[psa] Do NOT wait until after a 4 day weekend

[VatorMan]

to empty your MTL. Oh God-It smells like barf. All that grain just fermenting for 4 days.....Thank God it's been cool here.

 

[silvervan83]

I've got about 200+ lbs that have been in the compost bin for 3 weeks now. It smells especially fantastic when the sun is out.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Always spray all of your equipment out immediately after use. It makes for much easier (and much less crappy) cleaning.

 

[McKBrew]

Yep. Don't forget to get every nook and cranny. It only takes a couple bits of spent grain to leave an interesting scent in your MLT.

 

[JVD_X]

and fly's just LOVE that stuff... I couldn't believe it.

 

[Duckfoot]

I left a little in the MLT once... Smelled worse than the corpse in the shallow grave in the woodline....

Um.... I have said too much....

<- scurries away to Home Depot to get some lime...

 

[DeathBrewer]

I take my keggles apart and scrub them immediately after using them for mashing. Unless you want to use tons of chemicals, stuff gets stuck in every little piece of your spigot, false bottom, etc. I used to only take them apart once in a while, but I saw more and more crud getting built up.

I left some grains in my cooler mash tun for a week. It took another two weeks of cleaning with chemicals to get that smell out.

 

[VatorMan]

This was a lesson well learned. Talk about disgusting.

 

[david_42]

What some personal experience with autolysis? Leave some trub on the back porch for two months, in the summer.

 

[conpewter]

I clean my cooler mash tun right after use (well all but one time... eww) but there might be a few grains left when I'm done. Generally I don't put the lid back on the mash tun, I leave it slightly off so that the inside can dry. As long as it isn't wet it doesn't start to ferment. I then give it another rinse before doughing in.

 

[the_bird]

Brew day works so much smoother if I'm cleaning gear as I go. Dump the mash tun and clean it out during the boil, then it's all dry by the time brew day is over.

 

[Homercidal]

I brewed two weekends ago, but but was sick and put off cleaning the MLT until a few days ago. Luckily the weather has been freezing at night, so when I dumped it out it came out in a solid block. So far the dogs have not bothered it, but I expect the field mice to have a feast on the compost pile.