# oldest cube



## barls (15/1/14)

just found this one and decided i should see how it goes.




still sucked in and smelling malty when opened.
i do know there are still 3 cubes from my wedding brew day floating around somewhere which would be older.
might see if i can track one down


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## fletcher (15/1/14)

barls said:


> just found this one and decided i should see how it goes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*cough cough*

bring the resulting beverage to the next ISB meet up mate


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## barls (15/1/14)

will do depending on how it tastes.


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## Yob (15/1/14)

Nice one.. I think the oldest Ive seen is just over 2 years..

Barls FTW :beerbang:


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## S.E (15/1/14)

barls said:


> just found this one and decided i should see how it goes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, good job you found that and deactivated it mate. You had best find the other three cubes ASAP and deal with them in case they start to spontaneously ferment in the cubes.

Remember cubes aren’t pressure tested, aren’t you concerned that leaving them full of unfermented wort like that is asking for trouble? 

Just having a friendly dig. :huh:


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## barls (15/1/14)

There's a huge difference between positive and negative pressure as there is also a huge difference between filling a cube with liquid and storing as it was designed to do and pressurising it, as it was not designed to be a pressure vessel.
There is no more pressure in there than a bottle of commercially produced water.
Also it was 100% sterile in there otherwise it would have swollen and it would have been disposed of.
Now here's a link for the latest small keg buy which are designed to be a pressure vessel.
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/77766-keg-bulk-buy/


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## New_guy (15/1/14)

Does anyone know if "aging" cubes imparts anything flavour wise on the final beer?


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## S.E (15/1/14)

barls said:


> There's a huge difference between positive and negative pressure as there is also a huge difference between filling a cube with liquid and storing as it was designed to do and pressurising it, as it was not designed to be a pressure vessel.
> There is no more pressure in there than a bottle of commercially produced water.
> Also it was 100% sterile in there otherwise it would have swollen and it would have been disposed of.
> Now here's a link for the latest small keg buy which are designed to be a pressure vessel.
> http://aussiehomebre...6-keg-bulk-buy/


You do seem to still be missing my point though, the point is a cube of unfermented wort can spontaneously ferment and swell up just the same as a primed cube of real ale.

So if you leave unfermented wort in a sealed cube and forget about it as you did and then given your theory that cubes will explode violently under pressure, don’t you think it’s dangerous to leave them laying around for so long unattended or do you check them daily to ensure they are OK?

No offence, but again asking a friendly question.


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## Black Devil Dog (15/1/14)

Looks like it was buried.


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## barls (15/1/14)

Who said that it was unattended? It's been moved several times as they sit next to my grain storage. Also I've only ever had one cube swell and that was from my own stupidity.
If it hasn't started to swell in the first couple of months its not going to suddenly start 2 years down the track if the seal is just as good.
Look at the tetra packs of juice, it's the same principle, it's sterile when it went in and with no leaks and fully sealed. Same principle.
What's the use by dates on the tetra packs???? generally a couple of years, right?
As I said before, two completely different principles what we are talking about. It's like comparing a motorbike to an aircraft, 


Only in the pile of cubes in the spare bathroom, black dog.


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## S.E (15/1/14)

Just teasing a little about the irony of you using the old UK homebrew real ale method of using plastic cubes under pressure for conditioning, and yet happy to seal unfermented wort in a cube which could potentially swell far more than a primed cube of ale.

It was meant in good humour.


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## Feldon (15/1/14)

I'm with you S.E. Valid point raised.


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## warra48 (15/1/14)

All right fellas. Time to settle down, please.

I understand the feelings expressed so far in this thread and in some reports. I've hidden (not deleted) some posts for the time being until the mod/admin team sorts out how to respond, and to keep the thread on topic of "oldest cube", rather than on moderating or other behaviour etc etc


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## S.E (16/1/14)

barls said:


> Who said that it was unattended? It's been moved several times as they sit next to my grain storage. Also I've only ever had one cube swell and that was from my own stupidity.
> If it hasn't started to swell in the first couple of months its not going to suddenly start 2 years down the track if the seal is just as good.
> Look at the tetra packs of juice, it's the same principle, it's sterile when it went in and with no leaks and fully sealed. Same principle.
> What's the use by dates on the tetra packs???? generally a couple of years, right?
> ...


barls, warra48 has said he will reinstate my hidden posts so this post and yours should make sense again. So back to topic. I agree that if the cube doesn’t swell up in the first couple of months it probably won’t later but aren’t you concerned that one could swell and explode in the first couple of months given that you are so adamant that a cube could explode if primed and used as a cask?

