Bloody Beer

MaddMatt

I started a batch of Donner and Blitzed last night. Everything was going to plan right until I sliced my thumb open on the lid of the 2nd can of extract. Whilst leaking blood into the sink at quite an alarming rate, I finished emptying the contents of the can into the fermenter, placed the fermenter's lid on with my good hand and then dealt with the injury. 10 minutes of direct pressure stemmed the flow and I set about searching for a plaster. Thanks to having a 4 year old daughter, the only plasters in the house were pink. With Hello Kitty on them. So, pink thumb held firmly out of the way, I finished the brew and left it to start fermenting.

Problem is, after 12 hours, there was only the slightest hint of activity in there. I have a brew belt on it, and the last brew I made (Dasher the Flasher) had forced all the water out of the airlock within 12 hours. I'm pretty sure I didn't leak into the brew, but has anyone else got experience in this area? Does the red stuff kill your brew?

HBO_Staff

Hi MaddMatt, we hope your thumb is on the mend. Different brews ferment at different rates, so don't be too worried, it may be that the gas is escaping through a tiny gap elsewhere too, perhaps around the airlock if the seal isn't perfect, but your brew will be fine and can be checked with hydrometer readings. Even if you did get very slight contamination in it would be a drop in the ocean and would have no detrimental effect.

MaddMatt

Cheers!

Thumb is still sore, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

Best news is, I just got home from work, and I now have a nice frothy head on my wort.

Time for a glass of Geordie Winter Warmer to celebrate!

grandad

hi, has anyone ever brewed sparkling wine? if you have could you give me a few tips.

MaddMatt

Well, a double dose of bad news. First of all, I didn't mutate into Beer Man after my blood was mingled with beer wort Secondly, and perhaps more depressingly, I had to throw 40 pints of Donner and Blitzed down the drain. Infected, I assume, not by my blood, but more likely during the 10 minutes it was left untended whislt I sorted my injury. Oh well, my local off license got to see more of me than usual. Got a Wherry to start this week, and some Goldings to try hop-tea for the first time. Hopefully, there'll be no blood this time!