What a Mess!

This brew seems determined to make a mess! Of course the pictures don't show it but Death by Barleywine can certainly overflow a blow tube and bucket system. The local brewmaster was absent all day yesterday (turkey to be eaten and all) and by the time his assistant brewmaster got back to the house a huge puddle of brown ooze was waiting for her. This ooze had overflowed the blow-off bucket and was making a puddle in the tub it was proudly brewing in. This pretty much is the entire reason The Bathtub Brewery does it's brewing where it does. Too much worry about a big sticky mess. You should have seen the frustration the first time we had hop-break. Not good people, not good.

Here is the current look at Death by Barleywine. Looks pretty nasty and we are only 2 days in the primary fermentation process. All that crud has to sift itself out. No crud in our beer!

Where the magic happens.

The Bathtub Brewery was established in Sam and Eric's tub because there really is no other safe place to keep the equipment away from little people and four footed babies. We considered keeping it in Lucy's room but ultimately thought that might not look too good. Our other option was in the downstairs room but there is a lot of traffic and the tub seemed the best fit. Plus, if we do have an explosion/seepage issue then the drain is right there to take care of it. Of course it helps that our tub is rarely used and is not attached to our shower. The final benefit of the tub, perfect brewing temperature. When it is too cold (like in the garage) the fermentation will not occur so our bathroom and tub are kept at the optimal brewing temp. Stay posted for secondary fermentation and bottling! Riveting information people!