That was the point I was making.

Cheers
Sean


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## kriscrompton (16/1/14)

After that amount of time, surely, for it to swell, something would have to be introduced to the cube, therefore it couldnt be airtight and would release pressure rather then explode?


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## JDW81 (16/1/14)

S.E said:


> aren’t you concerned that one could swell and explode in the first couple of months given that you are so adamant that a cube could explode if primed and used as a cask?


There is always that risk, but it is one we all take every time we cube a beer. If it explodes it is unlikely to do the same damage as an exploding bottle as the seams are more likely to split and leak your beer all over the floor rather than send shards of glass flying across the room.

I think the concern around deliberately pressurising a cube is that they aren't designed to take that kind of pressure. They may expand and end up under pressure, but that isn't what we're trying to achieve. Also, if most people see an cube starting to swell they generally release the pressure and ferment and hope for the best or ditch it.

JD


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## S.E (16/1/14)

Kris.C said:


> After that amount of time, surely, for it to swell, something would have to be introduced to the cube, therefore it couldnt be airtight and would release pressure rather then explode?


Well not really wort cubes can get infected before they are sealed and they swell up. I’ve never heard of one exploding though. Barls believes a cube will explode with devastating consequences so I don’t understand why he is happy to leave them unattended in his house.


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## warra48 (16/1/14)

With S.E.'s consent, I've edited all the posts in this thread to remove all content not directly on topic.

Only one small post remains hidden, but it only contains a comment about Moderating.

Let's call this issue concluded, and get back to brewing and it's discussions.


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## S.E (16/1/14)

JDW81 said:


> There is always that risk, but it is one we all take every time we cube a beer. If it explodes it is unlikely to do the same damage as an exploding bottle as the seams are more likely to split and leak your beer all over the floor rather than send shards of glass flying across the room.
> 
> I think the concern around deliberately pressurising a cube is that they aren't designed to take that kind of pressure. They may expand and end up under pressure, but that isn't what we're trying to achieve. Also, if most people see an cube starting to swell they generally release the pressure and ferment and hope for the best or ditch it.
> 
> JD


That was my point exactly in another thread, using cubes as real ale casks is safer than bottling in glass.


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## wide eyed and legless (16/1/14)

I use the cubes for no chill and for cask beer, but I did read just the other day that in America it is advised that any hot liquids being put into the cubes should not exceed 71 degrees C, I initially thought this to be in relation to toxins being leached into the hot liquor from the plastic, but apparently it was referring to getting a safe seal.
Presumably from the pressure of the vacuum as the liquor cools.


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## S.E (16/1/14)

wide eyed and legless said:


> I use the cubes for no chill and for cask beer, but I did read just the other day that in America it is advised that any hot liquids being put into the cubes should not exceed 71 degrees C, I initially thought this to be in relation to toxins being leached into the hot liquor from the plastic, but apparently it was referring to getting a safe seal.
> Presumably from the pressure of the vacuum as the liquor cools.


I was going to point out to barls that cubes probably weren’t designed for boiling wort either but wasn’t sure of my facts so didn’t bother.


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## jyo (16/1/14)

S.E said:


> I was going to point out to barls that cubes probably weren’t designed for boiling wort either but wasn’t sure of my facts so didn’t bother.


**** I hate sniping shit comments like this.


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## S.E (16/1/14)

jyo said:


> **** I hate sniping shit comments like this.


Sorry I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it can you please elaborate?


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## Kak (16/1/14)

Isn't this Australia? " she'll be right mate"


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## jyo (16/1/14)

When have you ever read on a willow cube "Sure, feel free to dump 23 litres of boiling wort into this cube . That's what they are specifically designed for"

I don't think barls is a moron and I'm sure he's aware of the manufacturer's intended use for cubes.


