Found a dead mouse in my empty carboy

[alaskana]

Recently I came upon a most unfortunate site in my garage - somehow a mouse (no idea how) actually managed to crawl it's way into one of my empty 5 gallon glass carboys. It must have been in there for a few days at least and ultimately expired due to hunger, thirst or the impact of hitting the glass bottom.

In any case, I fished the poor guy out and filled the carboy with a good dose of starsan and water. I will probably repeat the sanitation process and then clean it with some one step cleaner, and then may even sanitize it once more for good measure.

My first impulse was to just chuck the fermenter as it disgusted me thinking that my future beers would be soaking in a fermenter turned mouse trap. But my wife told me to just shrug it off, sanitize/clean it and move on. I reluctantly agreed.

If a mouse or [insert furry critter of your choice] died in your empty brewing vat of choice, what would you do? :smack:

 

[joe_four_strings]

I would do a deep bleach cleaning, sanitize it a few times and then brew a Mouse Trap IIPA.

 

[unionrdr]

Probably the same thing, if he got past the cat first!

 

[thaymond]

Agree. Bleach it, oxyclean, brush it, rinse, starsan. It will be like Mickey never existed.

I found a mouse in an empty 22 in the garage. I figured that it wasn't worth the trouble. I'm just glad that there was no other evidence around my equipment.

 

[raysmithtx]

I agree. A good cleaning and some starsan then brew a Mouse Trappist Ale.

 

[Trox]

I heard if you take it back to the brewery they have to give you a free case of beer; it's the law ehhh.

 

[soccerdad]

Fire the cat

 

[krackin]

Eh. I found several carboys my ol' man that I never knew existed. Fur coats on skeletons, etc. Found a few drown in wine, elderberry I 'spect. Them thar vintners, they just are what they are.

Anyway, dust to dust, deal with it or get out of it.

 

[alane1]

It's happened to me before, do as the others say and bleach bomb it...oh and don't tell anyone. People tend to get grossed out. Cheers

 

[TallDan]

Recently I came upon a most unfortunate site in my garage - somehow a mouse (no idea how) actually managed to crawl it's way into one of my empty 5 gallon glass carboys. It must have been in there for a few days at least and ultimately expired due to hunger, thirst or the impact of hitting the glass bottom.

In any case, I fished the poor guy out and filled the carboy with a good dose of starsan and water. I will probably repeat the sanitation process and then clean it with some one step cleaner, and then may even sanitize it once more for good measure.

My first impulse was to just chuck the fermenter as it disgusted me thinking that my future beers would be soaking in a fermenter turned mouse trap. But my wife told me to just shrug it off, sanitize/clean it and move on. I reluctantly agreed.

If a mouse or [insert furry critter of your choice] died in your empty brewing vat of choice, what would you do? :smack:

Glass Carboy? Sanitize and move on. Nothing to see here. Plastic? Check it thoroughly for scratches and/or damage. I doubt the fall killed him and that mouse's life depended on getting back out, I'd be surprised if he didn't at least scratch it up trying.

 

[jbaysurfer]

I heard if you take it back to the brewery they have to give you a free case of beer; it's the law ehhh.

I can not believe this escaped everyone's attention. LMAO!!!! "It's a jelly"

 

[riderkb]

Look at the bright side: it's better to find a mouse in an empty carboy than a full one.

 

[alaskana]

Great responses, all. Definitely makes me feel better! (Although I think I'm going to go a step above Starsan and bleach the sucker too, based on the suggestions). And yeah the cats (I have two of em') are definitely getting pink slips in the mail for their slacking on the job.

Happy Holidays and here's to a mouse-free brewing season.

 

[alaskana]

I agree. A good cleaning and some starsan then brew a Mouse Trappist Ale.

Love the creativity on here, thanks for the name suggestion!

(Joe Four Strings: Mouse Trap IIPA has a nice ring to it too!)

 

[Trox]

Look at the bright side: it's better to find a mouse in an empty carboy than a full one.

Of course we don't really know if the carboy was empty before[/] the mouse fell in?

 

[Jaymex98]

"I gotta pee so bad I can taste it"

 

[GrogNerd]

Recently I came upon a most unfortunate site in my garage - somehow a mouse (no idea how) actually managed to crawl it's way into one of my empty 5 gallon glass carboys. It must have been in there for a few days at least and ultimately expired due to hunger, thirst or the impact of hitting the glass bottom.

