Lessons Learnt

[Bazza]

I went through a phase of not stirring after pouring the priming solution into the finished beer, then wondering why I was drinking bottles of flat ale, so my tip is to always stir the priming solution into the beer and don't assume nature will do it for you. Unless you're a thrill seeker and like the whole Russian Roulette aspect of locating the bottle bomb in the batch.

If your FV doesn't have a tap, don't be tempted to take a sample 3-4 days into fermentation with a plastic beaker you thought you'd sterilised - the same plastic beaker your kids use for milk, juice,etc. I spider-webbed 3 brews in a 6 month period doing this.

It's generally unwise to handle large containers full of boiling liquid whilst wearing that stinky but comfy old pair of  trainers you haven't the heart to throw out - the ones with the extremely thin webbing around the top of the toes.

Glass thermometers are made of glass. If they fall or have things fall on them they become all broken and no good. I broke one by simply shaking it a little more aggressively than was necessary. I broke another one by sitting on it in the car - outside the shop where I'd just bought it!

Electricity stings; so try not to touch it.

So you think your gas/regulator/lines/connectors set-up is completely leak free? It isn't.

For guaranteed results, always wear your lucky brewing trousers.

And, like many of you here, I've been caught out with the whole forgetting to put in the hop strainer on more than one occasion.


-Barry

[sub82]

The old 'turning your back on a simmering pan of malt extract' is always a good one.