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## S.E (16/1/14)

jyo said:


> When have you ever read on a willow cube "Sure, feel free to dump 23 litres of boiling wort into this cube . That's what they are specifically designed for"
> 
> I don't think barls is a moron and I'm sure he's aware of the manufacturer's intended use for cubes.


Oh ok, well that was my point cubes aren’t specifically designed for dumping boiling wort into or using as real ale casks but as home brewers we have experimented and found they are great for both these uses.

I don’t think barls is a moron either but I don’t understand his reasoning behind this as he will happily use them for no chill which is just as dangerous by his own reasoning.


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## jyo (16/1/14)

S.E said:


> I don’t think barls is a moron either but I don’t understand his reasoning behind this as he will happily use them for no chill which is just as dangerous by his own reasoning.


Your edited comment was trolling, as was your post that I initially responded to. 

Read up on no chilling mate. People who get swollen cubes have a flawed process. You want to use cubes as a pressure vessel then go ahead but you are in the wrong thread. 

It'll be interesting to see how this turns out as the longest I've left a cube is a few months.


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## lukiferj (16/1/14)

I have had a few cubes that I've stored for over 6 months. I think one was 9 months. Pale ale, IPA and a stout. No issues with any of them. As long as your processes are good, shouldn't be a problem. I have more trouble keeping them in kegs for too long


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## Florian (16/1/14)

lukiferj said:


> I have had a few cubes that I've stored for over 6 months. I think one was 9 months. Pale ale, IPA and a stout. No issues with any of them. As long as your processes are good, shouldn't be a problem. I have more trouble keeping them in kegs for too long



I have a half frozen cube sitting in the fridge since May, it acquired a few holes when filling it with boiling wort and hence it looks pretty unsightly.

One day I will take it out of the fridge and reboil the wort.





EDIT: added pic

EDIT next day: No need to fix my spelling, Mods, thank you very much! The short off topic comment ("Aussie larrikinism") most likely attracted at least one of the likes, maybe they should be removed as well? Also, why does this post clearly show that it has been edited by a mod, but the post above does not show this although the spelling has also been corrected by a mod (changed stired into stored in above post)?

Also, now it looks like I'm a mod and edited my own spelling and removed off topic comment, although that was Warra48's work.


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## Yob (16/1/14)

Argh...

Story on FB today of a cube blowing up, blowing the door clean off the fridge and cracking concrete.. pretty damned impressive destruction. 

...if I could effing upload effing photo's I'd effing well effing do so and effing show it... effing F

Pretty interested in the older ones being found and fermented also.


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## Not For Horses (16/1/14)

---

I didn't originally write 3 dashes but it was edited to be something equally as boring.

Perhaps someone could just delete this for me.

Regards, Bill.


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## Florian (16/1/14)

:lol: :lol: :lol:

EDIT: those emoticons were in response to something funny, unfortunately it then had been edited by a mod and subsequently replaced with three dashes as the spelling police took the fun away.


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## S.E (16/1/14)

jyo said:


> Your edited comment was trolling, as was your post that I initially responded to.
> 
> Read up on no chilling mate. People who get swollen cubes have a flawed process. You want to use cubes as a pressure vessel then go ahead but you are in the wrong thread.
> 
> It'll be interesting to see how this turns out as the longest I've left a cube is a few months.


My edited comment was not trolling, I’m not sure why it was edited as I thought the bit that was edited out was a valid point and explained that I was the one who had been trolled.

I don’t need to read up on no chill I have been doing it myself along with chilling for many years now and never had a problem with either method.

I have also been using cubes as casks for many years with no problems. I think you may be confusing casks with kegs so perhaps you should read up on casks. Other members on this forum have reported no problems using cubes as kegs but I have never tried so I can’t really comment on that.

Cheers


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## Scooby Tha Newbie (16/1/14)

Florian said:


> On a side note, I have a half frozen cube sitting in the fridge since may, it acquired a few holes when filling it with boiling wort and hence it looks pretty unsightly.
> One day I will take it out of the fridge and reboil the wort.
> 
> 
> ...


That is truly a smexy picture.Do you just catch the beer as it comes out and drink?


