(This one is a bit long)
This just happened last night 4/2/06. I was doing a Light Ale from B3 for the most part it was a standard brew day with the normal screwups. After the mash and about 10 min into the boil which I decided to do a 90min boil this time, Im on the phone with my brother and he says aren't you getting bad storms? I looked outside and it's getting darker. So I walked inside and there is the weather radio with a red light on it, Severe Thunderstorm Warning. Ok get off the phone, start watching the news and get readt to go to the basement. Yep BAD weather is coming. Walking back and forth to the garage several times as the weather gets worse at about after about 50 min i threw in the whirlfloc (yes my timing was off way to early but I was distracted). One more trip inside. Weather radio going off again "Tornado Warning" ok this is getting serious, radar indicated, a couple counties over and headed my way. Ok set things up in the basement get the kid down there check on the beer one more time, decision leave the burner on or turn it off? I decided to turn it off if there was a tornado I didnt want the burner and propane bottle to become a flying bomb, or if i got a strong enough wind gust through the garage to blow the flame out I didnt want the garage to get filled with propane waiting to explode. So I turned the gas off @ 60min, (in hind site i should have just thrown in the finishing hops and started cooling making it a 60 min boil) camped out int the basement until a friend and neighbor called. "Have you looked out your front door?" he asked. "No let me go check." I replied. Then I see a group of clouds growing and building coming togther from all directions right outside my front door. Back to the basement!!! Fortunately nothing became of it 20min later went back outside fired up the brew let it boil for 30 more min and finished as usual. In the excitement I forgot to rehydrate my yeast but thats a normal screw up. I have properly named this batch Tornado Warning Ale.
