Crazy brew day . . . but turned out ok

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by nniicckkww, Oct 29, 2012.

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  1. nniicckkww

    nniicckkww Initiate (0) Dec 25, 2005 Florida

    This thread is dedicated to those crazy mishaps that unexpectedly occur during brew day. You think it could be the end of the world, but somehow (karma?) everything works out ok.

    Today I ended up brewing an imperial brown ale.

    14 lbs. Maris Otter
    1 lb. carastan
    3/4 lb. debittered chocolate malt
    1.5 oz. magnum at 120 min
    1 oz willamette at 15 min
    Pitched onto Wyeast 1968 yeast cake

    So, I mash in this morning at 6 am trying to beat the storm here in New England. I stir in the water as I've done for years and years then take a temp with my trustee electric thermometer.

    164F!!! No! What to do?!!? I quickly grab some ice and mix into the mash. Temp drops to 150F. Great. I take a nap for 45 min.

    Heating the sparge water I see that my thermometer is reading 114F at room temp in the garage. Uh oh. I grab my back up manual thermometer and take mash temp. 130F!!! WTF?!?

    I lift the cooler and pour into my kettle. Hit the jets and stir. No scorching. Whew. I hit 149F. Back to cooler and went back to bed for an hour. Lol.

    All said and done i hit my OG of 1.07~ added 1 lb. extra light dme and hit 1.083. Perfect.

    Crisis averted. Maybe I shouldn't keep electric thermometers for 15 years lol.
     
    #1 nniicckkww, Oct 29, 2012
  2. gtermi

    gtermi Initiate (0) Apr 21, 2010 Texas

    I had the same problem once. I had one of those meat thermometers and it was reading 155 in the mash tun, but when I used an old school thermometer it was reading 122. I had to use so much water to get it to the correct temp
     
    #2 gtermi, Oct 29, 2012
  3. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,995) Jul 5, 2010 Virginia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Easy way to avert these kinds of crisises in the future. Bring 1pt-1qt of water to a boil. Calibrate your thermometer (water boils at 212 at sea level). Use the boiling water to preheat your mash tun.
     
    #3 MrOH, Oct 29, 2012
    inchrisin likes this.
  4. Gonzoillini

    Gonzoillini Initiate (0) Oct 15, 2008 Illinois

    Worst mishap ever was a stuck sparge on an Imperial Stout that was my first time using a friends 15 gallon mash tun with a false bottom that I wasn't familiar with. After a normal 60 minute mash I go to drain out my first runnings and nothing. Try to stir, blow compressed air through the ball valve, add additional 180 degree water to try and loose the mash, no relief.

    Eventually had to scoop the mash into my trust 5 gallon igloo cooler which I was able to fill to the absolute brim (which never would have been possible before the mash as the non compacted grain and water would have overflowed) and run off and sparge as normal. Came within .002 of my intended original gravity.

    I heard Michael Douglas once chide Val Kilmer for bringing an untested rifle into the bush, I'll never make the same mistake again :wink:

    Cheers!
     
    #4 Gonzoillini, Oct 29, 2012
  5. MMAJYK

    MMAJYK Initiate (0) Jun 26, 2007 Georgia

    Time for you to invest in a Thermapen, my friend. The best beer-related money I've spent in a long time.
     
    #5 MMAJYK, Oct 29, 2012
    mcc1654 and Gonzoillini like this.
  6. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    You're halfway there. Take some frosty water and get within 1 or 2 degrees of 32. Sediment and sea level will probably change this too.
     
    #6 inchrisin, Oct 30, 2012
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