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## Bizier (16/1/14)

New_guy said:


> Does anyone know if "aging" cubes imparts anything flavour wise on the final beer?


It will undoubtedly oxidise, but it will be different to oxidised finished product. I would suggest similar to using old extract or malt. I have never trialled anything similar, but it cannot defy the ever-present laws of science.


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## S.E (16/1/14)

Yob said:


> Argh...
> 
> Story on FB today of a cube blowing up, blowing the door clean off the fridge and cracking concrete.. pretty damned impressive destruction.
> 
> ...


Seriously? What was the cube filled with semtex or something? Admittedly I did do something similar once. What is FB Id like to see that.


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## Florian (16/1/14)

Scooby Tha Newbie said:


> That is truly a smexy picture.Do you just catch the beer as it comes out and drink?


It's wort, not a Cask Ale

h34r:


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## Scooby Tha Newbie (16/1/14)

Yes mate I was joking.


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## S.E (16/1/14)

New_guy said:


> Does anyone know if "aging" cubes imparts anything flavour wise on the final beer?


I’m sure I saw a thread on ageing wort in cubes here on AHB a while ago.


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## Josh (16/1/14)

barls said:


> just found this one and decided i should see how it goes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I recently fermented a 2yo cube of Pilsner. Hop profile was still good. Plenty of noble hops coming through. Slightly harsh bitterness but in general the beer was pretty good. 

I have one cube of barls wedding brew. What date was it brewed again? I'm guessing 2008? Still under negative pressure. 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


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## S.E (16/1/14)

Josh said:


> I recently fermented a 2yo cube of Pilsner. Hop profile was still good. Plenty of noble hops coming through. Slightly harsh bitterness but in general the beer was pretty good. I have one cube of barls wedding brew. What date was it brewed again? I'm guessing 2008? Still under negative pressure. Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


Let barls know you have one of his wedding brews he’s trying to track them down according to his first post.


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## Black Devil Dog (16/1/14)

Black Devil Dog said:


> Looks like it was should be buried.


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## barls (16/1/14)

S.E said:


> Let barls know you have one of his wedding brews he’s trying to track them down according to his first post.


dont need to track them down as I have the list of who was there and who wasn't. Please cease trolling my thread and find a more productive thing to do.
As I've stated several times, there's great differences between what I'm doing here and pressurising a cube. As to the force they rupture with I'll point out that at the time you were talking about carbing said cube to 2.7 volumes which translates in to 20 psi or 137kpa which would be sufficient to injure someone.


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## JDW81 (17/1/14)

S.E said:


> That was my point exactly in another thread, using cubes as real ale casks is safer than bottling in glass.


 :icon_offtopic: I don't think it is quite that simple. I wasn't suggesting that pressurising cubes was safer than bottles as bottles, especially the heavy duty coopers style and champagne bottles, are designed to hold liquid under pressure, while water cubes aren't. Some cubes might hold a heap of pressure and others may give way with only a small increase. Sure you can get bottle bombs, but I have more faith in _appropriately filled and carbonated_ bottles holding 2-3 volumes of pressure than I do with a plastic cube designed to hold water under no pressure.


JD


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## jyo (17/1/14)

S.E said:


> Mate I don't mind if you're using cubes to store fermenting fish heads for your tomatoes. I just don't know why you're grinding your axe in this thread.


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## Yob (17/1/14)

out of completeness..


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## lukiferj (17/1/14)

Whoa! Also still slightly OT but I had my first ever cube explode/split in multiple places last night/yesterday. No pics but was brewed on sunday. I checked it yesterday morning as I was planning on pitching yeast into it this morning. Doesn't appear to be infected but now my garage smells like old wort. What's left in the cube still tastes fine. Was pretty hot in Brisbane yesterday but we have had way hotter in the last few weeks with no issues.


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## wide eyed and legless (17/1/14)

Change the thread from the oldest cube to the shortest lived cube, the fridge one is interesting though wonder if the fridge was playing up.


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## Yob (17/1/14)

shouldnt matter mate, Ive got 6 cubes out in the shed and it's been 40'c + for days... *ed with no signs of swelling


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## wide eyed and legless (17/1/14)

When I say the fridge playing up I was thinking of it getting colder than it should have been, water I believe is the only compound that swells up with both heat and cold.


