Worst Bottling Day Ever?

[JimH]

Well, it wasn't all that bad, but some lessons I learned that maybe I should share. So, the problem was me just trying not to worry about it. I was planning on bottling my beer this morning, and other than dinner with my family a little later, I had no plans. Just gonna watch football and bottle beer. I let that lull me into a false sense of having all the time in the world. I started soaking some 12 oz bottles to get the labels off while the wife made breakfast. I should try to remove labels as I drink them, because it is a pain to do 12 at a time. So, there I was scrambling to clean some 12 oz bottles. I was planning on bottling the rest in some 1/2 liter flip toppers I got from a friend. I never really looked at them when I got them. Pulled them out of the closet and other than dust, they looked fine. That is, until I went to sanitize them. Just prior to putting in the Star San, I discovered they were nasty! Black crud in the bottom. So, scratch that, scramble and grab some other 1/2 liters that I knew were clean. On top of all that, just taking my time and letting everything happen in "good time" led me to spend about 4.5 hours on my bottling day, plus cleaning. There is a difference between leisurely bottling, and flat wasting time. It is a thin line, and I won't be taking it as such anymore.

[christler]

That's a bummer. For me, I only do brew related things in the evening. That way the days work is done, the only thing I need to worry about is making it to bed. But hey, you got one thing right. You found a wife that makes you breakfast!

[bucknut]

That sucks, but hay you get done and over with. I don't bottle anymore but still like to do a little bit each day. The first day I'll gather equipment, measure out ingredients, clean and prep. Then on day two I'll just sanitize and keg or brew then cleanup. It helps me doing it this way cause I always seem to forget a step or forget to add an ingredient.

[philm00x]

Well, at least when it came time to actually fill the bottles, there were no casualties (spilled beer, busted spigot, etc.). Celebrate, you've got beer!

[DirtRacer]

Well, at least when it came time to actually fill the bottles, there were no casualties (spilled beer, busted spigot, etc.). Celebrate, you've got beer!

Definitely! I had opened this expecting such things. I can relate to the bottle scramble but fortunately it seems you had enough on hand.

[John Sand]

Not so bad, you didn't have bugs or mold!