Old Spent Grains

So, what happens with you discover that your mash tun still have spent grains in it and its been a while since you last brewed. I have a plastic cooler mash tun that I just discovered that is has about 14 pounds of spent grain in it from my last batch.

Is my mash tun salvageable or is it going to be a loss? Any thoughts on a cleaning attempt?

I would appreciate your input.

Ooooooooh. That's not good. How long of a while has it been?

When you opened the lid, did the mash say, "Hey, howya doin'?"

I would think you could clean it out, but my only concern would be whether the spoiled stuff seeped into any cracks or into the insulation through the bulkhead. Not sure what you'll need to use to tackle that, though.

Plug your nose.
Dump it.
Hose it out.
Let it air out and dry in the sun.
Done.

The smell just has to be horrific. Man that stuff gets nasty.

I bet it reeks to the high heavens. Old spent grain smells AWFUL.

I would say:

1) Put a clothes pin on your nose
2) Dump it in the garbage
3) Rinse with a VERY large amount of water
4) Fill the mash-tun to the brim and add 1/4 cup of bleach. Let it sit for a day (depends if you're using Stainless). Or use StarSan.

The reason is because there very well could be lactobacillus in there and it could really wreck your next mashes.

M_C

Actually the smell wasn't too bad since it had been in the garage and the last 2 months were still pretty cold the odder never really came out. I was just as surprised you may be.

I was thinking of dumping, and soaking in oxyclean and them a thorough rinse with starsan to really kill the nasties.

The sun will cure what ails the mash tun if you can set it out on the lawn. There really isn't a need for star san preboil, but you can if it makes you feel better.

been there, done it. dump it, clean it, and soak it in bleach for 30 minutes to an hour. rinse it 3-4 times, then soak it in iodophor, or your favorite sanitizer, then use. that's what i do every time i get lazy after brewing when i use my cooler tun. may not be necessary, but i'm up on sanitizing

Actually, there is; lactobacillus. It will negatively affect a mash. Sanitize.

M_C

onthekeg said:

The sun will cure what ails the mash tun if you can set it out on the lawn. There really isn't a need for star san preboil, but you can if it makes you feel better.

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lactobacillus is in all your grain don't worry about sanitizing. This is the reason you don't store/mill grain where you ferment. Unless you have the super ultra mega lactobacillus it's capable of souring your beer in a 60 minute mash.

Misplaced_Canuck said:

Actually, there is; lactobacillus. It will negatively affect a mash. Sanitize.

M_C

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I don't think you be too careful. Sanitize it is.

Take it somewhere and blow it up.

Just did the same thing, I HIGHLY recommend taking apart the bulkhead and cleaning it. I also used some starsan, mostly to stop the smell (kill the buggers making it rancid)

It's the same as a starter of yeast: If you have a stronghold of lacto, it'll run with it and could potentially wreck havoc in a 60-90 minute mash.

My spent grain in plastic bags in the garbage can reek within 24 hours.

M_C

jspence1 said:

lactobacillus is in all your grain don't worry about sanitizing. This is the reason you don't store/mill grain where you ferment. Unless you have the super ultra mega lactobacillus it's capable of souring your beer in a 60 minute mash.

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