Relax. Don't worry?? Have a homebrew !?

[brewdawgs]

This is all grain batch 7 for me and always I am certain I have made a grave error... In my head I always have messed up in some way! Never had to pour one out (yet) but here I am STRESSED again. Any one else have the brew day jitters?? At what point does it become second hand????

 

[fartinmartin]

Low on planning equals big on stress , that's the way .

 

[stevo4361]

Have a brew and relax.

 

[bajaedition]

make a list

and follow it

no matter how long you have been brewing it is the only way you can check off each step

If I do not, I find stuff when I am cleaning up, like a whirl flock tablet still in the ingredient pile or something stupid like that

but relax, unless you frogot to add fermentables, water, or yeast, it will still be beer so relax and have a home brew.

 

[brewdawgs]

Totally prepared all additions in ziplock baggies and wondering why I had purchased extra hops?? Forgot the 30 min addition.... Started reading my strike temp on my floating thermometer on c and though my temp was way too high to take a second look and see my bad... Too low! Maybe too much homebrew before?.? Need to CHILL...

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

I quickly learned to maybe have 1 beer while brewing. Before that i would get pretty tipsy sometimes and things went bad, like pouring wort out of the top of a keggle into a funnel in a glass carboy. Yea that wasnt good.

 

[brewdawgs]

Bubbling away nicely with 20 min to go... Smells amazing ... Praying to the brew gods

 

[hhh2b]

I usually get scared and nervous when something doesn't go wrong.

 

[LLBeanJ]

I agree on making a list. Before my first brew I made a detailed checklist and it really helped. By the second brew I didn't need it. However, I have used BeerSmith from the very beginning and to this day, nearly 50 batches later, I always print out the recipe brew steps to write notes on and file away for future reference. It serves as a checklist so that I don't forget any ingredients, mash temp, boil duration, etc.

 

[rodwha]

I don't pop a top until my bittering hops have hit the wort. After that there's just not much to screw up.

 

[Beernik]

I ****ed up the mash of my Dort. Export yesterday. Stressing about it wouldn't make it less ****ed up.

Today's Vienna lager was near perfect.

 

[TallDan]

I quickly learned to maybe have 1 beer while brewing. Before that i would get pretty tipsy sometimes and things went bad, like pouring wort out of the top of a keggle into a funnel in a glass carboy. Yea that wasnt good.

I typically start late morning, drink coffee during setup and the mash, and switch to beer once the boil has started (which is in the afternoon). Works well for me.

 

[Black]

I typically start late morning, drink coffee during setup and the mash, and switch to beer once the boil has started (which is in the afternoon). Works well for me.

This. Exactly this. +1

 

[thadius856]

make a list

and follow it

Yes. Checklists.

I make them for everything. My friends and co-workers think I'm nuts. It's a skill I learned when working towards my pilot license. No matter how rudimentary and basic a skill or task is, you will forget to perform it at some time if you don't follow a checklist.

Gym bag? Has a checklist attached.
Lunchbox? Has a checklist attached.
Chores? Have a checklist on the fridge for day of the week, month of the year, and for year overall.

My gym bag always has all the clothing and toiletries I require.
My lunchbox always has the lunch, drink and snacks I prefer.
The gutters get cleaned, the smoke detectors get batteries changes, etc. etc.

The key was buying a laminator, luggage tag pouches and 4x6 pouches. This way, I can check off the boxes with whiteboard pen and erase when I'm done.

 

[Ilan34]

I definitely had brew day jitters for at least my first ten-twelve brews. I loved brewing, but I literally had the adrenaline pumping. I think the key is prepping ahead of time and repetition.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[TallDan]

I definitely had brew day jitters for at least my first ten-twelve brews. I loved brewing, but I literally had the adrenaline pumping. I think the key is prepping ahead of time and repetition.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

I've done 4 extract kits and 9 all grain batches. I get more and more relaxed each time. Thadius would probably have me make checklists, but that's not my style. I'm sure I'll be too relaxed at some point and screw something up, but right now i enjoy my brewday and that's more important to me.

 

[iaefebs]

I started using the brewersfriend http://www.brewersfriend.com/checklist-allgrain/checklist, made adjustments to match my process, and after using the list I have the process down. I print out the brew steps list from Beersmith2 and all is well.

 

[elkshadow]

I have a general list that I go by.

1. Soak grain
2. Collect wort
3. Rinse grain
4. Collect Wort
5. Boil wort with hops
6. Chill wort
7. Pitch yeast

Then just break down each of these simple steps into a flow. I keep that list in my mind to simplify the process. After about 10 or 15 brews I didn't need it anymore but it definitely helped in the beginning. Another thing I do to stay organized is use a timer and set it for the next step. When I close the mash, I set it for 30 minutes to let me know when to start heating sparge water. When I add the bittering hops at 60 I set it for 45 minutes to let me know when to add the 15 addition, etc...

I get a little adrenaline on brew day so I know what you mean. I wouldn't call it stress though.