Brew Time : pt. 1.5
Feb 11 2010
Well, my first major error occurred. If you look closely at the photo, you’ll notice that this spoon has something missing….the tip of the handle. If you’re wondering where that went, well, it’s now resting comfortably in the primary fermenter. Here’s how it went down….
Yesterday, I took a peek at my batch and noticed that the krausen (foam created by fermentation) had dramatically subsided. That meant I could ditch the blow-off tube and put the airlock back on the carboy. Now prior to this, the fermentation had been so vigorous that it was pushing the bung up and weakening the air-tight seal on the fermenter. So I finally pushed it down nice and firmly, thus making it tough for the pressure to dislodge it. That was all fine and dandy, until it came time for me to remove it. It was so firmly planted, with very little room to grab with my hands, that I had to improvise. So I grabbed a wooden spoon from the kitchen with a handle thin enough to get down into the hole and use as leverage to remove the bung.
As I began to pry the bung loose, the spoon was bending a little bit. Not enough to cause concern…or so I thought. Then, in the blink of an eye, I heard the dreaded *snap*. And there I was, holding the spoon in my hand, sans a one-inch piece of the handle. After shouting a handful of obscenities, the worry started to set in. Because the spoon wasn’t supposed to come into contact with the beer, I hadn’t bothered to sanitize it. Sure it was clean, having been in the dishwasher just a day prior, but this is wood. It’s porous, it has nooks and crannies, and bacteria loves to make a home in nooks and crannies.
So, I quickly made my way to the Home Brew Talk forum (a great resource and sounding board, btw) and asked about the chance of infection from this rookie move. A few of the long-standing members there consoled me and told me not to worry, just keep to my schedule. Chances are the beer will turn out just fine, as yeast is a formidable opponent for trace amounts of bacteria, and that as long as the spoon wasn’t filthy things should turn out ok. The caveat being that if it does end up as a bad batch, I’ll have a pretty good idea of why.
This eased my mind, to a point. Obviously, I’m still concerned as I don’t want something so petty to kill an entire batch….my first-ever batch. But I really have no other option but to let things play out and just hope for the best. As an aside though, I decide that since I’d already had the batch “open”, I’d take an early hydrometer reading. The gravity is moving downwards nicely (1.015, down from 1.045) and the taste is becoming more refined. In a word: delicious. Especially for such a ‘green’ beer. So much so, that I’m now keeping all fingers and toes crossed in hopes that this batch turns out fine. Hell, even in it’s early stage, it’s actually something I’d have no problem drinking right now. So I’ve got that going for me.
I’ll be taking another reading towards the end of the weekend to use as my base in terms of seeing whether the fermentation has leveled off. If it has, then I may rack over to the secondary a couple days earlier than the full two weeks that I’d originally planned. That’ll give me a chance to get started on my Sierra Nevada clone, and get a stockpile in the pipeline. One thing I’ve learned though, next time use something sturdier than wood to remove a lodged bung.
Never again can you question my practice of making limoncello in old pickle jars. . .
Comment by Ron — February 12, 2010 @ 3:42 pm
Oh I’ll still question that, Ron. Just wait, though. As time goes on, I’m going to be whipping up some nice stouts, Oktoberfests, and barley wines.
Comment by B — February 12, 2010 @ 5:20 pm