New kind of mouse trap

[Judd]

So, we've recently had a mouse in our apartment. Not a big problem, we just hear him in the walls, or see him under the radiator. It's to be expected, in a basement like this. His name is Gargantua. We haven't set a trap, because Ned the rabbit might get hurt.

A couple of days ago, we brewed a wheat beer for a friend. It was a pretty vigorous fermentation, so we had to rig up a blow-off tube. It's been like that for a while, even though the fermentation has slowed and we didn't really need it any more.

Today we went to put the airlock back in the carboy, and you'll never guess who we found in the blow-off water. Gargantua, drowned. He must have been attracted to the sugar in the water.

RIP, little guy.

 

[Evan!]

You've got rabbits running around free in your apartment?

 

[FlyingHorse]

And that, children, is how Drowned Mouse Brewing got its name...

 

[FlyingHorse]

Or, maybe Ned pushed him.

Muricidal Rabbbit Brewing?

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Interesting story actually... as I found my first bug in the blow-off water today. Only the third time I have been forced to use a blow-off tube as opposed to an airlock and I already caught one...

Is this a common occurrence? I guess so if even rodents jump in...

 

[Kai]

You've got rabbits running around free in your apartment?

It stays in the cage most of the time, but we'll let Ned run free for exercise a couple of hours a day. He's our non-brewing roommate's infant substitute.

 

[BlackenedBrew]

And that, children, is how Drowned Mouse Brewing got its name...

That's a good idea for a brewery name!

 

[david_42]

 

[Sean from New Hampshire]

You've never heard of the rats who drowned in a barrel of Guinness?

Sean

 

[Homercidal]

He just wanted a drink. At my friends house years ago, we found a whole bunch of mice drowned in the dehumidifier bucket. Mice fall in, but they can't climb out!

 

[srm775]

At deer camp they use a 5 gal. bucket, coat hanger, soda can and some peanut butter as a repeater. Cut the ends off the soda, cut the long portion of the coat hanger and string it through the can. Smear some peanut butter on it and secure it across the top of the bucket. Put about 6" of water in the bottom. The mouse steps onto the can to eat the peanut butter, it rolls the mouse into the water and it drowns and is ready for the next mouse. If you put it in an area prone to freezing, add a little antifreeze to the water.

 

[Beerthoven]

I'm sorry for your loss. I'll hoist one for Gargantua tonight.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

At deer camp they use a 5 gal. bucket, coat hanger, soda can and some peanut butter as a repeater. Cut the ends off the soda, cut the long portion of the coat hanger and string it through the can. Smear some peanut butter on it and secure it across the top of the bucket. Put about 6" of water in the bottom. The mouse steps onto the can to eat the peanut butter, it rolls the mouse into the water and it drowns and is ready for the next mouse. If you put it in an area prone to freezing, add a little antifreeze to the water.

Or just set out a dish of anti-freeze. They'll drink it and die.


Edit; that's obviously not pet-friendly, so not a good idea for Ned the rabbit.

 

[Judd]

It turns out that Gargantua may not have been our only mouse. So we will not lack companionship in tonight's wake.


Ah well. I suppose we will have to brew another beer to catch the other mouse.

 

[EricK The Red]

Or, maybe Ned pushed him.

Muricidal Rabbbit Brewing?

LOL! (literaly)

 

[NitrouStang96]

You might want to just let the little guy sleep it off. I looked like that last night, too, so...

 

[Judd]

You might want to just let the little guy sleep it off. I looked like that last night, too, so...

Wet and furry?

 

[Arneba28]

never found a mouse..but my roommates damn cat loves drinking blowoff.
I secretly hopes it kill the damn cat!!!

 

[Go Gators]

We have mice, I wish they would kill themselves in my blow off water! We have been hunting them for a month...

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Wow, that dude just can't hold his booze.

I hate mice. I once killed 36 mice in one week using sticky traps. There's a loooong story there, but it was either me or them. I chose .. them.

Before that place I kept getting awakened by the incessant chewing noise at 3:30am every night for a month in a bach I was renting during film school. Drove me frigging nuts. Always 3:30am. lil bugger must have had pretty good watch.

Another time a few years before then, I moved into an apartment. Landlady came down and said to put these sticky traps in the cupboards near the floor as people have been complaining of mice.

Had a new girlfriend and EVERY time started doing the .. uh.. nasty, we would hear a squeeeeek squeeeek squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

Every bloody time. No noise any OTHER time. I'd put on some shorts, walk over to the cupboard, pick up the trap and fold it over, take it outside and snap it in half then throw the trap in the dumpster.

I'm going back to twitching now.

 

[Judd]

We move out of this place in 2 months. After that, Gargantua and co. are the landlord's problem.

 

[Kai]

We move out of this place in 2 months. After that, Gargantua and co. are the landlord's problem.

Gargantua and Pantagruel, that is.

 

[Judd]

Gargantua and Pantagruel, that is.

Yes, them. Gargantua down here, Pentagruel upstairs.

 

[srm775]

Or just set out a dish of anti-freeze. They'll drink it and die.


Edit; that's obviously not pet-friendly, so not a good idea for Ned the rabbit.

yeah, but when you poison them, they'll go back into the walls, cabinets, etc and die, then you'll have rotting mice all over the place.

 

[Homercidal]

I picked up some "clamshell" style mousetraps from the store. They set easy, and release without you touching the mouse or the nasty end of the trap. In fact, when you pinch the back to open the trap, it automatically sets for the next mouse!

Kills quick, and keeps poison away from our pets.

 

[RockfordWhite]

(Mouse) Euthanasia Wheat?

 

[Oakwoodforge]

Good Rats
------ Performed by Dropkick Murphys

One of my all time favorite drinking songs ...

Have you ever stopped to think about what rats do for fun?
Sure they crawl around and scurry,
yeah they're always on the run but a rat sure likes a good time
just like you and me
I'll prove it with a tale about a rat-infested brewery

It started with a little lad named vermin McCann
who fell upon a drink that made him feel like quite a man
he rounded up his furry boys,
though some wore a frown
they quickly changed their tune and they slammed a couple down.

Chorus:
One, two, one-two-three-four!
Come on all you good rats
we'll send you to heaven you'll find the pearly gates in the froth and the foam
'cause in these vats you've made quite a creation
a potion that turned the Guinness to gold!

Like mice behind a piper,
rats from all around soon headed for this factory in old Dublin Town.
They surely heard the news about this fancy new rat-brew they come,
they saw, they had a taste and knocked back a few

The rats were in a tizzy
addicted to the bone the hairy lugs were giddy
they were never going home
like a bunch of drunken pirates prepared to walk the plank they drank,
they sang, they took a plunge and in the beer they sank!


That Being said - I just about lost my house to a friggin rat a month ago, little bastard chewed through some wiring While I was brewing no less. All of the sudden we hear a zappy noise and smoke starts coming out of the wall, luckily it was a wall marked for demolition this spring ( more remodeling - yay ) so I quickly riped out drywall & Zapped it with a Co2 extinguisher, No real damage just had to replace a bunch of wire to the tune of $250.00 !!! Frickin Rats !


Jens