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## SimoB (17/1/14)

Yob said:


> Argh...
> 
> Story on FB today of a cube blowing up, blowing the door clean off the fridge and cracking concrete.. pretty damned impressive destruction.
> 
> ...


Yeah this is Mark haha - bendigo brew club fella... must of been under some pressure


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## syl (17/1/14)

That is awesome barls!

My oldest cube is only 6 months, about to pitch it this weekend though, I promise! (I have been saying this every week since it was brewed, I am a lazy mother*SHUT YOUR MOUTH*)



SHAFT!


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## S.E (17/1/14)

barls said:


> dont need to track them down as I have the list of who was there and who wasn't. Please cease trolling my thread and find a more productive thing to do.
> As I've stated several times, there's great differences between what I'm doing here and pressurising a cube. As to the force they rupture with I'll point out that at the time you were talking about carbing said cube to 2.7 volumes which translates in to 20 psi or 137kpa which would be sufficient to injure someone.


Ok but you did say in your op that you would try to track down your wedding cubes didn’t you?

There is not a great difference in what we are both using cubes for. We are both using cubes for purposes they are not really designed for. A no chill cube can become infected and swell until it bursts a cube of ale can also swell till it bursts if it is over primed.

It was not my intention to cause any upset here, I had originally made it clear in my first and second posts that I was just having a good humoured dig and pointing out that no chill cubes could swell and burst or explode like you thought real ale cubes would, warra48 has explained in a pm that my second post and the last sentence in my first post was lost in editing so they may not quite reflect that now.

I have never talked about carbing a cube to 2.7 volumes but if they were carbed to bursting point they will not explode violently and throw shrapnel like you were suggesting in the carbing/conditioning in a cube thread here. http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/70056-carbingconditioning-in-a-cube-before-keg/

I saw an over primed cube of stout swell almost to bursting point at a club gathering once it had a large stretched gash down one side but there wasn’t enough pressure in it to cause injury if it had split.

I’m not sure if you fully understand the concept of cask conditioning ale, it isn’t under high pressure. Beer has been carbonated and served from non pressure rated containers way before kegs were invented.

I think you are in Sydney right? If you like you can come along to one of our club real ale fests in Wollongong and see for yourself how easy and safe it is. I think you would be pleasantly surprised.


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## Florian (17/1/14)

What's with all the corrected spelling in this thread?

Is it now against the rules to make the odd spelling mistake? Which rule exactly?


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## warra48 (17/1/14)

I'm a confirmed spelling nazi, and I fixed the mistakes so we all look well educated, and as a bit of a joke.

I wondered who'd be the first to notice it ! Well done.

 :blink:


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## sponge (17/1/14)

Thenk yoo four ur halp Wora.

Dis thred wil end up on d frig.


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## wide eyed and legless (17/1/14)

Another thing to consider is, when preserving (bottling) fruit for example, shelf life is generally one year before the contents start to deteriorate, keeping wort in a cube would be comparable, what is the point of keeping the wort so long in a cube, I consider a week to be a reasonable length of time.


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## Yob (17/1/14)

I can tell you, with a new bub round the place, having the ability to store for months is a god send.. a week is nothing.


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## manticle (17/1/14)

> I consider a week to be a reasonable length of time.


Based on?


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## wide eyed and legless (17/1/14)

Based on speaking for myself, surely when keeping a cube for months or years is just bad planning.


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## Yob (17/1/14)

:blink: Not_ *at all*_,

I only get a brew day once every few months, due to other commitments I now have, child, HDA, wanting to have a life as well... its good planning that allows me to plan what I want in advance and ferment it at will... Its why I still dont chill, *cubing suits my lifestyle and processes so well.

It's different strokes for different folks mate, to call it bad planning is just out and out wrong.. it's exceptional planning for those *the process suits..

*ed: clarity


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## wide eyed and legless (17/1/14)

I also no chill, I have children and a life, I don't work though I may when my youngest goes to school this year, but a bit of forethought into planning a brewing schedule should be considered, I am lucky I have a cool room to ferment my beers and I am not against some one having a cube laying around for a month or two but we are talking about years here.


