Chilling your wort

[jyo]

Yep sure do. Fill cubes, tip them on their side to sanitize the space in the handle for 5 mins, then straight in the pool until they are cool. (Usually just on the deep step so the whole cube is not immersed and the top sticks out of the water.

Yep, it works a treat. I fully submerse mine and weigh them down with a couple of house bricks. At the moment I'm making some awesome APAs which have none of the hop astringency I used to get in my no chill APAs. Hop aroma is fantastic. In winter when the pool water is about 15', I am ready to pitch yeast a few hours later.

'Dent' on here is having great success with a 200 litre drum of cold water and dropping the cube into that. I think a bag of ice in there would be perfect. And that way, you can simply reuse the water, so no waste.

 

[Bribie G]

RdeVjun and I did a Russian Imperial Stout in 2011 on Bribie Island and the cube of wort sat in the garage for a couple of years, was used for a while as a shelf support, travelled in the removals van to New South Wales and eventually got fermented in 2013, sat in a keg for about 10 months then eventually got second highest score in the entire last year's NSW State competition.

Won't be doing that again. :unsure:

 

[Batz]

RdeVjun and I did a Russian Imperial Stout in 2011 on Bribie Island and the cube of wort sat in the garage for a couple of years, was used for a while as a shelf support, travelled in the removals van to New South Wales and eventually got fermented in 2013, sat in a keg for about 10 months then eventually got second highest score in the entire last year's NSW State competition.

Won't be doing that again. :unsure:

Say no more!

 

[Beamer]

So I have done a bit of research, and it seems like I would like to give the no chill a go, I like to brew in 23 litre batches and just wondering if anyone else does it this way, and what is the best way to go about it? 2X12L cubes or 1x 25l cube??

 

[jyo]

25 litre.

 

[contrarian]

A 20L cube will often hold a couple of litres more but you could easily fill a 25L cube or even 2 15L cubes at a stretch.

 

[Kingy]

My 20litre cubes hold exactly 23 liters they cost me $116 each as they come filled with tawny port for topping up my port keg.

 

[contrarian]

Fresh wort kits can be a good way to get hold of some cubes, they're on the expensive side of your just buying the beer but if you need the cube as well it makes the beer fairly cheap!

 

[Batz]

I don't know about the rest of Australia but around these parts we can buy used fruit juice concentrate cubes. These are 25lt food grade of course and cost me around $5.00 each at markets. Always seems to be someone selling plastic buckets, drums etc.

Batz

 

[Beamer]

Thanks guys this is all very helpful info,

Im thinking ill do it this way: Siphon wort into sanitised cube, turn on side for several minutes, allow to chill for several hours place in temp controlled fridge over night and then tip in to sanitised fermentor (with a good stir to get some oxygen in there) then pitch yeast starter following morning?

Any tips on squeezing out air of the cube?

 

[Dozer71]

Place cube against wall or immovable object, use a folded towel (as wort is still very hot) and push in with knee or foot. Leaves hands free to put cap on.

 

[Bribie G]

Syphoning of boiling wort can be a problem. Fitting a tap to your keggle would be better. With my urn I just run the wort directly into the cube until full.

If you use the square cubes such as the ones that 20L fresh wort kits come in, I never squeeze, they fill enough to the top to make no difference and a slosh around into the handle gives extra sanitation.

The big one in the photo is the same one that the stout survived in for a couple of years.

The little ones are my usual cubes and I generally pitch the next day.



edit: I'd guess that's why the FWK guys use that shape, I can't imagine a crew of them squeezing and kneeing them at the factory :lol:

 

[TwoCrows]

You could charge the cube with co2 before filling with wort and achieve an oxygen free environment without the need to squeeze.

You would need only 0.5 ltr of c02 , not fill the the whole cube

 

[nosco]

You could charge the cube with co2 before filling with wort

Ot but ive always wondered how people go about getting a blast of co2 into vessles. Picnic tap? Spare ball valve off a manifold?

 

[dicko]

You could charge the cube with co2 before filling with wort and achieve an oxygen free environment without the need to squeeze.

You would need only 0.5 ltr of c02 , not fill the the whole cube

i do this as an extra piece of insurance.

If you are storing wort in cubes for extended periods it pays to check that the cube is sealed fairly regularly.
I have had two instances where I lost the seal.....one was when a lid cracked and the other was that the lid seal just leaked.
I could tell that the seal was leaking as the cube reverted to its original shape.

Both times I just pitched the yeast into the wort and it fermented out with no problems

 

[TwoCrows]

I saw a you tube review and demo ( Gash Slug) looks good. I work two ways use as a gasser and or filler.


http://kegking.com.au/bottles-and-bottling-equipment/bottle-filler-beer-gun.html

 

[dicko]

Ot but ive always wondered how people go about getting a blast of co2 into vessles. Picnic tap? Spare ball valve off a manifold?

I have a JG fitting on my co2 guage tubing and I just pop it apart at that join and stick the hose into the cube.
I hold my hand over the lid area and when I feel the cold Co2 I then turn the gas off and fill the cube immediately with the hot wort.

You can actually see the co2 in the bottom as when the hot wort hits it, it forms a vapour.

 

[TwoCrows]

You could make a very basic gasser with a 1/2 inch valve fitting , gas line fitting screwed into valve.

Drop in cube running and withdraw after 30 seconds or so.

 

[TwoCrows]

Definitely the way to go. All that hard work making wort ,starsan the cube even though 100 degree wort is going in ( no chill style) just adds a bit of safety.

 

[TwoCrows]

Back again , Just an idea of using a airline blower gun and a gas ball lock post , screw in and hook up to your keg gear.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Air-Compressor-Duster-Dust-Blower-Blow-Gun-Cleaner-Handy-Tool-/321835169608?hash=item4aeedef748:g:SlIAAOSwjVVV0U2V


http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Home-Brew-Gas-Ball-Lock-Post-1-4-Inch-Bulkhead-Assembly-/111686062895?hash=item1a0102132f