| I whipped up a batch of stout on Sunday to
replenish a woefully low supply of dark ales in
the old beer cellar. I wasn't terribly well
prepared to brew, but what the hey, I really
had everything I needed in one form or another.
Although I usually use liquid yeast, I hadn't had
time to make a decent starter, so I went with
some dry yeast that had been sitting in the frig
for just such an occasion.
So my batch sizes are typically right at 11
gallons of wort out of the kettle, and
I split the wort 60-40 into 7 and 5 gallon
carboys. So rack rack rack, I didn't quite
make it 60-40, but the wort in the smaller
jug was not really quite up to the shoulder.
Big deal, I've fermented many brews like
that (with tum-te-tum-tum well-behaved liquid
yeast).
Off to the bathtub in the warm bathroom
go the carboys. I usually leave the curtain
open so I get the carboy's entertainment
value while sitting on the throne; but Sunday
I closed the curtain because we had some
guests that night. Besides, me thinks,
these puppies won't really do anything until
tomorrow afternoon. Tum-te-tum-tum.
So Monday afternoon I get home from work,
open the front door, and smell that good old
humping yeast smell from the bathroom.
Good, I think, ahead of schedule! The dogs
were rather upset and excited but it was
a Monday and that's how they usually are
on the first day back to work.
So it's not until later Monday night that
I open the bath room door. Whoa!! Humping
yeast, indeed! The smell was a bit
overwhelming. Impressive, me thinks, very
impressive. So I pull the curtain aside
and discover Mt Beersuvious! Looks like
an entire fraternity has had a ralphing
party in the bathtub! There's a small dent
in the ceiling, the air-lock lies shattered
on the floor, and the small carboy looks
like it has been attacked by a blow-in
insulation installer gone berserk.
Never underestimate the power of dry yeast!
By the way, on Tuesday morning the batch
had finished fermenting!
Mark
|
| live and learn...use a blow off hose...but that doesn't necessarily
mean no problems...my brew partner(Hoot Gibson, past DEC noter in here,
GRATEFUL, and sports files)
and I created Son of Ceiling Slapping Ale last
week...pinched the blow-off hose as we shoved the carbouy back into the
corner. 'bout 3Am the plugged hose blew out of the top of the glass
carbouy, spewing wort on 3 of 4 walls of my brew-buddy's house, all
over his stove, of course the ceiling, all over his Real Famiy Values
poster featuring the Cleavers and all over his three stooges
calendar...once the pressure was released, the wort continued to
ferment and bubble all over his carpeted kitchen floor...it had
subsided by 7am the next morning when my buddy woke up...
deadhead
|