first All Grain brew on xmas eve. (with pics)

[kevthebootboy]

theres been a right [censored] disaster, please excuse my french, but my back is well and truely up, just got a phone call off my sister, while throwing a house party at our house (i didnt attend ) she was pissed up and in my attick room manage to KNOCK OVER MY [censored] FERMENTING BUCKET. she says the lid didnt come off but the seal went ( ? ) and theres about a third missing and wasnt re sealed ( ? ) untill the morning...so god know how much is left and whats got into it,
im seariously pissed off, probly going to end up down the plug hole, all that effort, lugging all my gear up two flights of stairs, not to mention the waste of hops grain gas....

fed up, need a pint.

[paulcav]

Oh for crying out loud. What was she doing in your room? When you say that the bucket wasn't sealed, was the lid still covering the brew?

[kevthebootboy]

she was going to sleep in my room because i wasnt about and she had let a couple mates sleep in her room, as for the lid i dont really know what she means,
the bucket was resting on top off and upturned stock pot, coverd with a plack bin liner and two fleece blankets,
now i dont know what to do with it, i was going to bottle the lot, but that now is a lot of bother if its going to get infected, i could put whats left in a budget barrel but then if it doesnt taste right i wont really know when it was me doing something wrong or my drunken idiot sister, ill go back to mine tomorrow and see whats what,

[paulcav]

See what the situation is when you get to see tomorrow but if the lid is on i'd personally leave it but clean up any spilt wort on the bucket, especially around where the seal split then just hang on until when you would have normall checked the final gravity to have a taste. You'll know by then if its infected.

[yashicamat]

Don't dispair mate. I've lost 50 litres of AG beer in the last 10 days - it's a bummer, but in reality, grain isn't that expensive really and while there might have been nothing wrong with your brew, I'm sure you've already seen areas you want to try to improve on next time. Although I do admit, time is the main annoyance factor in losing AG beers, especially when it's not your fault. I'd certainly be livid, even though it was an accident.

Anyhow, you never know, it might have survived! I would advise to give it a week in that FV (or if it's reached it's FG, move it into the budget barrel so it's in a nice fresh container). Even if it tastes OK now, I'd personally give it another week in non-sealed vessel (i.e., something with a pressure release ability like a FV or keg) in case it is infected. Infected beers can continue to produce gas as the nasties eat things the yeast couldn't, so bottles can become bombs.

Best of luck though!

[kevthebootboy]

thanks yashicamat and paulcav,
think what ill do is drop it into my bottling bucket and let it carry on untill its at its final gravity, have a taste, if it taste ok, ill put in in two litre PET bottles, i can release the presure if need be,

fingers crossed eh lads

[yashicamat]

thanks yashicamat and paulcav,
think what ill do is drop it into my bottling bucket and let it carry on untill its at its final gravity, have a taste, if it taste ok, ill put in in two litre PET bottles, i can release the presure if need be,

fingers crossed eh lads

Sounds like a plan. PET bottles are a safe bet anyway, you can both feel the pressure building up so give them a check (something which you can't do with glass bottles) plus PET bottles are unbelievably strong anyway so I think you'd need some serious pressure to get them to burst!

[Hogarth]

Disaster. It's the sort of thing that tears families apart.

Fingers crossed on your beer. But whatever the outcome, make sure you tell your sister she spoiled the lot, and it'll be drinks on her in 2009.

[kevthebootboy]

Ah good idea bogarth, she feels terriel, i gave it the whole "i had to get up at six...blah blah ...it took me 5 hours...blah blah..."

right so, ive racked it into a nice,fresh, sanatised bucket, theres about 14 letres left, the gravity is down to 1012 at 18'c
i didnt tasted it but it smells ok at the moment, going to leave it a couple of days then bottle it,

hmm...it would seem that i now have a fermenter free, might as well get another brew planned...

[edit1now]

Keep going while you're in the mood

[kevthebootboy]

aye, but im abit stcuk on what to brew next.

[edit1now]

Oatmeal Stout?

[kevthebootboy]

yeah i wouldnt mind a stoud, depends on the recipe really, thats why im abit stuck on what to do, ive been searching jim's and t'interweb for recipes but im always some grain or hops missing, ive got....
pale malt, crystal malt,amber malt, chocolate malt, roast barley, fuggle and bodicia hops, i have got a oder of hops paid for but been waiting weeks for them cos the shop is having trouble with a supplyers ect,witch EKG, target and more fuggles,

[Damfoose]

Sorry to hear about your brew. But on the other side as you said you now have a FV free to accept a new brew

This forum in the recepies section is great. Their is also Clicky that I beleave was put together by one of the other members ( Sorry I forget who though ) its quite handy for recepies as well.

[kevthebootboy]

cheers damfoose, i have been on that site,its got loads of good stuff on it, its just finding one thats got what ive got, may get inpatien just make something up and see how it turns out.....