Sour Mash odor behind your house?

[passedpawn]

I've been brewing for about 15 years. I usually brew 10g batches, and often back-to-back batches. After I brew, I dump the grain in the woods behind my house.

50# of wet grain here in FL results in a pretty nice funk after a couple of days of 80F (I know it's cold up north, not my problem). I just stepped out there and whew! My neighbors on both sides, and on the other side of the wood, probably are wondering what died in those woods. And, they probably wonder why it seems to die so periodically.

Anyone else have the funk of a sour mash behind their house a few days after brewday?

 

[Hello]

I had once, I never dumped back there again.

 

[Barley_Bob]

I don't have this problem, but I did have a good laugh at your misfortune. I'd gladly take you and your backwoods sour mash as neighbors, though.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Mmmmm.....parmesan and vomit. Lovely combination.

 

[passedpawn]

Mmmmm.....parmesan and vomit. Lovely combination.

That's it! Really, that's a pretty close description. I'm so used to it, I associate it with beer. Not my neighbors, I'm sure.

 

[max384]

I compost for my garden, so I toss the spent grains in the compost pile. I periodically turn the compost pile with a shovel, and I never noticed a sour smell. However, I'm pretty sure that's because I have a very good base of bacteria and fungus to rapidly compost what I toss out there. I also toss my spent yeast cakes from the ferments in the pile as well, since they'll be plenty happy to munch on the spent grains and whatever else is in there!

The only time that my compost pile ever stunk was when I first started it several years ago. It stunk for a couple of months, and then no problems since.


So what I'm saying is that you need to brew (and dump grains) more often so that you get a better base of bacteria and fungus!!! And it can't hurt to dump your yeast cakes on the pile too...

 

[November]

Chickens and pigs. Its gone before it has a chance.

 

[Greatbreweh]

I've been brewing for about 15 years. I usually brew 10g batches, and often back-to-back batches. After I brew, I dump the grain in the woods behind my house.

50# of wet grain here in FL results in a pretty nice funk after a couple of days of 80F (I know it's cold up north, not my problem). I just stepped out there and whew! My neighbors on both sides, and on the other side of the wood, probably are wondering what died in those woods. And, they probably wonder why it seems to die so periodically.

Anyone else have the funk of a sour mash behind their house a few days after brewday?

Ohh Fk... that is the nastiest smell there is, I have a neighbor that I do not get along with and it occurred to me to dump that funk by the barrel at our fence line, they likely been trying to find that dead animal all last summer.....LOL

 

[drainbamage]

I haven't run into this yet, but I might have to give it a shot this summer. My neighbors--at least the ones on the one side--are turds.

 

[BigPerm]

Mine rarely smells in the compost, for the same reasons as mentioned above. However, I used to work at my LHBS and we would throw spent grains into a "compost" (read: unorganized pile, as per tradition) near the parking lot. It really reeked in the summer which, as this was a business, was kind of a problem. We used to mix in a little bit of granulated lime (CaOH) to bring the pH up, which usually got rid of the odor. You don't need much, and too much is bad for the soil, but it does work. This trick may mitigate future neighborly retaliation.

 

[wardens355]

I used to toss my spent grains in a bag and throw em near the sidewalk in anticipation of trash day. It was like sweet sickly hobo rot after a couple days during the summer. I now live with chickens, so they consume all my spent grain before it turns into a big pile of fermented goodness.

 

[Conan]

Our trash can can get an odor like that if I don't tie the grain bag well enough. Once I left it in the garage for a couple days and the place was like a toxic bomb when I opened the door. Kyle

 

[Grannyknot]

Straight into the compost tumbler for my spent grains.
The heat really helps to get the compost going as well.

 

[Auger]

Another composter here. Obviously not an issue right now, but even in the heat of summer, when the grains get turned over in the compost pile along with other food waste, and grass and leaf clippings, there's hardly any smell at all.

 

[kkramer56]

Try spreading them out good. That's what I do and it seems to help a lot.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

For all those that compost, this is an awesome way to actually get those dry leaves to break down quickly if you have no more grass clippings to add (late fall to early spring or if you mulch).

I miss by Dad's enormous compost pile. Farmboy and then professor of agriculture the man could turn even the worst soil into black gold in under 4 years with no investment but his time. Even with a 50' x 50' garden, after the first two years in OK he could not use all the compost he produced.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

I haven't run into this yet, but I might have to give it a shot this summer. My neighbors--at least the ones on the one side--are turds.

Then they will smell like turds too!

 

[Rivenin]

because portland is full of hippies that i love... i just dump them in this bin with all my yard waste and it all gets composted by the city. if i plan it right, i brew then the next day i clean up the yard a wee bit which covers the grain up until the monday when it's picked up.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I've been brewing for about 15 years. I usually brew 10g batches, and often back-to-back batches. After I brew, I dump the grain in the woods behind my house.

50# of wet grain here in FL results in a pretty nice funk after a couple of days of 80F (I know it's cold up north, not my problem). I just stepped out there and whew! My neighbors on both sides, and on the other side of the wood, probably are wondering what died in those woods. And, they probably wonder why it seems to die so periodically.