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## S.E (17/1/14)

Yob said:


> out of completeness..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


See barls my first post was right to warn you of the danger of storing fresh wort in a sealed cube.  h34r:

Seriously though how could it crack the concrete floor when the rest of the fridge and everything around it is still intact?

It looks like the cube only split down the side and pushed the door off the fridge. Admittedly I’m surprised it even did that though. I’d be interested to know how far the door was found from the fridge or if the hinges had been loose or damaged.


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## S.E (17/1/14)

lukiferj said:


> Whoa! Also still slightly OT but I had my first ever cube explode/split in multiple places last night/yesterday. No pics but was brewed on sunday. I checked it yesterday morning as I was planning on pitching yeast into it this morning. Doesn't appear to be infected but now my garage smells like old wort. What's left in the cube still tastes fine. Was pretty hot in Brisbane yesterday but we have had way hotter in the last few weeks with no issues.


So your cube only split and spilt some wort or was there any other damage ? Did you hear it go off?


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## lukiferj (17/1/14)

S.E said:


> So your cube only split and spilt some wort or was there any other damage ? Did you hear it go off?


Heard nothing. Just smelt it this morning when I woke up. Assume it happened at some point yesterday. Multiple splits on 2 sides of the cube though. It could be a coincidence but my kids were playing in the garage yesterday and they like jumping off stuff. They're not admitting to anything yet but not out of the question to have been jumping on it.


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## mxd (17/1/14)

wide eyed and legless said:


> I also no chill, I have children and a life, I don't work though I may when my youngest goes to school this year, but a bit of forethought into planning a brewing schedule should be considered, I am lucky I have a cool room to ferment my beers and I am not against some one having a cube laying around for a month or two but we are talking about years here.


I do 60 ltr batches and brew when I can be bothered (see sig for amount in garage), the fresh wort is best before for 2 years(still fine after), the longest/oldest I have fermented was 20 months old, and it was fine (2nd vic brew 2013)


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## malt and barley blues (17/1/14)

Maybe if it was a fresher wort you could have got a first.


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## S.E (17/1/14)

lukiferj said:


> Heard nothing. Just smelt it this morning when I woke up. Assume it happened at some point yesterday. Multiple splits on 2 sides of the cube though. It could be a coincidence but my kids were playing in the garage yesterday and they like jumping off stuff. They're not admitting to anything yet but not out of the question to have been jumping on it.


The cube I saw close to bursting was splitting down one side like the one in yobs pic. Had your wort exploded around the garage or just a big puddle on the floor?


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## lukiferj (17/1/14)

S.E said:


> The cube I saw close to bursting was splitting down one side like the one in yobs pic. Had your wort exploded around the garage or just a big puddle on the floor?


Just a puddle on the floor.Splits on 2 sides of the cube though. Will post some pictures up tomorrow when I get home.


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## black_labb (17/1/14)

Well this thread has been interesting.

I have a cube like the one that was exploded in the fridge in the photo above. I used it once and the theads on the lid deformed and it didn't seal correctly after repeated attempts. I had the same thing happen with a pair of 10L cubes. The only thing they have in common is the red tops. The blue and black on my other cubes have never had the issue. Could the additive for red colour make plastic soften more at temperature?


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## wide eyed and legless (17/1/14)

Looking at the picture Yob posted my theory would be that what I will call invert pressure, the vacuum within the jerry can being placed in the fridge the wort could expand especially if the fridge was playing up.
The cooling of the wort causes it to expand and already being in a vacuum will split the container.
As for the colour of the cap I don't think that makes any difference People in Plastic sell the containers with red black and blue.


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## Josh (17/1/14)

wide eyed and legless said:


> Another thing to consider is, when preserving (bottling) fruit for example, shelf life is generally one year before the contents start to deteriorate, keeping wort in a cube would be comparable, what is the point of keeping the wort so long in a cube, I consider a week to be a reasonable length of time.





wide eyed and legless said:


> Based on speaking for myself, surely when keeping a cube for months or years is just bad planning.


The only reply necessary is: Because I can.

