PistolPatch
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[I just spent about five minutes trying to find the original No-Chill thread and couldn't find it on the search engines :blink:]
I am in the process of writing another one of my guides and thought I might just have a ramble here on how difficult it is to write a complete all-grain guide because as soon as you get to chilling there are so many different methods.
In the old style of PistolPatch I will write a long post and write as I am thinking. What fun eh?
So far in the guide I am writing which aims to show how to brew an AG from woe to go for complete beginners, on the chilling section I have written...
Obviously I haven't written, "The Basics of Chilling," yet, otherwise I wouldn't be posting here
So, how do we categorise and explain these numerous but so ill-defined chilling methods?
My thoughts so far are as follows...
New standards and descriptions of chilling definitely need to be established. Existing descriptions and terminology only confuse new and existing brewers. I am thinking that it would have been better (if we could re-write history) that chilling be categorised as to when you needed to pitch your yeast. For example,
Delayed Pitch: If you are brewing wort that you want to pitch at your leisure, you will obviously need to follow what I think has erroneously (but correctly at the spur of the moment) been coined as, "the No-Chill method," which requires a sterilised vessel (commonly known as a, "cube,") that can remain airtight for some time. In other words, you need to use silicone hose to syphon (via tap or otherwise) your wort to a sterilised food-grade cube that will remain airtight until the time you choose to transfer it to your fermenter and pitch your yeast. There are obvious and real advantages and disadvantages to this method. It is also a method that might require some recipe modification depending on how fussy a brewer is.
Slow Pitch: I am thinking that this is the ideal method for a brewer who does not have, "fast," chilling equipment but wants to pitch asap. It simply involves covering the kettle with foil. I have done it a few times and the beer has been fine. It just requires good sanitisation practices which should be standard anyway. I keep a bit of an eye on slow and no-chill (delayed pitch) stuff but I think it is crazy to advise people to transfer the wort to a fermenter and then let it cool. It just doubles the chance of infection as far as I can see. Unfortunately this method is commonly referred to as no-chill. The only similarity it has to no-chill is that it might require some recipe modification depending on how fussy a brewer is.
Fast Pitch: Anything that involves rapidly chilling the wort such as using an immersion, plate or counter-flow chiller could perhaps be considered as a, "fast pitch," method. Most recipes are conveyed with this assumption and while it might be considered the, "safest," way to pitch wort, it is nearly always unachievable in the majority of world climates. Most of us can never get to our pitching temperatures quickly and have to compromise. Rarely this compromise is discussed. Most books and guides avoid this problem by simply saying, "Chill your wort to pitching temperature." God bless 'em .
When writing guides, I'm not really into avoidance hence my post here.
Anyway, being the picky bugger that I am, I'd be interested to see how you reply to this topic as I'd like to get this guide as correct as possible. I also seriously think that chilling is a subject that needs to get its definitions correct now before it totally bewilders the next generation of all-grain brewers.
For my old mates, sorry if the above was not long or wild enough. I had a wink placed here but apparently I have used too many emoticons.
Pat
I am in the process of writing another one of my guides and thought I might just have a ramble here on how difficult it is to write a complete all-grain guide because as soon as you get to chilling there are so many different methods.
In the old style of PistolPatch I will write a long post and write as I am thinking. What fun eh?
So far in the guide I am writing which aims to show how to brew an AG from woe to go for complete beginners, on the chilling section I have written...
Flame Out (Boil Ends)
When we turn off our heat source to end the boil, there are many ways of cooling (better known as, chilling,) our wort to get it to the temperature at which yeast should be correctly pitched. All chilling methods have advantages and disadvantages. For example, one method may require a very fussy brewer to make minor recipe adjustments but also allows the quite amazing advantage of any brewer to delay pitching the yeast until many weeks after the boil. Mini BIAB brewers can simply put their kettle into a bath of cool water. Another often ignored and under-valued option is to simply cover the kettle with foil and allow it to cool overnight.
Methods of chilling are numerous and often not well-defined. "The Basics of Chilling," defines, categorises and explains these numerous chilling methods in a format that is easy for all brewers to follow. Before brewing your first all-grain beer, you should have read, "The Basics of Chilling," and decided on your chilling method.
The aim of all chilling methods is to maintain the integrity of the wort until it is ready to be pitched.
Obviously I haven't written, "The Basics of Chilling," yet, otherwise I wouldn't be posting here
So, how do we categorise and explain these numerous but so ill-defined chilling methods?
My thoughts so far are as follows...
New standards and descriptions of chilling definitely need to be established. Existing descriptions and terminology only confuse new and existing brewers. I am thinking that it would have been better (if we could re-write history) that chilling be categorised as to when you needed to pitch your yeast. For example,
Delayed Pitch: If you are brewing wort that you want to pitch at your leisure, you will obviously need to follow what I think has erroneously (but correctly at the spur of the moment) been coined as, "the No-Chill method," which requires a sterilised vessel (commonly known as a, "cube,") that can remain airtight for some time. In other words, you need to use silicone hose to syphon (via tap or otherwise) your wort to a sterilised food-grade cube that will remain airtight until the time you choose to transfer it to your fermenter and pitch your yeast. There are obvious and real advantages and disadvantages to this method. It is also a method that might require some recipe modification depending on how fussy a brewer is.
Slow Pitch: I am thinking that this is the ideal method for a brewer who does not have, "fast," chilling equipment but wants to pitch asap. It simply involves covering the kettle with foil. I have done it a few times and the beer has been fine. It just requires good sanitisation practices which should be standard anyway. I keep a bit of an eye on slow and no-chill (delayed pitch) stuff but I think it is crazy to advise people to transfer the wort to a fermenter and then let it cool. It just doubles the chance of infection as far as I can see. Unfortunately this method is commonly referred to as no-chill. The only similarity it has to no-chill is that it might require some recipe modification depending on how fussy a brewer is.
Fast Pitch: Anything that involves rapidly chilling the wort such as using an immersion, plate or counter-flow chiller could perhaps be considered as a, "fast pitch," method. Most recipes are conveyed with this assumption and while it might be considered the, "safest," way to pitch wort, it is nearly always unachievable in the majority of world climates. Most of us can never get to our pitching temperatures quickly and have to compromise. Rarely this compromise is discussed. Most books and guides avoid this problem by simply saying, "Chill your wort to pitching temperature." God bless 'em .
When writing guides, I'm not really into avoidance hence my post here.
Anyway, being the picky bugger that I am, I'd be interested to see how you reply to this topic as I'd like to get this guide as correct as possible. I also seriously think that chilling is a subject that needs to get its definitions correct now before it totally bewilders the next generation of all-grain brewers.
For my old mates, sorry if the above was not long or wild enough. I had a wink placed here but apparently I have used too many emoticons.
Pat