Brew today - pitch tomorrow?

[mattyess]

I was all set to brew up a Belgian Triple today and made sure to put a big yeast starter on early Sat morning in preparation to pitch on Sunday night. However the starter gravity has barely dropped half a point, and it looks like it has just started to get active. I haven't used this yeast before (Belgian Ale Yeast - WLP550, well within use by). Maybe its a slow starter, cos it's looking like it's not going to be ready for at least another 24hrs. My other starters are usually well done after 36hrs of temp control and regular shaking, but guess I should have started this one earlier.

I have a few options in my mind - interested to see what the consensus is:

1) Wait until I have another whole free day at home (rare) to brew.

2) Brew today - pitch tomorrow. Be extremely pedantic, sanitise everything twice. I mean, what is the likelihood of getting an infection overnight?

3) Do as normal - but go buy a cube to transfer to, squeeze out air etc. One night during the week, run a bath, bring back up to temp, transfer to fermenter and pitch. I'm hoping there is somewhere open on a Sunday nearby to buy a cube, there certainly isn't anywhere local with WLP550.

I'm leaning toward taking the risk of leaving it in fermenter a day before pitching. I realise there is a risk involved, but I've never got an infection before and in my early days of brewing (before making an immersion chiller) I would leave the beer in the fermenter overnight to cool before pitching.

 

[mattyess]

Reckon I could squeeze the air out of this cube at Bunnings?
https://www.bunnings.com.au/icon-plastics-25l-blue-tint-water-storage-drum-with-bung_p3240532

 

[mattyess]

I guess mods aren’t around Sunday’s to approve new users posts. So questions are now moot. But still happy to hear what people think I should have done.

 

[mattyess]

Guess they aren’t around Mondays or Tuesdays either?

 

[AHB_Admin]

Hi all. Just me and I was traveling recently and was not here as much as usual. I apologize for this delay in your threads being approved.

 

[fungrel]

Hi all. Just me and I was traveling recently and was not here as much as usual. I apologize for this delay in your threads being approved.

Can't you just add more mods?

 

[Nullnvoid]

Hey mattyess

I would go number 3. Go buy a cube transfer the wort when it is still over 80degrees, squeeze the air out and put it on its side (so the hot wort can sterilise the handle.

Then you can just pour it into the fermenter when you are ready!

You won't look back.

And yes you could squeeze the air out of that cube from bunnings.

 

[AHB_Admin]

Can't you just add more mods?

That is definitely a consideration.

 

[mattyess]

That is definitely a consideration.

Wow. I’m genuinely amazed you only have one mod a what appears to be a very active and popular forum.

 

[altone]

As for those 25l Bunnings cubes - they work fine (so far)

 

[Rocker1986]

Reckon I could squeeze the air out of this cube at Bunnings?
https://www.bunnings.com.au/icon-plastics-25l-blue-tint-water-storage-drum-with-bung_p3240532

Yep, they go a bit softer when filled with hot wort, not to the point of melting or anything like that, but they get a little more pliable than when they're at normal room temp. Easy as to squeeze the air out. I just got one recently after years of using white cubes of similar sturdiness because they're the only ones I could find that the taps fit tightly into (I hate lifting and pouring the bloody things), its first batch is in the fermenter now bubbling away.

In the scenario above, I'd be cubing the wort.

 

[Quokka42]

Wow. I’m genuinely amazed you only have one mod a what appears to be a very active and popular forum.

Caught me out too - hope you jumped with it.

Once you have a head for sanitation and when and where it is needed you can get away with all sorts of stuff like this. I simply was tired and ill and forgot to pitch my yeast for a day on my last beer and it's going just fine.

Had no problems with the blue bunnings "fermenters" either.