Homebrew disasters

RoboRat

Be great if people could post some of their disasters. Here is mine...

I had a batch of turbo cider brewing 3 weeks ago, I had it in the attic as my wife hates the smell and I get dark looks when I start brewing it... the look that says your a closet alco, even though I don't drink too often. The last few batches took about 7 days so after 7 days I went up and took the vat down. I took a hydrometer reading and it was different to the last few but I didn't think much of it, I'm fairly new to this. I also wanted to get it done while the wife was out so I just went with it.

I started bottling in flip caps and I was using new carbonation tabs - 1 tab for 350ml but I was bottling 500ml so I dropped 2 in. Got it all bottled and put them on top of the larder press in the utility room. I was planning on leaving them for another 2-3 weeks to mature but I was awoken 2 nights later around 3.30am to what sounded like a window being smashed. I ran downstairs with my trusty hatched (I keep it under the bed to welcome unwanted visitors) to make sure I wasn't being burgled again.

First thing that hits me as I walk into the kitchen is the pang of cider, I open the utility room and there is cider friggin everywhere. The walls & ceiling are dripping and to make matters worse, there is glass everywhere. I have 2 kids, a 1 year old and 5 year old so I had to clean it up pronto (not to mention the headache I would get from the wife if she found the mess).

I thought it would be sensible to check the rest even though I thought it might have been a bad bottle. I grabbed a bottle and popped it open... it was like a bloody geyser erupting. Hit the ceiling, nearly took my eye out and drowned me in cider and covered the utility room again!

OK, now I have a real problem, I basically have 45 bombs that need diffusing and done quietly. So, at 3.45am on a Saturday morning, I end up with a pair of safety goggles, skull cap, scarf over my face and thick work jacket with gardening gloves opening bottles that could send a rocket to the moon... it was like the Hurt Locker meets The Hangover.

It took me the best part of 2 and a half hours to get them open and the utility room cleaned up, I went back to bed nearing 6am only to be woken about 20 mins later by the 1 year old.

The next day the wife is going mental because of the smell, I'm bloody exhausted and to make matters worse, the cider had drained through the press and ruined a load of food and the medical box. Everything was covered in cider. I am still in operation clean up and finding more treacle like cider in corners.

Lesson learned, cider ferments quicker in the summer and always pay attention to the hydrometer. I have another batch on and I am leaving it 3 weeks just to be sure and I won't double up on the carb tabs either.

RasTa

Returning about a min before the end of a 60min boil to a funny smell "what's that?, oh **** the plug is smoking!"



I haven't brewed since but will be doing it again tomorrow. Might switch to gas