er, yuck! - how long does a steeped grain wort last in the fridg

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Just 30 minutes through steeping 250g of grains for a DSGA.

I went to sanitise my jerry can which had a bit of water in the bottom and there was a large cockroach floating in it!

The whole things just stinks!


The cover I put on one of the spouts fell off and I just thought - yeah yeah I'm brewing soon anyhow.

Now obviously I'm throwing everything in the bin now, and buying a new fermenter tomorrow, but can I keep the steep grain wort in the fridge until I'm ready to start again, or should I bin that too?
 
Is the jerry can your fermenter?
You shouldn't need to throw anything out mate.
Just clean with hot water and "Di-San" maybe twice.
Then sterilise the whole lot.

No need to throw away anything.


If you decide to throw the jerry away then the wort (seeped grain) will keep till tomorrow Np. I would tho reboil it tomorrow then add.
 
You think?

What are the chances of cockroach stench getting into the plastic?

This is a primary fermenter - one of those water jerry cans from super cheap bunnings.
 
You could use bleach I've never done this.
From what I've read here its a lot of rinsing to be rid of the bleach flavour. As well be carefull using hot water and bleach.
 
Well I've got it full of Di-San now. If it's odor free tomorrow I might use it.

The wort is steeped and sparged and I'll put it in the fridge over night, and I'll use it tomorrow, either in a brand spanker or the old cockroach one.

Thanks for the help.
 
I'd bleach it for sure. Anything that's a bit manky or has had dead animals in it gets nuked.

Make sure you rinse it a few times and then no rinse sanitiser
 
I'd nuke it and rinse out several times. If you want to be 100% certain over 99% certain, buy a new one. The choice is yours.
 
I'd turf it, it may be possible to get it clean and sanitized but I'd still know there had been a cockroach in there which would put me off drinking the beer.
 
Harden up people. It's just a friggin insect.

As for the wort from steeped grain. Smell and taste first. Any sourness or tartness, chuck and start again.
 
I would reboil the wort if you plan on keeping it unfermented for any period of time unless it was kept in a an airtight container with limited oxygen ala no chill cubes.
 
Boiling will kill bacteria but won't remove lactic or acetic acid that bacteria has produced. In a small amount it may be undetectable in the beer, but it is not a big job to replace and give peace of mind
 
Thanks guys.

I'll do as NewtownClown says and taste before reboiling. I'd start again, only crushing the grain myself took a while.

The fermenter is getting retired. It's cheap to buy a new one, and I can find some use for it.

I don't want to be wondering if an off flavour is from something I've done wrong or from some cockroach flavour.

Although you get enough in chocolate :unsure: -http://www.livescience.com/19402-chocolate-allergies-cockroach-parts.html
 
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