I have today brewed a pilsner. Recipe here http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2203317/pitrevie%20pilsner.pdf
This was to be my first attempt at going from a 23l brelength to a 2 corny 42l brewlength.
After a bit of faffing about yesterday wondering if my Hop and Grain coolbox tun would hold the grains, Dunfie very kindly lent me his 50l thermobox tun. Just as well - as trying to fly sparge an overflowing mash tun in the middle of this shambles would have been an even bigger headache.
First hiccup - while the mash was on, I set about trying to beef up the support for the MDF shelf in my new fermenting fridge. Not having time to do a proper job of it I tried to look around for something tall enough to prop the shelf up a bit. Aha - a tin of Dulux lilac white paint. That looks about right.
So I carried the tin over the the fridge and tripped over one of the kids plastic tricycles:
Falling head over heels with a tin of Dulux in my hands. I hit the deck hard and the tin of course burst open sending Dulux lilac white paint everywhere - mostly over me and the floor but splatters of it got everywhere. I had to strip completely out of my clothes as I looked like I had fallen in a vat of the stuff (yes even my Calvin Kleins got covered in the stuff):
As I didnt have a fermenter big enough for the new brew I used a food grade mango chutney barrel and stuck a tap on it. The barrel got fairly well splattered too:
As did the floor:
And my toolbox:
And SWMBOS dining room chair
Pretty much the only thing to escape without looking like it had been paintballed was Dunfie's mashtun:
So I managed to get cleaned up but there was paint everyhere and I kept picking bits of it up. Never mind - onwards and downwards and time to start running off the mash. On topping up the tun for the first batch sparge I noted that my new HLT had sprung a leak around where I fitted the new sight tube. SHIT!!!
I got the top up in and left the mash and set about getting my old 30l Burco out of service and tipped the liquor in.
The sparges went smoothly - no stuck mash for a change. Thank The Lord as I might have given up by now.
55 litres of wort into the boiler.
60 min boil - no hiccups here - piece of cake.
Chilling started fine and I took me a sample - 1057OG - bang on the money.
I glanced up from the laptop to check the chilling was going OK and noticed the large puddle on the floor. F&^!!! I had forgot to shut the fermenter tap:
Only a bit over half a litre lost:
Still got my 40l into the fermenter so pretty much bang on target:
Sprinkled on 2 packets of Saflager W-34/70 at 22 degrees wort.
Left half an hour and it seemed to be liking it:
Now to aerate with my new paint mixer drill attachment. Oh, how very appropriate...
60 seconds or so on full tilt with the paint mixer and plenty of air mixed into the wort:
And then into the fridge to drop down to a controlled 12c for the ferment:
I think the Dulux Chutney Pilsner is going to be a cracker...! It was certainly hard work so it is bound to taste good. Hopefully no more disasters in store for this brew.....!
Now, I need a pint to get over the stress of this morning.
