When Brewing Goes Wrong
Brewing is typically a fairly carefree process, requiring little more than precise temperature measurements and sterilization. There are, however, times when your home brew can turn nasty. This week I will outline some common problems and offer easy solutions.
Stuck Sparge
For brewers who have graduated to the all-grain method, and have subsequently built their own mash tun, a stuck sparge can be waiting just around the corner. This nuisance occurs when grains are so compacted that your mesh hose is unable to allow wort to flow out of the mash. Vorlaufing and sparging are out of the picture until you have fixed the jam, and unfortunately stuck sparges are rarely fixable once you have already begun to mash. Therefore, the best advice I can offer is a preliminary solution.
Rice hulls, when added to your dry grains before the mash, can prevent grains from becoming too compacted. They are the ideal method of prevention, being colorless and tasteless, so as not to effect your wort. A simple addition of about 5% rice hulls will suffice.
Contamination During Cooling
Wort is especially susceptible to contamination while cooling down after the boil. It is in the home brewer's best interest, therefore, to cool the wort very quickly. The best way to achieve this and maintain sanitary conditions is the use of a wort chiller.
Wort chillers are available from various home brew stores, as well as online vendors such as ebay. If you are the industrious type, you may enjoy building your own. I would explain the process myself, but this article from Irish Craft Brewer is fantastic. If air-cooling has been your previous method, you will be surprised at the speed of the wort chiller. It's sure to cut an hour off your brew day.
Incorrect Yeast Pitching
You may have done everything perfectly during your brew process, but pitch the yeast wrong, and your poor fermentation will ruin the beer. There are several ways to prepare yeast correctly, depending on whether it is in a dried or liquefied state.
For dry yeast, the best thing to do is re-hydrate it in warm water before pitching. Water at around 100 degrees F will do the trick. Upon pitching, agitate the yeast into the wort by shaking the primary fermenter or stirring with a spoon.
Liquid yeast will require starter wort. John Palmer's How to Brew is available online with a great chapter on Yeast Starters.
Regardless of what obstacles you may encounter during your growth as a home brewer, always remember that mistakes happen to everyone, and sometimes they even result in a new beer flavor!
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The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
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What? Echo! (Echo!) Where’s the dischord and dissent?
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And without bloodshed. Sounds like the Savoy trustees aren’t as narrow-minded as some of their whiny pants constituents. Do you think quack Snell is already planning an asinine counterattack or is he still laying low after those “threats” against his person?
hey, if hair ain’t gon’ be over your head, my jokes may as well be.
Okay, almost 24 hours later and I finally got Issac’s Summer joke. I’m an idiot.
Excellent. I am glad sometimes American dreams are encouraged, rather than stifled.
Swap the dog for a fire pit and it sounds like you’re writing about my back yard. Very nice.
funny, as your summer begins, another Summer ends.
@Dan - Wow. Unfortunately, I have to refrain from further comment due to a previous employment relationship. But with that brief context you might be able to imagine possible comments or responses I could have.
Oh, by the way, the “Champaign County YMCA” no longer exists. The official name is now the “Stephens Family YMCA” (the website has not been updated, but check out the latest program guide). And no, it’s not just the name of the building. It’s the name of the organization.
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Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…