Batch #2 in Primary

Brew Date: May 25, 2008
Recipe: This Bud's For You Kit
(Follow the link for the ingredients list.)

This brew day was a bit of a disaster. I must have called Aric 5 times. I got started brewing late, and we also had a party scheduled that day.

First of all, I ordered this kit without noting that it was a lager. I don't have the facilities to lager yet, so my first call to Aric was about this. Aric told me that he had brewed this kit before and simply replaced the lager yeast with ale yeast - no problem. A trip to my local HBS and I came home with a 'smack-pack' of ale yeast.

Disaster #2 started on brew day when I smacked the pack of yeast. I smacked it too hard I guess and shot yeast-food and yeast-goo all over the kitchen and my friend Shawn who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Funny to be sure, but now I am freaking out because the HBS is closed and I just screwed up my yeast pack. Another call to Aric yielded what I realize now must be the most repeated phrase spoken by experienced brewers to noobies: "Don't panic. Just use it and everything will probably be fine." I had stuck the yeast pack in a zip lock, which I should have sanitized but didn't, so I was worried about that is well, but Aric calmed me down a bit.

Disaster #3 struck when I was crushing the grains (a first for me) on the counter with a rolling pin. The rolling pin slipped and shot towards me sending grain flying all over the kitchen floor. Luckily, these grains were going into a boil-bag, so anything ummm... extra that got mixed up with them didn't physically end up in the wort. Luckily, we had cleaned the floor that morning (party, remember?) so it wasn't bad at all.

The boil went fine, and just before it ended I started cleaning (Oxy-Clean) and sanitizing (One-Step) the primary, blow-off tube, pickle jar, etc. I was much more thorough with my cleaning and sanitation this time, and my timing was better over all. I'm getting a little better at the dance...

In to the primary the hot wort went, topped off with cold water, and my new thermometer stuck through the air-lock hole. I don't have any wort-chilling capability, and there was too much stuff going on for it to go in the sink with ice for a half-hour. I could have used some ice in the top-off water, but I thought of that too late. I ended up pitching the yeast (from the ruptured foil pack inside the un-sanitized zip-lock...arggg!) around 90 degrees. Too hot I know. I just wanted that yeast out of that zip-lock and to be done brewing as the house was now filling with party guests.

It took about 24 hours, but fermentation eventually got going. The pickle jar had sanitizer solution in it this time. After a day or so, fermentation slowed down and I swapped out the blow-off for an air-lock, also filled with sanitizer solution.

As of today, Batch #2 has been in primary for 8 days. I have not taken (and will not take) a peek at it, but all seems normal. Thats the bummer about brewing in buckets - you can't see anything... I will rack this batch to the keg on June 15th, or when we float the Batch #1 keg - which ever comes later.

Lessons Learned:

• "Smack" is not meant to be taken literally.
• Pay attention to what you are ordering.
  
• Don't brew when you have to compete for the kitchen.
• Contain your grains.
  
• Don't Panic!