Things To Watch For When Brewing: Contamination

I haven't really been brewing too long. The Off Paper Lager was my fourth brew, albeit the first that I actually did without an ingredient kit.

Anyone who has gotten into brewing or has even read up on it knows that the biggest thing most people stress is cleanliness and sanitation. At every step one must be careful not to contaminate the wort, yeast, or anything that touches them. This is drilled by every book I've read and blog or forum I've searched through.

So, last night I'm brewing away and stirring the pot dutifully. About halfway through the boil, I notice a drop of liquid on my arm. Thinking I had only stirred a little too vigorously, I licked it off. Whoa - it wasn't wort! It was metallic tasting and nasty. I wondered what it was until I noticed something drip into the brewpot. I looked and discovered that all the evaporation from the boil was condensing on my vent-a-hood (which was on) and then dripping back into the pot. I think (hope) I caught it before too much fell in.

I wiped it down with a rag and kept the rag beside me to wipe down the vent-a-hood every few minutes. Funny how much time I put into sanitizing all my stuff only to have something totally unexpected happen to contaminate the wort. With all the boiling I did, I'm hoping there won't be any noticeable off flavors, but I guess I won't know for a few months. Now, I just need to find another place to do my boil. . .