The More Things Change...

[John Sand]

The more they stay the same. I brewed outdoors for the second time today. Last time I struggled with mash temps. Today I way overshot my strike temp. Thought the damn thing wouldn't go much over 100, even covered, until I realized I was looking at celcius on the fryer thermometer. So I added ice-water until I was close, doughed in, added more ice-water, got within a degree. Then wrapped the pot with reflectix. It held the same temp for an hour. Great! I had a couple of boil-overs, which is no big deal outdoors. I also miscalculated my water volume and ended up high on volume, low on gravity. (Maybe all that ice-water?) All cool. Then the big goof. I stirred the nearly cool wort with an un-sanitized spoon. I ruined a previous batch with an un-sanitized cup. I'm a little more hopeful on this one, as I had just washed the spoon. We'll know in a few weeks, or a couple of months if it takes a while to manifest.
Wish me luck.

[Inkleg]

Wish me luck.

Well ok, good luck.

But I honestly believe it will be just fine. I won't get into all the things that I have dropped, knocked, swatted into my cool side wort.

The more you brew with the new system the more second nature it all becomes. Plus it's good that you documented your brew day here. If it turns out to be the best brew ever, you'll be able to recreate all the little hiccups.

[mashani]

Good luck.

I make it a point to have everything I'm going to use sitting on a big lipped tray that has sanitizer solution in it. After using them I give a quick rinse and toss them back into the tray. If it doesn't come out of that tray it doesn't touch the beer. That prevents me from the "oops".

(not that it keeps my house Brett at bay, but I never get infected by anything else).

[BigPapaG]

Been there, done that... Got the T-Shirt!

Once I shoved my whole forearm in the LBK to tighten the spigot nut and then said... Oops!

Beer was fine though...

Ever since then been wanting to use the tag line:

-- > "There's a little bit of me in every brew!"

[John Sand]

I love it! All of it!
Ironically, inside I use a sanitized plate for my tools. Outside, I was using the fermenter with starsan in it. But I brought the spoon, thermometer, and measuring cup in to wash after the boil was done. All had been in the wort, and were sticky. When I went back out, I put the cup and thermometer in the bucket, and used the spoon. Goof!

[FedoraDave]

I bet it'll be fine. A freshly-washed spoon and still-hot wort...Yeah, should be fine.

[John Sand]

It was also my first time repitching slurry.
But it's bubbling away now.