Ahb Wiki: The No-chiller Method / Using A Cube

[Uncle Fester]

If it ads to the thread, I have just started fermenting the 37th no chill brew through the same cube.

Never had a misfire unless I was rooting around with re-propogating yeasts.

Never had a beer mates wouldnt do lots of obscure stuff to drink.

Even converted 2 non beer drinkers to the dark side.

I have a Pale ale and a wiezen burping away from the same cide as I type...

I'm guessing I should probably spend $20 and replace the cube with anothe, but being a tight arse, I will wait a bit more...

Festa.

 

[dr K]

There's not much work, no worry and no expense if you get your **** right to start with.

Fine thoughts, and applicable to a far broader canvas than merely humble chilling or as the case may be..no .

Chilling is not a **** it's just not necessary

Depends on your circumstances at the time I guess, I have never, to my knowledge, said that chilling was a **** and am happy that some, at least, agree with me.

K

 

[Bribie G]

Reason I haven't gone out and bought an immersion chiller is that decades ago I made heaps of very nice AG brews in the UK by just running wort into fermenter and pitching the next day which many of us still do with kits and partials if they are a tad hot for pitching that evening. Needless to say at most times of the year in the UK this was no problem whatsoever:



:lol:

I'm using the jerry can as an intermediate step as it has a far better surface to volume area to radiate heat and fits nicely in my beer fridge for a few hours so I don't think of it as 'no chill', rather 'smooth chill' (registered BribieG 2008)

Time and brews will tell

 

[PostModern]

Fine thoughts, and applicable to a far broader canvas than merely humble chilling or as the case may be..no .

Of course!

I have never, to my knowledge, said that chilling was a **** and am happy that some, at least, agree with me.

You never said you thought chilling was a ****, but unless I completely got you out of context, you imply that no-chillers think chilling is a ****.

seems like a lot of work, a lot of worry and in some cases a lot of expense to avoid using a simple and inexpensive immersion chiller just because you think (contary to most modern brewing practice) that chilling is a ****.
as was once said, doctors bury their mistakes, brewers drink em.

K

We seem to be going to pain to agree with each other.

 

[shayne]

Reason I haven't gone out and bought an immersion chiller is that decades ago I made heaps of very nice AG brews in the UK by just running wort into fermenter and pitching the next day which many of us still do with kits and partials if they are a tad hot for pitching that evening. Needless to say at most times of the year in the UK this was no problem whatsoever:

View attachment 23197

:lol:

I'm using the jerry can as an intermediate step as it has a far better surface to volume area to radiate heat and fits nicely in my beer fridge for a few hours so I don't think of it as 'no chill', rather 'smooth chill' (registered BribieG 2008)

Time and brews will tell

...i'm a complete noob. i was just about to ask if you can use these shapes (since i have a water container the shape of gerry can). how did it go?

 

[Mantis]

I am guessing this has been bought up before but wouldnt fresh worts kits be done in exactly this way.
Chilling is what is stopping me trying an AG as we have no water here for it.
I might just give this a try in the new year.

 

[buttersd70]

I am guessing this has been bought up before but wouldnt fresh worts kits be done in exactly this way.

Yes and yes.
Don't let lack of water stop you from AG. Many a good beer has been made with NC.

 

[Mantis]

Yes and yes.
Don't let lack of water stop you from AG. Many a good beer has been made with NC.

Thanks Butters and merry xmas
Now I am getting excited. Just need to get a cube or two and get the missus to sow up a bag for my 50lt pot

 

[Bribie G]

...i'm a complete noob. i was just about to ask if you can use these shapes (since i have a water container the shape of gerry can). how did it go?

I now have two jerrycans, one for no chill and the other for secondary fermentation. The first jerry went just perfectly as a no chill cube. It came from Bunnings with not only the regular cap but also a screw on pouring spout which I sanitised and used to bloop the cooled wort into the fermenter, which gives a far more precise aim than just pouring out of the cube.

I also use Jerrys as a secondary fermenter because, being tall and thin, they fit nicely into my brew fridge.

 

[shayne]

I now have two jerrycans, one for no chill and the other for secondary fermentation. The first jerry went just perfectly as a no chill cube. It came from Bunnings with not only the regular cap but also a screw on pouring spout which I sanitised and used to bloop the cooled wort into the fermenter, which gives a far more precise aim than just pouring out of the cube.

I also use Jerrys as a secondary fermenter because, being tall and thin, they fit nicely into my brew fridge.

Thanks! I also think they fit better into a fridge..... I'm still at the K&K stage, but wanting to progress quickly (batch #5 in now with two fermenters now running - started 18/12/08). i think i'll look for some of these cheap and try a secondary ferment

 

[Bribie G]

Just remember that you can't get your fist into them to clean them, a great way to clean and sanitize them is to third-fill them with very hot napisan (I use the ALDI equivalent) solution and turn them upside down and leave them for a couple of days. Napisan will digest any yeast rings etc.

 

[MattC]

Firstly I will apologise if the answer to my question is somewhere in this thread however time is what i currently have little of.

Planning on brewing my first all grain 2 moro and using the no chill method. I have a 20L water container from Big W (which holds about 22L i think).

I brew to fill one corny keg. My specs in brewsmith say batch size as 24L as I leave 4L to the trub.

I plan on filling the sterilised cube with 20L of wort and then fermenting it, leaving me with enough to fill a corny keg.

As there is no chilling involved is there more suspended protein material in the cube due to there not being a cold break? and if so is it best not to pour all the cube into the fermenter in order to leave some crud in the bottom? what do others do?