To expand though. I like to brew on a whim. I don't always plan out my brew days a week in advance. Often my brew days come about because I unexpectedly get the house to myself for a few hours. And instead of watch porn on this particular day, I'd rather head outside and be slightly less productive. So I will make 20-23L of wort.

But the fermenting fridge isn't always ready to accept a new batch of beer straight away. Some weeks I'll have multiple days where I can brew. So I will store more than one cube ready for fermentation. As I like to brew lagers, the fridge can be tied up for a few weeks at a time. So cubes will move to the back of the queue for a while. Then another style will take my fancy and I wind up brewing that and fermenting it before I get the the lager I brewed a couple of months ago.

In the case of my 2yo Pilsner, something very similar to the above story happened. And then we had to move house at short notice. So the cube wound up in transit for 6 months while we were between houses. Since moving into my own home, I haven't gotten around to fermenting it as I've been busy doing other things.

Go shove your bad planning.


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## wide eyed and legless (17/1/14)

These are only debatable topics Josh, like to organise my life, you don't, each to his own.


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## lukiferj (17/1/14)

I would say that having a number of different cubed worts is possibly even better organisation. That way you can ferment different types of beer if you need to without having to try and squeeze in a brew day. Each one of my cubes has a very different wort.


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## wide eyed and legless (17/1/14)

Not saying it isn't lukiferj, just don't understand of wanting a cube of wort lying around for years on end.


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## lukiferj (17/1/14)

Fair call. I have found that the stout I left for 9 months was very smooth to drink. Much smoother than any of my other stouts that have been no chilled and fermented in a week. Each to their own though. 

Carry on all.


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## QldKev (17/1/14)

wide eyed and legless said:


> Not saying it isn't lukiferj, just don't understand of wanting a cube of wort lying around for years on end.



It's not wanting, it's just what happens. Maybe you too after brewing for long enough won't be "mr I want to brew all the time". The benefit of no chill is brew when you can, and have beer when you want. My 3V can pump out 4 cubes at a time, and I have up to 3-4months or cubes on hand at a time. That way if I can't brew for a month or 2 due to other life interests it does not matter. Many brewers with their ideas come and go, a few enjoy this hobby for many years to come and realize it's not all about perfect planning.


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## manticle (17/1/14)

wide eyed and legless said:


> Based on speaking for myself


Fair enough. I like to pitch within a couple of days myself. I thought you meant a week was how long they would keep - fresh wort kits can keep for 2 years as far as I'm aware and a properly no-chilled wort should be no different.

I wouldn't compare it to preserved fruit.

People have different lives and might brew well into the future when they have time. Additionally, even if it is to do with planning - sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men, etc.


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (17/1/14)

I have a cube of a boh pils which has been waiting 12 months, waiting for some yeast lovin.


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## timgkelly (19/1/14)

probably a dumb question...

is there any separation of the wort when left in a cube for a long period of time? should it be shaken before being placed into your fermenter?

I just bought a 20L cube at anacondas this weekend, before I was no-chilling in the fermenter then pitching the next day. I sounds mighty convenient being able to leave in the cube and pitching when one has enough bottles/spare fermenter. (I'm thinking of buying a bunch and having a massive brew week sometime soon).

Also, quick question.

I don't keep very good notes, but I'm near positive I was about 50 grams short on DME when I bulk primed my last batch. I opened a bottle late last week (after two week condition) and it was seriously under carbed. Tasted god damned delicious though. I was thinking if I put them in the fridge and cooled them down to 2-3 degrees, I could open them and put a carb drop in each bottle. What do you folks think?

edit: spelling


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## manticle (19/1/14)

Proteins forming cold break will drop out. You can leave these behind (I don't but I ferment straight in the cube and plate chillers don't - it won't do harm to the brew but may cause chill haze. There are other ways to prevent chill haze). No need to shake it up although a certain amount of the break material can act as a yeast nutrient.

To answer the second question - yes you can reprime but I wouldn't just add a carb drop. Calculate how much you were originally short by and divide that by the number of bottles you have. Multiply that rate by the number you have left, dissolve in solution (boiled water) and syringe the exact dose into each bottle (make the water volume easily calculable like 10 mL per bottle for example).


