MrAverage
Well-Known Member
OK, I'm ashamed and embarrassed about this but I post it here in the hope that some future brewer will learn from my stupidity.
A couple of weeks ago I brewed a batch of beer. Now, I'm usually pretty anal when it comes to cleaning up before, during and after a brew session, but because of a series of unforseen events, I ended up leaving my round cooler MLT full of wet grain on my unheated back porch for...well, let's just say I forgot about it until I went to brew another batch this past Sunday. It's been cold in Massachusetts recently...very cold.
Result? My MLT had a bock of solidly frozen spent grain in it that wouldn't come out no matter what I did to it. I tried everything I could think of including pouring boiling water on it and hacking away at the block with a knife. The thing that we like about coolers is that they are well-insulated and they keep the contents warm while mashing, right? Let me tell you that it works equally well at keeping cold contents cold.
I guess this gives new meaning to the term "stuck mash".......
Needelss to say, I did not brew on Sunday. Instead, I left the MLT next to a radiator INSIDE my house. As of 7:00 this morning, the top couple of inches were liquid but the rest was still frozen.
Maybe I'll be able to brew again after the spring thaw in April.....
A couple of weeks ago I brewed a batch of beer. Now, I'm usually pretty anal when it comes to cleaning up before, during and after a brew session, but because of a series of unforseen events, I ended up leaving my round cooler MLT full of wet grain on my unheated back porch for...well, let's just say I forgot about it until I went to brew another batch this past Sunday. It's been cold in Massachusetts recently...very cold.
Result? My MLT had a bock of solidly frozen spent grain in it that wouldn't come out no matter what I did to it. I tried everything I could think of including pouring boiling water on it and hacking away at the block with a knife. The thing that we like about coolers is that they are well-insulated and they keep the contents warm while mashing, right? Let me tell you that it works equally well at keeping cold contents cold.
I guess this gives new meaning to the term "stuck mash".......
Needelss to say, I did not brew on Sunday. Instead, I left the MLT next to a radiator INSIDE my house. As of 7:00 this morning, the top couple of inches were liquid but the rest was still frozen.
Maybe I'll be able to brew again after the spring thaw in April.....