Cheers

 

[Damian44]

Hey MattC. Ive only done a couple of AG, but i found a good whirlpool and a 20 min rest after flame out does a world of good. All the junk ends up in the centre of the pot.
All the best for tomorrow. If you have time you could fill your cube with boiling water and empty it, just in case it leaches a plastic tast.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

I tip everything into the fermenter

Cheers

 

[rude]

how clear is youre beer cortez ? do you suffer from chill haze ?

 

[jonocarroll]

As there is no chilling involved is there more suspended protein material in the cube due to there not being a cold break? and if so is it best not to pour all the cube into the fermenter in order to leave some crud in the bottom? what do others do?

I just pour the whole lot in the fermenter. From what I've heard most of the junk will settle out in the fermenter. Good luck with it all. :icon_cheers:

 

[clean brewer]

I just dumped 2 no-chill cubes into fermenters and the beer was clear as going in, there wasnt much gunk going in really, just what settled to the bottom which will drop out during fermentation and crash chilling anyhow..

Cheers

 

[Bribie G]

Just pour it all in, there is actually a cold break that takes place in the cube but that shouldn't cause haze problems.. Coopers kits themselves have cold break in them and on the Coopers website FAQs they state this and reckon it's harmless. Being a protein maybe it's even a good yeast nutrient. I've been getting chill hazes, not so much a problem as I don't freeze the guts out of my UK bitters but Polyclar would be the go, will be polyclaring the one I'm bottling Sunday.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Beer is clear

Cheers

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Firstly I will apologise if the answer to my question is somewhere in this thread however time is what i currently have little of.

Planning on brewing my first all grain 2 moro and using the no chill method. I have a 20L water container from Big W (which holds about 22L i think).

I brew to fill one corny keg. My specs in brewsmith say batch size as 24L as I leave 4L to the trub.

I plan on filling the sterilised cube with 20L of wort and then fermenting it, leaving me with enough to fill a corny keg.

As there is no chilling involved is there more suspended protein material in the cube due to there not being a cold break? and if so is it best not to pour all the cube into the fermenter in order to leave some crud in the bottom? what do others do?

Cheers

Hey Matt,

you have probably already done your brew, but no one pointed out that you had a wrong assumption in your question.

". . . As there is no chilling involved is there more suspended protein material in the cube due to there not being a cold break? and if so is it best not to pour all the cube into the fermenter in order to leave some crud in the bottom? what do others do? . . ."

There IS a cold break.. the cold break proteins precipitate out of solution at a certain range of temps, how quickly or slowly the wort gets to those temps does not stop the cold break from happening. Some people believe that it happens more effectively with a fast chill, but it still happens with a slow cool.

So your cube will have a bunch of break material in it.. if you transferred clean hot-break free wort into the cube in the first place, all that gunk will be the cold break.

Some people think cold break matters and leave it behind, probably the majority isn't so concerned about cold break and would just pour it into the fermentor. Who is right?? who knows?

For the record, I pour mine in.

TB

 

[Mantis]

I bought a 25lt cube today. It actually holds just shy of 27lt filled to the brim.
Question is could I no chill 25lt in this successfully. I am guessing that it wouldnt be a good idea, but putting 27 lt in my fermenters would see krausen coming out of the air lock me thinks.

Mantis

 

[porky]

Question is could I no chill 25lt in this successfully.

Mantis

Yes, I do it all the time. I make 22 lt batches so after transferring to secondary and then into keg I don't have much (or any) left over.
I soak the cube in bleach and water and rinse. It is clean and won't cause any problems. I do not tip it so hot wort goes into the handle. I know lots of people do, I see no need.
The cube expands at first with the hot wort, then next day it has sucked in, so it hasn't pulled in any air.
No problems after 35 batches so far.

Cheers,
Bud

 

[smudge]

The only time I don't pour the whole thing into the fermenter is when I want to use the yeast cake for future brews. The less
trub, break etc that is in the fermenter, the cleaner my yeast for my next batch.

Cheers,
smudge

 

[beerbelly]

Going to try the no chill method for my next brew,and could someone just clarify one part of the process for me.After you drain the near boiling wort from the kettle to the cube how long should it sit before i put it in the fridge to cool it down to pitching temp.

 

[imellor]

I Let mine sit on the concrete floor in the shed until it comes down to room temp usually overnight then put in the fridge. Putting it in the fridge hot just overworks your fridge.

If you have not done it yet make sure you read Wiki No Chill by Cortez The Killer.

:icon_cheers:

 

[KHB]

When i first started AG i no chilled about 4 batches and then bought a plate chiller, but due to time constraints (2 kids under 3) im gonna start night brewing again when i finish work around 9pm. So im gonna pick up a Cube and do my next brew NO CHILL to knock off som e brewing time at 1am in the morning!

KHB

 

[geoffi]

Combine no-chill with double batches and you'll save even more time overall. Takes slightly longer to finish one brew, but you get two for one.

When i first started AG i no chilled about 4 batches and then bought a plate chiller, but due to time constraints (2 kids under 3) im gonna start night brewing again when i finish work around 9pm. So im gonna pick up a Cube and do my next brew NO CHILL to knock off som e brewing time at 1am in the morning!

KHB

 

[KHB]

Combine no-chill with double batches and you'll save even more time overall. Takes slightly longer to finish one brew, but you get two for one.

Yeah my kettle allows for 40lt post boil so ferment one and put one away for later. I dont know alot about no chilling so let the learning begin.

KHB

 

[rjonnz]

getting ready to try my first no-chill here in the usa. the cubes i ordered are ldpe instead of hdpe, so i hope it works out. might have to let the wort get down below 95c before i transfer from the brew kettle, from what i've read. seems like a sensible method to me. :beer:

 

[Damian44]

You might want to fill it with boiling water for the 1st time, to make sure no plastic tastes leak into your wort. If you make a couple of extra liters of wort you can give it a ice bath and use it as a starter. GL