I have done a lot of stupid things in my 34 years of homebrewing, and I believe I had exhausted all of the dumb things I could do. But this weekend.....a new one!
On April 7, I brewed 10 gallons of Belgian Golden/Tripel. Split them in two fermenters with WY1388 in one, WY3787 in the other. Kegged them a couple of weeks later and put them in the keezer, which is set at 35-38°. Tapped the WY3787 in mid May. Delicious, one of my better efforts. I ended up pulling a 2.5 gallon keg of it and took it to a conference I was attending - it was well-received by all who had a glass.
Last week after a month of drinking it the last of it finally blew. Oh well, I have the WY1388 keg untapped and cold conditioning for nearly 2 months. I am set.
We are finally remodeling the basement and Friday the electrician came over to install light fixtures. He got here at 8:00 am, and was still working at 5:30 pm. He's a good guy and a friend who loves my beer, so I decide to tap the WY1388 and fill him a growler to take home.
I check the keg pressure with a gauge - 14 psi. Perfect for a strong Belgian golden. I draw a glass to capture the yeasty first pint - and this brown crud comes out in my glass! WTF? I taste it - its not beer. Its water.
I go and check the other kegs sitting on my basement floor, and find a full, unlabeled one. I open the lid and thieve a turkey baster of liquid - yep, flat Belgian golden ale. I had mixed my kegs up and stuck a keg I was soaking in water to clean the yeast cake out in the keezer, and left the true keg of beer sitting on the basement floor.
D'oh!