nickhead
Well-Known Member
Hello everyone. My name is Nick and I am new to this forum (and home brewing in general).
Firstly, let me say that I love beer and am excited to create such a wonderful thing in my own home.
Last Friday I purchased everything I'd need to brew my first batch. Naturally, alcohol was consumed during the brewing process. This may not have been the wisest decision (hence my mistakes), but it certainly made things more interesting.
Background info: This beer was not from a kit - I had some grains and hops and all that cool stuff (it seems more challenging or involved or satisfying this way)
At least 2 clear mistakes were made during my first brew session. I'd like to know of potential repercussions...
Mistake #1: When I put the airlock thingy in the lid of the primary fermenter the O ring popped out and fell into the bottom of the bucket. I then idiotically reached into the bucket of wort to pull out the O ring. I pondered disinfecting my arm first, but the glaring negative warnings against skin contact on the packaging convinced me otherwise. Yes, I probably should have washed my arm in soap and hot water, but I didn't. It sounds like I may have contaminated my beer from what research I've done thus far. Doh.
Mistake #2: This one was dumb - but I didn't realize the omission until I watched some tutorials on YouTube. I didn't fill the airlock with water! I am at work right now, and just figured out my mistake. As soon as I go home I will fill it up with water, but do you think the damage has already been done? Doh.
What kind of problems do you think my mistakes may lead to? Should I dump this batch and try another or should I give it a chance?
I think I'm going to just roll with it and bottle it up after the secondary fermentation stage is complete (I'm getting another setup so I can do multiple batches at once - so might as well take my chances w/ the first batch).
Thanks in advance for your replies. Glad I found this forum - there's some super helpful info oozing out of these threads.
-Nick
Firstly, let me say that I love beer and am excited to create such a wonderful thing in my own home.
Last Friday I purchased everything I'd need to brew my first batch. Naturally, alcohol was consumed during the brewing process. This may not have been the wisest decision (hence my mistakes), but it certainly made things more interesting.
Background info: This beer was not from a kit - I had some grains and hops and all that cool stuff (it seems more challenging or involved or satisfying this way)
At least 2 clear mistakes were made during my first brew session. I'd like to know of potential repercussions...
Mistake #1: When I put the airlock thingy in the lid of the primary fermenter the O ring popped out and fell into the bottom of the bucket. I then idiotically reached into the bucket of wort to pull out the O ring. I pondered disinfecting my arm first, but the glaring negative warnings against skin contact on the packaging convinced me otherwise. Yes, I probably should have washed my arm in soap and hot water, but I didn't. It sounds like I may have contaminated my beer from what research I've done thus far. Doh.
Mistake #2: This one was dumb - but I didn't realize the omission until I watched some tutorials on YouTube. I didn't fill the airlock with water! I am at work right now, and just figured out my mistake. As soon as I go home I will fill it up with water, but do you think the damage has already been done? Doh.
What kind of problems do you think my mistakes may lead to? Should I dump this batch and try another or should I give it a chance?
I think I'm going to just roll with it and bottle it up after the secondary fermentation stage is complete (I'm getting another setup so I can do multiple batches at once - so might as well take my chances w/ the first batch).
Thanks in advance for your replies. Glad I found this forum - there's some super helpful info oozing out of these threads.
-Nick