Cooling down my BIAB

[Maggotbags]

I have been doing BIAB for around a year with pretty good success. I have been told that it is important to get the mash down 20 degrees as quickly as possible. I have been doing this by placing the mash in a tub full of iced water. Although it is effective, it adds to to the process. My question is, can I just put the mash into my fermenter, seal it and place in the fridge overnight and add the yeast the next day?

 

[mtb]

You *can*, but if you're suggesting that you put near-boiling wort into your fermenter, you'd better be sure it can handle it. The ol' water drum from Bunnings may never have been designed to handle 95C wort.
Also, at near-boiling temps, you may increase your IBUs unexpectedly because alpha acids from the hops you used in the boil will continue to isomerize at high temps (ballpark is over 80C but someone more knowledgeable can clarify that).

My suggestion would be to use the ice bath to get it to 50 or under, and then move to the fermenter. The sooner the wort reaches pitching temps, the sooner your yeast can get to work, the less time other bad bacteria have a chance to take hold and establish an infection. Getting it to 50 before transferring to fermenter is just a suggested compromise between convenience and practicality.

 

[husky]

You can just means you will get all your cold break in your fermenter. I normally only worry about etting to 70 ish degrees and then I don't mind so much how long it takes to get to 20 as long as its not too crazy as it's good practice to get the yeast chewing up the sugars as soon as you can.
Other thoughts are you have to carry a hot fermenter around which may be awkward and a bit dangerous and your fridge will hate you. I would let it cool overnight in the fermenter in the fridge but not turn it on till morning.

 

[sp0rk]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/articles/article56.html
No chill, embrace it, love it, live it

 

[Judanero]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/articles/article56.html
No chill, embrace it, love it, live it

+1 No chill is too easy and you have the benefit of choosing when you want to add yeast.


If you want to go down the route you mentioned, I would suggest adding your floc agent (whirfloc/ brewrite etc) whirlpool it, let it settle for fifteen to twenty and then transfer to your fermenter.

That way you'll make sure you can leave any hot break in the kettle and not end up in your fermenter... The Bunnings type are fine with near boiling temps, they're made of the same stuff as cubes used for no chill- and I routinely soak with boiling water and sodium percarbonate no problem.

I wouldn't recommend putting it in the fridge-if turned on the fridge will be working overtime to cool it, if turned off it will retain the heat due to the insulation.

Another thing after re-reading your post Maggotbags, is if you seal the fermenter when hot it will create a vacuum effect as it cools, if you have a airlock it will suck whatever is in it into your wort, there's a pic on here of someone that filled a keg with boiling wort and it ended a crumpled mess once it cooled, same thing has happened to a stockpot that had a good seal on it (I think multiple layers of clingwrap was the culprit from memory), folded like a cheap suit when it cooled.

 

[sp0rk]

Another thing after re-reading your post Maggotbags, is if you seal the fermenter when hot it will create a vacuum effect as it cools, if you have a airlock it will suck whatever is in it into your wort, there's a pic on here of someone that filled a keg with boiling wort and it ended a crumpled mess once it cooled, same thing has happened to a stockpot that had a good seal on it (I think multiple layers of clingwrap was the culprit from memory), folded like a cheap suit when it cooled.

http://homebrewandbeer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10869
I think you're thinking of this?

 

[Bribie G]

Back to square 1 here.

The OP says he wants to get the MASH down to 20.
I assume you mean get the WORT down to 20.

For starters, what batch size are you brewing?

 

[Gigantorus]

Maggotbags,

I also put my wort pot in the laundry tub and ice it. I use 4 x 2Litre ice cream container blocks of ice plus 2 x 1.25L bottles of ice to cool my wort down, which take 30 mins to go from 100C to 20C.

I used to use a couple of bags of party ice but it melted in no time. So as soon as I got my brew fridge I filled the freezer of it with these containers a week out from doing a brew. This method works a treat and I'm utilising the whole fridge.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[Moad]

No chill... Do it and don't look back.

I chill and no chill on brew day. Chilled batch goes into fermenter and cubes wait for fermenter space. I've made a few shit beers and lots of great beers using both methods. If you cube you can throw it in the pool or a sink of iced water if you don't have a pool. Or just leave it overnight.

Is a chiller out of budget?

 

[Maggotbags]

Thanks for all your responses. I am going to try just getting my wort down to 50 before transferring it to the fermenter. I will then leave it over night in the fridge before adding the yeast. From your comments, this should work fine.
Thanks again.