Mash nightmare!!!

[rgontasz]

So I brewed my 9th batch of AG today and had my first problem. I onverted a cooler into a mash tun by simply feeding tubing through the drain spout and attaching a steel mesh tube to the rubber tubing (inside the cooler). While adding my grain to my strike water and stirring, I ripped off the mesh. When I began to drain my first runnings, the cutoff valve got clogged (because the "strainer" wasn't there. That 155 degrees wort was too hot to fix it and it took me forever to find out a way to get that delicious nectar out of the mash tun. Never the less, 2 hours later I got it out and was able to fix it for my second runnings.

Hopefully, everything turns out well. It looks fine and smells great! I went by the idea of "relax, don't worry, have a homebrew". Thanks Charlie! Has anyone else every experienced a nightmare like this before?

 

[payton34]

i had my manifold come apart while sparging. i had to drain the mash tun through a paint strainer after blowing in the hose 7 or 8 times.

 

[RichBenn]

You guys are reminding me of the time I put a rubber glove on, to put the stainless strainer back on. Ouch! Beer was my son's 21st birthday beer, so letting it mash longer while I went to the store for a strainer was not an option.....

 

[rgontasz]

yeah, not thinking, I tried to put my hand into the hot wort... bad call. his was immediately followed with an array of colorful words! HA!