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Author Topic: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!  (Read 11193 times)

Offline bobbobcat

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Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« on: April 05, 2010, 04:52:32 pm »
I'm a newbie to homebrewing, working on my second batch right now.  First batch, a red ale, turned out great! I am doing my second batch, an American IPA, however after I put my wort and water in the carboy I rememebered the next day that I forgot to santize my carboy.  DOH!! I know I messed up!!

Currently the fermentation process appears to be going great.  I used a smack pack.  Do you think my beer will be screwed? Or do you think I will be okay? Any suggestions? Comments? Stories??
Thanks!!

Offline pinnah

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #1 on: April 05, 2010, 05:00:09 pm »


I bet you will be fine.   

Stories?  I usually have some scum still visible on the glass from prior batches that I am too lazy scrub off.  I always store my carboys with some tinfoil on the top though. ::)

Have fun, don't worry, drink some red ale.


Offline smurfe

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #2 on: April 05, 2010, 06:11:15 pm »
Did you at least clean it first? I know a lot of folks clean first with Oxy Clean and then sanitize. I have fermented before just using oxy clean when I found out I was out of Star San and didn't even have any bleach. If your carboy was at least clean, you ought to be OK, just don't make a habit of this!  ;D
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Offline euge

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #3 on: April 05, 2010, 06:56:19 pm »
There's a good chance you'll have no problems if you cleaned it up some first. A good healthy pitch of yeast helps. Probably better if you drank up the brew fairly quickly.

If it is a strong IPA upward of greater than 6% then your chances of infection ruining the brew decreases. In my opinion.   
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

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Offline bobbobcat

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #4 on: April 05, 2010, 07:19:51 pm »
Thank you for your input! You're all putting me at ease! But to answer... Yes I did clean the carboy a few hours before I began and the IPA should be around or higher than 6%. I will be sure this never happens again!
Thanks again!  ;D

Offline Hokerer

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #5 on: April 06, 2010, 07:41:48 am »
Now that you're more "at ease", can we offer a suggestion.  You said you "used a smack pack" which implies, at least to me, that you didn't make a starter, right?  I would strongly suggest making starters from now on, especially since you say this one was an over 6% IPA.
Joe

Offline bluesman

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #6 on: April 06, 2010, 08:04:23 am »
Whoops....I'll bet you'll be fine considering the fact that you cleaned the carboy prior to use. I wouldn't let it sit too long.

Good Luck.
Ron Price

Offline Kaiser

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #7 on: April 06, 2010, 09:26:37 am »
I think it depends on how well the carboy was cleaned and how much and active the yeast was. If there was enough yeast and a low enough "other bug" count then you'll be fine.

Nothing you could do now anyway. Let us know how it turns out.

Kai

Offline babalu87

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #8 on: April 06, 2010, 10:10:51 am »
I'll just add that IF it does get funky buy a 5 gallon carboy
Rack the beer to that
Put it in the basement/broom closet for a year
Pull a sample and taste it

Worst case, you have an extra carboy
Best case, you have a great "wild" beer
Jeff

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Offline 1vertical

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2010, 08:06:11 pm »
I'll just add that IF it does get funky buy a 5 gallon carboy
Rack the beer to that
Put it in the basement/broom closet for a year
Pull a sample and taste it

Worst case, you have an extra carboy
Best case, you have a great "wild" beer
+1 so true, don't be too hasty to join your beer with the ocean
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

Offline bobbobcat

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #10 on: April 11, 2010, 05:42:28 pm »
Today I took a hydrometer reading and bottled it up.  Took a quick taste and thought it was pretty good....7.48% ABV.
I'm pretty psyched and can't wait to pop open a few in a few more weeks. 
Thanks for all the advice everyone!!
 ;D

Offline bbump22

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2010, 11:04:29 am »
Now that you're more "at ease", can we offer a suggestion.  You said you "used a smack pack" which implies, at least to me, that you didn't make a starter, right?  I would strongly suggest making starters from now on, especially since you say this one was an over 6% IPA.

How come wyeast activator smack packs need a starter?  I thought the purpose of the nutrient pack inside acts as a starter...I thought just the propogator packs need a starter...

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_products.cfm
mmmm....beer

Offline euge

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2010, 11:17:26 am »
Never got into the habit of making starters. My beers almost always fit into the sub 1.060 range. So I feel safe not doing starters.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline denny

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2010, 11:40:27 am »
How come wyeast activator smack packs need a starter?  I thought the purpose of the nutrient pack inside acts as a starter...I thought just the propogator packs need a starter...

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_products.cfm

The amount of yeast and nutrient in an Activator is not sufficient to really increase the cell count, which is the purpose of a starter.  It's just to show the viability of the yeast by having the pack swell.  My experience is that every time I've made a starter, the beer turns out better than when I didn't, so I always make starters now.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline bbump22

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Re: Forgot to Sanitize my carboy!!
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2010, 11:51:27 am »
The amount of yeast and nutrient in an Activator is not sufficient to really increase the cell count, which is the purpose of a starter.  It's just to show the viability of the yeast by having the pack swell.  My experience is that every time I've made a starter, the beer turns out better than when I didn't, so I always make starters now.
[/quote]

Good to know...I've just been pitching.  All of my beers have been getting good attenuation, but the yeast would probably be happier if I made a starter...Will start doing that with my next batch.  Do you have any recommended methods? 
mmmm....beer