Anyone else have the funk of a sour mash behind their house a few days after brewday?

Spread it out so it will dry and the funk will go away.

 

[Gavin C]

I too get that aroma after I dump the grains. Not now but in the Texan summer a few hours later and its starting to hum. It really spreads out. The rabbits don't seem to be bothered though. They take care of a lot of it fairly quickly. After a recent snow here in Dallas you could see all the little bunny tracks to the pile of recent grains.

 

[houndsbreath]

I agree that spreading it out thin will help the spent grain dry faster, equating to less funk. Try covering each layer with soil or mulch. Microbes in the soil will break down the sugars faster before they can sour.
I once left15 lbs of grain in a open trash can. Heavy rain and a week in the Texas Sun produced an eye-watering stench quickly.

 

[blizz81]

In summer, my backyard smells like an ethanol plant when the wind catches the odor just right. I've been dumping them in my "weed corner" - the neighbor that shares that corner once made a passive-aggressive comment about the squirrels loving what I'm doing with my corner lately.


I really should clear it out and get some fresh dirt in that corner though.

 

[winvarin]

Try spreading them out good. That's what I do and it seems to help a lot.

+1 to this. During cleanup first option goes to my wife. She usually hits me up during the brew session and points out areas of the flowerbeds and garden that could use a little mulch/compost/nutrient.

Most of the time I can find enough places in the beds to just rake it into the soil.

In the event I have more spent grain than I need, I too have a small wooded area behind my house. I dump the grain and rake it out to a depth of about 1". We also have deer living back there. So the grain rarely stays around long enough to spoil. But even if it's there for a period of time, raking it out causes it to dry before it spoils.

 

[acyl]

I've been brewing for about 15 years. I usually brew 10g batches, and often back-to-back batches. After I brew, I dump the grain in the woods behind my house.

50# of wet grain here in FL results in a pretty nice funk after a couple of days of 80F (I know it's cold up north, not my problem). I just stepped out there and whew! My neighbors on both sides, and on the other side of the wood, probably are wondering what died in those woods. And, they probably wonder why it seems to die so periodically.

Anyone else have the funk of a sour mash behind their house a few days after brewday?

Cant you find a local person who raises livestock? They would love the spent grain.

 

[passedpawn]

Cant you find a local person who raises livestock? They would love the spent grain.

I have a friend who has chickens. He wasn't good about actually getting over here and getting the grain, and after two days in the florida heat I had a very sticky stinky mess. So, I tried.

There are some crazy grub-looking critters that go crazy in my "grain bed" in the back. When the summer rains come, and the ground stays wet, I have a nice worm farm going there. Might hit that up soon when I get fishing for snook in a couple of months.

 

[passedpawn]

It's mid 80's today, so I'm getting a nice funk back there.

 

[acyl]

you're lucky. Today is the first day above freezing here in michigan.

 

[sudbuddy]

Mine rarely smells in the compost, for the same reasons as mentioned above. However, I used to work at my LHBS and we would throw spent grains into a "compost" (read: unorganized pile, as per tradition) near the parking lot. It really reeked in the summer which, as this was a business, was kind of a problem. We used to mix in a little bit of granulated lime (CaOH) to bring the pH up, which usually got rid of the odor. You don't need much, and too much is bad for the soil, but it does work. This trick may mitigate future neighborly retaliation.

Hahahaha we do the same thing at my shop, minus the CaOH. My grain pile is right on a bike path and it reeks all summer. It is actually a magical grain pile though because it has the ability to bring long dead hop rhizomes to life. I call it HBC 666 - Undead

 

[Hoppity]

I rake mine out in the spring and fall gardens. In the summer when the gardens are full I rake them over the lawn. Have to be careful though, because too big a splat will kill patches of the lawn. I know the stench...uncleaned mash tun in the summer heat is a mistake you only make once. Winter grains are bagged for Wednesday pick-up. Never thought of spreading them over the snow pack for bunnies and deer.

 

[drainbamage]

It's mid 80's today

We're getting 6-8 more inches of snow tonight. Shut up.

 

[chuckcomm]

Florida here too...I dump spent grain behind the house spread them out then work it into the garden after it dries out...on hot days the wife tells me there is a strange odor out back....I never tell her what it is.

 

[blackbeer]

spread it out thin instead of dumping it in a pile.

 

[RachmaelBenApplebaum]

My old property managers were probably SUPER happy after I moved out. There was probably 20-30 batches worth in piles behind my duplex in a big field. I'd just dump the mound and call it good, boy would it get cookin on hot days. My favorite, though, was dumping the piles in a big dry drainage ditch and then once one good storm came along WOOSH down the culvert and no longer my problem.

 

[Slow_Day]

Throw some leaves over it. I am one of the composters too. Since I started brewing, my compost quality is better than ever.

In the fall, I will steal conveniently bagged leaves carelessly left in front of unsuspecting citizens' houses. These are hidden next to my compost bins and get tossed on top of and maybe mixed with nasty messes like spent grain. No nasty odor. Great lawn food. Aye, feed it!