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## Byran (7/6/18)

This is an old thread but I moved house a few times and just had no space or time to ferment two cubes I made a couple of years back. They were identical batches made with diffferent cube hops. Just fermented both side by side with US05 - one is delicious the other tastes a bit odd. Must have had an issue over the storage or something.


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## S.E (8/6/18)

Byran said:


> This is an old thread but I moved house a few times and just had no space or time to ferment two cubes I made a couple of years back. They were identical batches made with diffferent cube hops. Just fermented both side by side with US05 - one is delicious the other tastes a bit odd. Must have had an issue over the storage or something.


What were the different cube hops? If the cubes were stored together under the same conditions could be that hops in the delicious cube aged better than the odd tasting cube.


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## Byran (8/6/18)

S.E said:


> What were the different cube hops? If the cubes were stored together under the same conditions could be that hops in the delicious cube aged better than the odd tasting cube.



Yeh thats what I was thinking too - makes sense about the hop age thing, only problem is i cant remember for the life of me what hops I used. Ha ha. The good one has mosaic. Not sure what i used on the other.

Also, its not terrible just has a weird flavour I wasnt expecting kinda like a belgian/phenolic thing. Its acually cleaning up a bit over time on the cake ill keg it anyway and see how it goes. It could be from a weird mashing thing or how quickly this one cooled or lots of things. But same recipe different hops. The colour and malt profile is the same in the glass. I did notice that it kicked off half a day quicker than the other one though when i pitched them both. About 17 deg C constant in my basement.

But in general these things have been sitting for ages and still kept sterile and fermented easily. So looks good from my end for at least 12 months in the cube if needed. 

Thanks for the feedback man.


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## fdsaasdf (8/6/18)

Byran said:


> Yeh thats what I was thinking too - makes sense about the hop age thing, only problem is i cant remember for the life of me what hops I used. Ha ha. The good one has mosaic. Not sure what i used on the other.
> 
> Also, its not terrible just has a weird flavour I wasnt expecting kinda like a belgian/phenolic thing. Its acually cleaning up a bit over time on the cake ill keg it anyway and see how it goes. It could be from a weird mashing thing or how quickly this one cooled or lots of things. But same recipe different hops. The colour and malt profile is the same in the glass. I did notice that it kicked off half a day quicker than the other one though when i pitched them both. About 17 deg C constant in my basement.
> 
> ...


I wonder if you ended up collecting more particulate or proteins in the cube that didn't age so well? Thinking the second cube may have picked more of this up at the end of the fill.


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## Byran (8/6/18)

fdsaasdf said:


> I wonder if you ended up collecting more particulate or proteins in the cube that didn't age so well? Thinking the second cube may have picked more of this up at the end of the fill.



Hmmmm hard to say....... Im not very high tech with my fills I usually do it visually so its another very intersesting possibility!?


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## JDW81 (8/11/19)

Just adding to the oldest cube discussion.

Finally got around to fermenting a dark base wort I had cubed around 18 months ago. Had been sitting in he garage so exposed to all of Geelong's finest temperature swings.

I added a little extra light and dark crystal and did a mini boil with some cascade and simcoe hops for good measure. Fermented with US05 and dry hopped with cascade and simcoe.

Wort out of the cube tasted like unfermented wort, but had a character to it that I can't say I've experienced before (not bad, just different).

Force carbed via my usual method and the resultant beer is excellent. Dry, with a good amount of body and hop character a good spring session beer.

I don't think I can ageing has made it any better (from memory it is very similar to the last cube I fermented around 8 months prior), but there have been no detrimental effects from leaving for 18 months.

JD


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## Nullnvoid (8/11/19)

I have just kegged a cube of an ESB clone which was 18months old. Tasted the same as the 4 other cubes I have fermented over the last 18 months.

Also just checked back through my records, and have had a cube of a dark lager which sat there for 3 years without any noticable loss of anything.


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## Frothy Boi (8/11/19)

Nullnvoid said:


> Also just checked back through my records, and have had a cube of a dark lager which sat there for 3 years without any noticable loss of anything.



except it was a blonde ale when you brewed it...


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## Nullnvoid (8/11/19)

Frothy Boi said:


> except it was a blonde ale when you brewed it...



Nah the blonde ale turned into a RIS


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