Home Brew Forum

McMullan wrote:I did something similar, Brewedout. Both mesh filters were on the bottom plate. I didn’t realise until I’d mashed in. It was a messy PITA retrieving the mesh filter for the top plate.

I like to have a beer or two towards the end of brew day. Once it turned into a bit of a session. We eventually got the FV in the brew fridge. Checked the gravity a few days later. It hadn’t budged much. I was really confused, because I knew the yeast starter was top notch. Left it for a few more days. Not much change and it tasted awful. It was infected, so I decided it was best to pour it down the drain. When I removed it from the brew fridge, I noticed a flask containing the yeast starter hiding behind the FV. I forget to pitch the yeast.

Best of all, though, I forgot to take some basic precautions when I first brewed using a BM, in the kitchen. It was a cold day in November. I’d read it was fine to use the 20L model in a kitchen. So off I went with the kitchen window wide open. Couldn't see much after adding hops to the boil. The kitchen filled with a wonderful aromatic mist. At least I thought it was wonderful. It triggered all the synchronised alarms in the house. Kids were screaming, dog was barking and I think my wife was printing off divorce papers. But we all calmed down eventually and laughed about it. After the cold break the tap blocked with hops. I ended up siphoning the wort from the BM. Desperately in need of the toilet, I left it unattended. Upon returning, I noticed the kitchen floor looked odd. The syphon tube somehow escaped from the FV. I spent a whole day cleaning a sticky film off every surface in the kitchen, including the ceiling and walls. And another day replacing the flooring.

RobP wrote:Ever opened the quick-disconnect to change the pipes round while the valve is open and the pump still running? Makes a mess.