Dead mouse in the mash tun.

[ShareBrewing]

Definitely meant for the funeral pyre. Invest in the new cooler.

Think of how long the mouse was in there trapped and scratching at the plastic siding. No doubt you’ll have bacterial problems from the scratches. It’d be like trying to wash off a used paper napkin so you can use it again. It’s already ruined.

 

[Bigdaddyale]

Definitely meant for the funeral pyre. Invest in the new cooler.

Think of how long the mouse was in there trapped and scratching at the plastic siding. No doubt you’ll have bacterial problems from the scratches. It’d be like trying to wash off a used paper napkin so you can use it again. It’s already ruined.

It's the mash tun, not the fermentor

 

[ShareBrewing]

It's the mash tun, not the fermentor

I’m OCD like that. Working in an actual brewery changes ones perspective on how “clean” something needs to be. Dead animal in plastic. Sorry, not using it anymore. No professional brewer would. It doesn’t matter the piece of equipment. It’s made of plastic - its porous and harbors bacteria no matter how well you soak it to kill anything, especially if there’s scratches. Mice are one of the most disease ridden mammals in the world and it’s decomposing in your equipment? Get rid of it. If not for sanitation, at least peace of mind.

 

[jrgtr42]

Personally, I'd scrub it down with dish soap / sponge, then do the bleach / star-san route.

 

[schematix]

if you only you knew how many critter parts were already in grain...

 

[z-bob]

I would clean it with quat (https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/stearns-steramine-disinfectant-sanitizer/0000000094519), or fill with cold water and bleach and a touch of vinegar and let it soak (the vinegar releases free chlorine, so do it in a well ventilated area), then dry it in the sun. It will probably still stink a little. Not much if any of that will leach into your beer, and I don't think any of that will still be there after the boil. But I'd still brew something robust the first time or two, not a delicate pilsner.

 

[Jaybird]

I would NEVER recommend bleach in a stainless kettle...…


Unless I found a dead mouse in it.
Bleach the begeezes out of it. Bleach kills on contact. No need to let it sit, corroding away...
A couple of minutes is good.
Then rinse the begeezes out of it.

how much exactly is a "begeezes" and why is it the kettle to begin with? Baaaahhhaaaaaaaaa

I just love that word! its just fun to say! Begeezes...LOL

Cheers
jay

 

[S-Met]

It's the mash tun, not the fermentor

Just wanted to reiterate this point. Unless I just don't understand anything, this is a pre-boil vessel and typically holding liquid at relatively high temps. There are zero concerns here. FFS, with proper cleaning, there are zero concerns to serve potable water through this vessel.

@ismellweird made award winning cupcake stout through a septic tank back up in his kato kalin brewery. A dead mouse is of negligible concern. You probably get more dead-mouse off flavors from your grain than from your mash-tun.

Now, if we were talking about a fermenter, toss that fücker, but this is not the case.

 

[Genuine]

That happened to me with my first cooler mash tun. I threw it in a bonfire and went electric.

 

[z-bob]

Just wanted to reiterate this point. Unless I just don't understand anything, this is a pre-boil vessel and typically holding liquid at relatively high temps. There are zero concerns here. FFS, with proper cleaning, there are zero concerns to serve potable water through this vessel.

@ismellweird made award winning cupcake stout through a septic tank back up in his kato kalin brewery. A dead mouse is of negligible concern. You probably get more dead-mouse off flavors from your grain than from your mash-tun.

Now, if we were talking about a fermenter, toss that fücker, but this is not the case.

It's a little more that zero. There's no real sanitation issue (preboil sanitation is overrated), but the plastic smells like death (literally) and he doesn't want that smell in the beer. I don't think the smell, even if it does leech into the wort, will survive boiling and fermenting -- but I don't know that for sure.

 

[divrack]

The smell will come out with a long soak of strong bleach and then caustic. I had one that id forgotten to throw away the Mash from for weeks... Real bad... Ended up fine, cleaner than it's been in months in fact.
Don't need to throw everything away as soon as you think it's icky. Give dolphins a chance.
On a similar note I was cleaning bottles one time and putting them up to the light to see if they had anything crusted on to the bottom when the rotting corpse of a mouse came slithering towards my eye.
Reader, I ate it.

 

[Pkrd]

You'll have some explaining to do when you win a competition and a brewery wants to clone your secret recipe.

 

[SEndorf]

Even on a very tight budget, I would simply replace a cooler mash tun after experiencing that.
It's well established there are elements of mouse sh*t particles in your grain. This is completely different.
I've had dead and decomposing mice in a 5 gallon bucket. They get in and can't get out. It's an epic odor.
Personally I would not go to all the work on brew day to mash in that stank.

 

[kh54s10]

No harm in trying to clean it. As far as scratches in the plastic mash tun - what about all the scratches made by the stir paddle?? If the OP can't get the smell out - then think about replacement. This throw away society is contaminating out planet. And yes, I am guilty. Though I try to recycle, reuse, re-purpose....

 

[Randomnoob]

I soaked it in bleach for a day. Then I cleaned with Oxy-Clean and the hit it with Starsan. The mash tun smells fine, no more death stink and it’s cleaner than the day I bought it five years ago. If the beer smells bad in a month, I’ll replace it. These days I do mostly extract anyways and don’t use the mash tun much anymore.

 

[Chanoc]

The smell will come out with a long soak of strong bleach and then caustic. ...
Reader, I ate it.

I would go caustic first and then chlorine...
Caustic soda solution will dissolve everyting organic, even teeth and hair...
Chlorine will oxidize most of the remaining odor particles...

I soaked it in bleach for a day. Then I cleaned with Oxy-Clean and the hit it with Starsan. The mash tun smells fine, no more death stink and it’s cleaner than the day I bought it five years ago. If the beer smells bad in a month, I’ll replace it. These days I do mostly extract anyways and don’t use the mash tun much anymore.

Good you didin´t throw it...
Throwing it or burning it would have put additional burden to our planet...
For very little gain...
Keep brewing...
Let us know How "Stuart Little Pee-l Lager" comes out...

 

[BrewZer]

You gotta admit, "Smell of Death Brewery" is pretty catchy...

 

[FunkedOut]

 

[Andre Lau]

I got back from a week long vacation this past Sunday. The garage has stunk since I came back and figured I must have thrown some sort of food in the garbage can in the garage. So last night I pulled the bag and took it out with the rest of the trash but this morning before work it still stunk as bad as ever. This afternoon I stoped by the LHBS and got my Oktoberfest Ale (Yeah, I wanted to make a Lager back in March but my daughter being born and all that pretty much killed those plans) recipe to brew this coming weekend while the wife and daughter are gone to my MiL’s house.

I set the bucket of grain on the counter next to the Mash Tun and it smells worse than ever and I looked inside the Mash Tun and there was a dead mouse in there. I picked it up, opened the garage door and dumped the dead mouse in the neighbors cow pasture (country life is good for home brewing). I then cleaned it with Oxyclean and it still stunk so I’m now letting it soak with Oxclean, will this get the smell out?

I do have traps in the garage for mice so I don’t understand why they head for the mash tun over the traps...

oh my god