26 replies to this topic

[HVB]

Anyone ever try it. I have read about it a few times but have not done it. Basic premise is you finish your boil and just move the wort right to your fermenter to cool down naturally. This time savings I would see would maybe be 30-45 minutes and I can only see really wanting to do it for non-hoppy beers. You also have to adjust the hopping times to make up for the long "steep" I have read of people waiting multiple weeks to ferment the beer out after being placed in a sealed fermenter. Just curious if anyone has tried it and if so what their experience has been.

[djinkc]

The closest I've been is about 4 hours the first time I took the CFC out of mothballs. Wasn't cold enough to pitch since I didn't post chill inline. My concerns would be bad bugs getting a headstart and simply forgetting to pitch the yeast. But I think it's not uncommon with some of the Aussie homebrewers. I'm not willing to chance it after putting 4 - 5 hours into a brew. IIRC this is how Granite City does it since they truck the wort to their brewpubs.

[HVB]

I'm not willing to chance it after putting 4 - 5 hours into a brew.

That is another one of my concerns. All the time, effort nad money put into producing the wort and having the chance of a sub-par result. I have always tried to chill my wort as fast as possible.

[Joe]

Are there any other benefits other than convenience? Do you get better aroma extraction from the late hops? I see too many disadvantages to try unless you live in a desert.

[BlKtRe]

We all know Granite City beer isn't very good.

[shaggaroo]

isn't it going to take forever (at least in brewer's time) for it to cool to pitching temperatures?

[HVB]

isn't it going to take forever (at least in brewer's time) for it to cool to pitching temperatures?

Seems like a day is common.

[positiveContact]

Are there any other benefits other than convenience?

that's what I'm wondering.

[HVB]

Are there any other benefits other than convenience? Do you get better aroma extraction from the late hops? I see too many disadvantages to try unless you live in a desert.

The below are from homebrewtalk. I see the advantages limited compared to the disadvantages. Advantages:- minimal outlay (no chiller required to make all grain beer, only a cube)- minimal time required (the time usually allocated to chill the wort is avoided on brew day)- minimal water required (ie sanitisation only)- storability of the wort for extended periods (wort production does not have to coincide with yeast starter preparation)- ability to make wort in bulk and store for later fermentation- portability of wort in the cube Disadvantages:Some research into the no-chill method will bring up some criticism of the method. Arguments against include- Beer haziness- Problems with long term beer stability- Loss of hop aroma- Increased bitterness- Leeching plastic- DMS production- And, in the extreme, the risk of botulism (a deadly anaerobic bacteria)

[positiveContact]

why does it sounds like they are storing the wort in their mash tun?

[Mynameisluka]

to link it to studs thread on starter wort, it seems like this no chill chill method would be a way to allow time for you to collect some wort from your boil, make a starter, and then pitch it when the wort cools...but it would only give you about a day to get the starter going.

[positiveContact]

to link it to studs thread on starter wort, it seems like this no chill chill method would be a way to allow time for you to collect some wort from your boil, make a starter, and then pitch it when the wort cools...but it would only give you about a day to get the starter going.

a day can be enough. I'd be too nervous about leaving wort for that long with no yeast in it. seems really risky.

[Mynameisluka]

a day can be enough. I'd be too nervous about leaving wort for that long with no yeast in it. seems really risky.

i've let it sit for a day a couple of times when i didn't have the yeast that i thought i had and had to wait until the next day to run to the lhbs. nothing has happened, but i was nervous.

[positiveContact]

i've let it sit for a day a couple of times when i didn't have the yeast that i thought i had and had to wait until the next day to run to the lhbs. nothing has happened, but i was nervous.

CON: lack of sleep.

[Mynameisluka]

lol

[HVB]

why does it sounds like they are storing the wort in their mash tun?

They are calling the fermenter a cube. It is basically a square plastic container.

[HVB]

a day can be enough. I'd be too nervous about leaving wort for that long with no yeast in it. seems really risky.

If it was sealed in a container that I put it in hot I would not worry about a day. In container that does not seal well .. then I would be pacing!

[armagh]

If it was sealed in a container that I put it in hot I would not worry about a day. In container that does not seal well .. then I would be pacing!

As it gradually cooled in one of those, might it create something of a vacuum?

[HVB]

As it gradually cooled in one of those, might it create something of a vacuum?

I would think so .. you bring up a good point. I would think that when you open it you would chance sucking in "stuff." Unless you can puch your yeast into the fermetner with CO2.

[Big Nake]

The closest I ever came was once when I was brewing in the winter and there was a ton of snow. I figured I'd place the kettle in a snow bank, pack the snow around it and clean up the garage. I kept going back and repacking the snow around it and after 20-30 minutes, the beer was down in the 60-70° range. I saw a few other homebrewers do this in the past at "group brew days". Otherwise, I don't think I would wait a day for the wort temp to naturally come down. 2¢.