Anyone else start a brew day and realize you are missing stuff...so it's a quick chan

[jeffbrowand]

Started my mash, and went to weigh out my hops to find out I didn't have any hop bags for the main hops (leaf) in my beer (quick search to find a replacement (pellet), none hand, so I used what I had to get the same IBUs).

Middle of the mash check showed a little cold, put in some hot water (1qt into a 18 qt mash), checked it a few minutes later to find I was at 160...pulled the lid off the cooler to let it cool...finished the mash 20 minutes later and thought, is my thermometer off? Checked it with an Mercury one, yep I was at 140...the back was loose and if I spin the rod it changes the temp on the gauge. Under my target OG by .007...but the yeast is going to town as I type, so it will still become beer.

Another brew day, and more lessons learned..

 

[Peyope]

+1 on learning with every brew.

I bought a false bottom for my boil kettle that I wanted to use only to find I left it at the office. Driving across town the morning of a big 10 football game when I should have been enjoying the day was frustrating.

On the latest brew, 1/2 way through the boil I realized the immersion chiller I use was at a friends 45 minutes away.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

almost every brew lately

 

[soccerdad]

Started to get everything lined up for bottling 5 gallons ... all set, but NO CAPS! Nice living in a small town with an active brew club .. and the owner of the LHBS a member. He opened the store for 5 min and I owe him for 144 caps in my next visit.

 

[metanoia]

Maybe I'm too OCD about making sure I have everything set the night before. Though I did break a floating thermometer during one brewday, had to run to the LHBS while new water started boiling. Thankfully it was broken in plain water and not post-mash wort, that would have made me cry. Can't wait to get a couple clip-on rod thermometers, I'm always nervous handling my glass thermometer and hydrometer. :/

 

[jeffbrowand]

Watch which ones you get. I got the 12 one from Midwest (same as the NB one). Not worth the $12. Read the reviews on NB, I had the same problem. I'm looking for a new one now. I'm thinking of getting the Aqua Range one.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I was short about 1 lb of LME for my Pumpkin Porter I made last weekend. Nothing like getting started early in the morning, only to have to wait for the LHBS to open so I can go get more LME!

 

[rekoob]

Guess we all have had things go bad.

Had a 1 gal jug ready to bottle, wasn't going to use the bottle bucket for 1 gal, just added the bottle filler to my racking can/tubing and fill TWO large bottles that I was guessing were about a half gal each... they weren't but luckily I had cleaned a third smaller bottle and had it ready.
That's not the problem... the problem is I added the priming sugar to the first bottle and filled it. filled the next two bottles... crap where's the priming sugar? yup, all of it went into the first bottle.

 

[beerenstein]

Guess we all have had things go bad.

Had a 1 gal jug ready to bottle, wasn't going to use the bottle bucket for 1 gal, just added the bottle filler to my racking can/tubing and fill TWO large bottles that I was guessing were about a half gal each... they weren't but luckily I had cleaned a third smaller bottle and had it ready.
That's not the problem... the problem is I added the priming sugar to the first bottle and filled it. filled the next two bottles... crap where's the priming sugar? yup, all of it went into the first bottle.

How did that turn out? Blow your bottle up?

 

[unionrdr]

With one of the beers I started brewing in April for summer, I got to the chill part of brew day, only to find I forgot to buy a large bag of ice. I put the kettle in cold water & made a bee-line for the gas station. Then when I went to bottle one of those beers, I found I was short on caps! I dug around through my fermenter/storage stand & found an old bag of BB caps to get the number needed. Shiz happens, sometime...

 

[Rjppunk]

Like everyone I've had that stuff happen too. Now when I make the starter I go through all the steps of brew day, pulling out the equipment, sanitizer, ingredients, in the order I'd use them and take note of what's missing. Takes maybe 20 minutes but saves you time and a beer in the long run.