I needed to juggle some beer today. I had two full 2.5s, one full 5, one partly full 5, one empty 5, and a 5 gal double IPA ready to package. Simple right? Noo, of course not. The empty keg was bought used, with the posts glued in place, presumably when the top handle was re-glued. I've run cleaner and sanitizer through, but I still worried. I was going to try heat on the posts, then replace them. But those two 2.5s are not entirely successful. In fact one tastes like celery, even after 8 months. So I dumped it, cleaned the keg and prepared to transfer the remaining Belgian Pale. And then I pushed the collar off of the quick disconnect while putting it on. That took a while to fix, especially when I tried it backward first. I must be a pioneer, because even HBT had no threads on it. Well, trouble free brewing is a myth, so I pressed on. (Literally) With the BP in the 2.5, I washed and sanitized the now empty 5. After a break to have dinner with my smart and pretty niece, I came home to keg the DIPA. That actually went smoothly, although the strange stuff floating in the fermenter always worries me. I tried to bottle the last couple of pints, but hops clogged the wand (DIPA, right?) Still, I moved on to cleanup. Then I took my tubes and auto-siphon outside, where I swing them to get the water out. That works, but I swung too hard, and the auto-siphon clip whipped the top right off. Ooops.
Well, at least I fixed one and I think I can fix the other, or use it as is. In the big picture, today will be a giant success if the IPA is really good. Writing it down makes it seem less than the frustration of the moment. If this post doesn't interest you, at least you only spent a minute reading it.
Maybe next time I'll repair that empty keg....
Making beer and stew for the Zombie Apocalypse.
Never mind, there it is.
