before dumping them in.

So as I'm pouring the wheat in, the extract bag topples over and dumps 1.5 to 2 lbs of extract onto the counter, which then runs onto the floor. (cleanup was a pain I can assure you...)

The wort looks and smells good, and fermentation started up over night.

My question is, how bad is that missing extract going to be?

 

[Aristotelian]

It won't be bad per se. Just call it "Blind Pig Lite". You could add some sugar to bring the gravity up. How badly were your numbers off?

 

[Build]

You'll lose 1-2+% abv and will taste thin. You could pick up some more extract and add it soon, or just go with it as is. It will still taste like beer, but not like a RR Blind Pig. We all have those problems from time to time.

 

[BobOki]

Just reduce your water if you can. If it was a 5 gallon batch and in a kit, usually those go by 2.5 gallon boils and then you top up to the 5 gallon, so just lose like a gallon of water or so in the top up part.

 

[Mexibilly]

If this happens again you might calculate the percent of fermentables you lost and reduce your final fermentor volume by the same amount.
Not perfect, but less beer at approximately the same ratio.

 

[rjanson]

It won't be bad per se. Just call it "Blind Pig Lite". You could add some sugar to bring the gravity up. How badly were your numbers off?

At first I thought they were way off (too high), but now looking at it they are not too bad I guess.

Recipe calls for estimated OG of 1.066-1.070 and I came in around 1.058.

So maybe a lighter bodied session blind pig?

 

[rjanson]

If this happens again you might calculate the percent of fermentables you lost and reduce your final fermentor volume by the same amount.
Not perfect, but less beer at approximately the same ratio.

Hoping it won't happen again! (though I'm sure there are other dumb mistakes waiting out there for me to make instead...)

 

[RM-MN]

Hoping it won't happen again! (though I'm sure there are other dumb mistakes waiting out there for me to make instead...)

Before it happens again you might want to go to all grain. You may have spills and boil-overs but neither will be as difficult to clean up as the extract.

 

[rjanson]

Before it happens again you might want to go to all grain. You may have spills and boil-overs but neither will be as difficult to clean up as the extract.

That's very high on my agenda. I've got an Amber Ale extract kit lined up to brew for my wife next. After that, it's BIAB time for me.