In any case, I fished the poor guy out and filled the carboy with a good dose of starsan and water. I will probably repeat the sanitation process and then clean it with some one step cleaner, and then may even sanitize it once more for good measure.

My first impulse was to just chuck the fermenter as it disgusted me thinking that my future beers would be soaking in a fermenter turned mouse trap. But my wife told me to just shrug it off, sanitize/clean it and move on. I reluctantly agreed.

If a mouse or [insert furry critter of your choice] died in your empty brewing vat of choice, what would you do? :smack:

found 2 dessicated mice in my 15-gallon demijohn, which I hadn't used in 17 years. let it soak with some Oxy, sprayed it out with the garden hose, bleached and StarSanned. hadn't said a word about it until just now.

NEVER told the BigHair; her reaction would have been double the opposite of your wife's.

 

[flars]

Couple of deer hunting seasons ago I visited a former neighbors hunting shack. Took a six-pack of amber ale along. Two other visitors there so the beer only lasted a few minutes. Put the bottles in the back of the truck, and forgot about them.
A few weeks later brought them in for a cleaning. Looked in one and saw a whole bunch of mold. Hit it with the jet washer and the glob of mold shot out. The mold had little claws, fur, and a tail. Decided to toss the bottle. I didn't want to wonder every time I opened a bottle, if this was the one that had the disgusting little lump of rotted mouse in it.

Luckily just a bottle, not a carboy to consider.

 

[MaddBaggins]

I've found dead scorpions in my mash tun on occasion. Seriously considered mashing them in.

 

[MaxStout]

Mouse House Pale Ale!

 

[unionrdr]

Reminds me of the time I was cutting potatoes that happened to be from FL. A baby scorpion hopped out with it's tail cut off!

 

[grainbill]

or.

 

[Deafmeadmaker]

remember glass is nonporous, so the bleach and sanistar is the way to go.

 

[TallDan]

Now you can chime in on all of those threads where people swear off using glass carboys and suggest that they re-purpose them as mouse traps. Proven to work!

 

[bragona71]

I really like the idea of naming your next beer after this.. vermin house brown sounds good I love the mouse trap IPA idea.. depending on what your brewing next..

I would definitely bleach the hell out of it and not tell the people you share the beer with

 

[cjgenever]

Rack onto it to avoid oxygenation

 

[lhommedieu]

That's one thirsty mouse!

Oxyclean, rinse, StarSan, rinse.

It's just carbon, after all...

 

[alaskana]

I really like the idea of naming your next beer after this.. vermin house brown sounds good I love the mouse trap IPA idea.. depending on what your brewing next..

I would definitely bleach the hell out of it and not tell the people you share the beer with

I agree, and I think my wife and I will be the only ones who will know that a mouse was in there. At least it had been cold out and it had only expired a few days prior so it was still relatively 'fresh'.

Regardless, this whole experience has gotten me to thinking about how just the knowledge that something undesirable was in a food grade container can sour one's perception of anything that touches it afterwards. At least, as others have noted here, glass is non-permeable and in theory all traces of organic 'mouse matter' is removable.

On a side note, I would imagine that it is not uncommon for mice to have invaded malting facilities and had their way with the grain. Maybe we've all had a little 'mouse' in our beer from time to time and not known it?

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Naturally.

 

[Brews]

Sounds like the mouse ran out of hops...

 

[AdamBomb]

Sounds like the mouse ran out of hops...

Bwahahaha!!!

I once received the gift of clear liquor in a mason jar from an old farmer. After pulling it from the freezer on occasion an taking a sip for a couple weeks I noticed something in the bottom of the jar. It wasn't the mouse but what he left behind.

I really hated giving a pint away to a friend of mine with much lower standards. Lol

 

[orangehero]

Apparently mouse protein ensures excellent foam stability.

 

[ubnserved]

I think this is the second dead mouse thread on here this year so don't feel bad about it.

Make - Ghost of Mickeys Passed Ale

 

[ubnserved]

Or better... No Beer Fur You! Lager
Time In A Bottle "An Ale For The End"

 

[unionrdr]

Mouse trap ale?
The Day The Mouse Lay Still Lager?
Ben's Braggot?
This is the end...my long-lost friend, the end. My only friend, the end...

 

[lhommedieu]

"Time in a Bottle Ale"

"Last Gasp Ale"