ADHD and Homebrewing

[Gonefishin]

I brewed an extract tripple yesterday and managed to omit the step where the LME goes into the wort. I was very disappointed with my OG and couldn't figure out what happened until I was talking to my brewing son in law. (He got a real kick out of it). I have put the carboy in the fridge to hopefully stop fermentation. I think I have 2 options, 1: I could siphon off a good portion of the wort, put it back in the kettle, add the LME, boil, cool, return it to the carboy with some new yeast and pretend I have developed a new way to complicate brewing. Or, 2: Get a second kit, do basically the same thing as step 1 but increasing the yield to a 10-gal. batch. which would dilute my f-up between to batches. I am not interested in ruining 10 gallons of beer. Is there another option? If anyone has ever done this (and is willing to admit it) what did you do to save it. Feel free to PM me, your confidentiality is safe. Thanks for help, ADHD can be a real drag.

 

[broadbill]

you forgot to add ALL of the extract? If so, dump and start over. The main expense for homebrew is the fermentables. I'd probably take the hit on hops, yeast and start anew.

 

[Gonefishin]

I added the DME, the sugar and the malto, just not the LME(2-cans). I think it was when the flyers scored their 4th goal. I wasn't in a good place after that. Is my fix a viable option?

 

[broadbill]

How much DME did you add to start with? I'd probably re-buy the DME, sugar, and malto, rebrew and dump the failed attempt. Or do option 1. Your choice, same amount of work.

 

[Gonefishin]

3#-DME, 1#Rock Sugar, 1#-malto dextrose. I hate to toss it if I don't have to.

 

[chezteth]

If you have enough fermentor space you could take a gallon of water, heat it up, add your LME, boil for 15 min, chill then add to your fermentor. Otherwise I would suggest starting fresh. Just my $.02

 

[King of Cascade]

You could mix a thick batch of water and LME and add it direct to the fermenter.

ETA: Boil and cool first

 

[H-ost]

At first it sounded crazy but when I think about it... maybe you could do what you are saying.

Remove some of the messed up wort, boil an equivalent amount of water with your remaining LME and then add it to the fermenter. You only need to boil long enough to sterilize it and when you add it to the fermenter aeration and mixing will be necessary.

I would like to mention that doing anything other than dumping and restarting will result in a very different beer than you were hoping for. Your hop utilization was messed up from the first boil and any fix you try will change it further.

Good luck with whatever you try.

 

[silvery37]

I think what you are saying would work fine. It really isn't any different than a late extract addition. This is still a debatable point but your original hop utilization should be fine as it should not be affected by wort gravity. The wort you pull off and add the DME to will have the hops affected. By boiling the wort again you will probably drive off some of the hop oils.

If you do pull wort to add the LME into I would suggest pitching another vial of yeast. By putting it in the fridge you have interrupted their process and you will kill any yeast in the wort you remove and boil.

 

[HopSong]

I also think it would work just fine. As a side note.. I got a kick out of your "ADHD" and your user name "Gonefishin" Do the two go together. I can just see you 'trying' to wait for a bite..

 

[Gonefishin]

How about this? I Boil 1-gal. with the LME plus some extra light pilsner DME, to adjust for the added water, add a little of hops that was in the full boil and then cool it, add the original wort that is in the carboy to BK to mix it all up and return it all to the carboy for fermentation. I could do a Hydro reading to determine how close I am to my original target OG and then make further adjustment if necessary. What won't fit in my keg can be bottled. Thanks to all who have helped.
And Hbgbill, the 2 go hand in hand, I consider it therapy. What were we talking about?

 

[Gonefishin]

OK, I think what I did was make the worlds biggest yeast starter for a 5-gal. batch. When I removed my chiller from the wort I saw that I had short of 5-gallons of wort. My OG 1.052.
After work tonight, I boiled 1-gal. water, added the 2 cans of LME and 1/2# Light DME. I added 1-oz. hops and boiled for 30 min to try to get more bittering out the hops.(?) I then chilled the (heavy)wort to 78 and pitched it into my carboy which was at 56-deg. but still churning. After pitching and mixing well, I had a gravity reading of 1.079 in a 6-gal. batch. The target for 5-gal. was 1.083-086. We went out for a few hours and came home to those beautiful bubbles perking out of the airlock. Time will tell but I think it may be OK. I will keep my fingers crossed.
A few more notes, 1. the wort was closer to molasses, hard to siphon. 2. Always use more brew pot than you think you will need. 3. Mostly, don't forget the LME in your boil.
Thanks again for your input. This forum is a terrific resource. I'll let you know in a few months how this all turns out.

 

[Gonefishin]

Ok, after 9 weeks in the carboy, I just couldn't stand it any longer. I wanted to know if I could take this Trippel to an upcoming wedding. I xfered it to a keg and force carbonated it (maybe a little over carbed). I tried it yesterday and although it was good and a fair example of a Trippel, I feel like I should have held out longer. It is sweet and has a heavy mouthfeel.
Now that it is in the keg and carbed. Can I leave it alone in the keg to mellow further? How long can it sit in the keg without getting old or stale? I think it will make a great winter beer if I can leave it age that long.

 

[Yooper]

Ok, after 9 weeks in the carboy, I just couldn't stand it any longer. I wanted to know if I could take this Trippel to an upcoming wedding. I xfered it to a keg and force carbonated it (maybe a little over carbed). I tried it yesterday and although it was good and a fair example of a Trippel, I feel like I should have held out longer. It is sweet and has a heavy mouthfeel.
Now that it is in the keg and carbed. Can I leave it alone in the keg to mellow further? How long can it sit in the keg without getting old or stale? I think it will make a great winter beer if I can leave it age that long.

Under c02, the beer won't get state. It can be kept in a keg indefinitely.

 

[Gonefishin]

Thanks Yooper. Would the beer age like it would if it were in a secondary fermentor for a long time?

 

[broadbill]

Thanks Yooper. Would the beer age like it would if it were in a secondary fermentor for a long time?

it will age much slower if kept cold; otherwise probably pretty close.

 

[Gonefishin]

Well, it has been six months. I am out of beer so I decided to try my aging ADHD Triple. It may not ge a perfect representation of a Tripple but it turned out prettygood. I am going to pick up a mixer-sixer of some tripples to compare it with. My wife likes it, so I will chalk it up as a success.
This disasterous brew has led me to believe that most mistakes can be overcome and remedied. Some times it just takes patience (which can be a huge challenge for some of us).