10 Easy to Avoid Mistakes Home Brewers Make

[berryman]

https://www.homebrewsupply.com/learn/10 ... -make.html
I just thought this was a interesting read.

[mashani]

> 1. Pitching Enough Yeast

The calculator I use thinks the calculator they reference isn't pitching anywhere near enough yeast either, so I am good here.

> 4. Not Paying Attention to the Task at Hand

Once this year I left a spigot open. Oops.

> 10. Not Chilling to Fermentation Temperature

I do this often, I am often pitching in the 70+ degree range, and most yeast manufacturers actually tell you in their instructions to start the yeast at temps well above what you might want as actual fermentation temperature, because this allows the growth phase to happen faster, so it helps out compete other critters and/or murder them quicker later due to exponential growth, because less lag time. Whether this causes trouble is more likely down to "has it cooled down to proper temps before active fermentation starts", which in my case would always be "yes" because my batches are small and don't take that long to cool off the rest of the way compared to a 5+ gallon batch with a lot more thermal mass, and if my ambient temps are warmer and slowing cooling down it's still OK because I'm brewing beer that likes to be fermented at warmer temps anyways that time of year.

YMMV if doing a bigger batch, your ambient temps, what kind of beer you make, and also if you aren't pitching enough yeast and extending the growth phase / making the yeast work harder to hit critical mass. I pitch so much yeast that I get 2 cycles of growth and then it's already in active fermentation mode.

Most of my beer is drinkable right out of the fermenter, so this is most certainly not causing me any problems, at least not at my pitch rates and with my yeast selection / seasonal brewing style.

[berryman]

> 1. Pitching Enough Yeast
The calculator I use thinks the calculator they reference isn't pitching anywhere near enough yeast either, so I am good here.

Yup and I use the same one as you and was a great improvement on my beer also.

#2 - I had somewhat good temp control shortly after I started brewing , but now have really good and I know that makes a big difference.

> 4. Not Paying Attention to the Task at Hand
Once this year I left a spigot open. Oops.

Not long ago I did it too, I caught it before I lost much, but was not happy it happened.
I think this list is geared towards newer brewers, but all pretty good advice.

[Beer-lord]

What about drinking and brewing? They go hand in hand but it would be easy to over do the drinking and have a bad day.

[berryman]

What about drinking and brewing? They go hand in hand but it would be easy to over do the drinking and have a bad day.

I am pretty sure that what caused my #4

[Kealia]

That's a great article for new brewers. Not too in-depth but touches on some key points.

[FedoraDave]

It's always good to review the basics.

[bpgreen]

Am I the only one who found the article a little confusing? When I see a "listicle" type of article, I'll typically scan through it quickly, first looking at the list, then going back and reading the fuller descriptions.

The first two mistakes are "Pitching Enough Yeast" and "Temperature Control" and I wouldn't consider either of those to be mistakes. If anything, they're best practices.

When I read the descriptions, I see that the author doesn't consider them to be mistakes, either.

There's good information in the article, but having a mixture of mistakes and best practices takes away from its effectiveness, in my opinion.

It's kind of a nit, but it would have been easy enough to make the article about 10 easy to avoid mistakes so that the article actually matches the title. Instead of "pitching enough yeast," make it "not pitching enough yeast." And so on. The information in the article could be the same, but the list would be much more clear. If you just read the list, here are the 10 "mistakes" the author lists:

1. Pitching Enough Yeast
2. Temperature Control
3. Using Chlorinated Tap Water
4. Not Paying Attention to the Task at Hand
5. Measuring Solids by Volume Instead of by Weight
6. Cleaning & Sanitizing are Two Processes
7. Using a Refractometer to Take a Final Gravity Reading
8. Following Poor Kit Instructions, or Bad Information
9. Not Taking Good Notes
10. Not Chilling to Fermentation Temperature

I guess it's not as bad as I first thought. There are only 3 items (1, 2, and 6) that aren't mistakes. But if you're going to have a list of 10 mistakes, it should be a list of 10 mistakes, not 7 mistakes and 3 best practices.

[Kealia]

I see what you mean. I guess I jumped right to the meaning of each one and didn't pay attention to the actual phrasing.

Are you by chance an English major?

[bpgreen]

I see what you mean. I guess I jumped right to the meaning of each one and didn't pay attention to the actual phrasing.

Are you by chance an English major?

I was at one point, but I ended up graduating with a different major.

[Kealia]

I thought that might be the case. It's funny/curious to see what jumps out to different people in certain situations.
I was a psych major (not my profession), so I'm always curious WHY people say/do things.

Cheers.

[ScrewyBrewer]

What about drinking and brewing? They go hand in hand but it would be easy to over do the drinking and have a bad day.

Without mentioning any names. I know someone who forgot to pitch their yeast a few times after enjoying several brewday pints with friends.

[Crazy Climber]

What about drinking and brewing? They go hand in hand but it would be easy to over do the drinking and have a bad day.

Without mentioning any names. I know someone who forgot to pitch their yeast a few times after enjoying several brewday pints with friends.

Never forgot to pitch, but I did forget to add priming sugar once!