Fermenting In A Cube

[loikar]

Cleaning can be an issue because you need to rely on the cleaner and shaking to remove the scum ring of krausen. I use pbw soak and shake with success. Napisan would probably work, starsan wont. It is a sanitiser not a cleaner.

Nah. Nappisan cleans up cubes and fermenters beautifully, plus it's an antibacterial.
a couple of caps in the cube, fill them to the top, seal 'em up and walk away.

on the next brewday,
drain them out, rinse them out, fill them with hot wort, squeeze and seal, let them chill.
Once cool, crack the seal, pitch the yeast, seal it again, then back it off.
2 weeks later, ferments complete, bottle or into the keg.

Minimal exposure to air, minimal mess.

I find no detectable off flavors by fermenting on the cold break, and I can fit 3 Jerrys in my fridge instead of 2 fermenters.

I don't think I would ever buy a proper fermenter now that's under 60L.

BF

 

[hsb]

If you're using a No Chill cube, then directly pitching yeast into that, then how are you aerating the wort? It will be very low in O2 won't it - not a happy place for the yeasties?
Another reason why I empty the No Chill cube to ferment in a different vessel, but the cubes themselves are totally fine to ferment in. I'd ferment in anything sanitary/non-pourous. Chuck it in the bath lol.
I prefer to keep my No Chill cubes without a tap, one less potential disaster, only one mind.

 

[Maheel]

i made up a bit of copper pipe with just a small hole to create a water blaster i can poke inside cubes etc to blast of any scum

rips off and cleans out 95% in seconds then the good old napisan soak then starsan re-blast if needed

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

If you're using a No Chill cube, then directly pitching yeast into that, then how are you aerating the wort? It will be very low in O2 won't it - not a happy place for the yeasties?
Another reason why I empty the No Chill cube to ferment in a different vessel, but the cubes themselves are totally fine to ferment in. I'd ferment in anything sanitary/non-pourous. Chuck it in the bath lol.
I prefer to keep my No Chill cubes without a tap, one less potential disaster, only one mind.

I'm with you and this is the method that I use. However I have tasted beers that are fermented in the nc cube and they have been good. Maybe the trick is to pitch a big starter or slurry from a previous batch?

 

[loikar]

If you're using a No Chill cube, then directly pitching yeast into that, then how are you aerating the wort? It will be very low in O2 won't it - not a happy place for the yeasties?

I don't see why?

When I fill my cube from the kettle, i usually drop it in from a height, then seal it up, shake the shit out of it, purge excess air and store it ready for ferment.
The O2 doesn't magically disappear in the sealed cube I expect?
it ferments just fine and the beer tastes good.

Oh, and don't even think about bringing up HSA or I will find out where you live, shit in your letterbox and wipe my arse on your cat.

BF

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

wipe my arse on your cat.

Scat cat?

 

[hsb]

I don't see why?

When I fill my cube from the kettle, i usually drop it in from a height, then seal it up, shake the shit out of it, purge excess air and store it ready for ferment.
The O2 doesn't magically disappear in the sealed cube I expect?
it ferments just fine and the beer tastes good.

Oh, and don't even think about bringing up HSA or I will find out where you live, shit in your letterbox and wipe my arse on your cat.
BF

You didn't mention you splash your wort 'from a height' into a cube, then 'shake the shit out of it', this isn't what I would call the normal No Chill method. More like a Splash, Thrash and Crash method.

I'm just a simple old - gentle transfer through tubing into the cube, then seal it up and store it.

Your advice isn't very helpful to anyone who doesn't splash from on high, or wasn't aware that this is your method - now we know, we're all back in a happy place.

I don't like HSA, prefer HSB, no problem there.

 

[stux]

The other trick with the willow jerrys is to not overtighten the lid when they're hot. I've found it hard to get a good seal if you over tighten the lid... but if you just back it off a bit, then it seals fine

 

[MaltyHops]

... If you're using a No Chill cube, then directly pitching yeast into that, then how
are you aerating the wort? It will be very low in O2 won't it - not a happy place
for the yeasties? ...

Simple ... keep a spare clean/sanitised cube and when ready to pitch, pour half
into the spare cube and shake the beetlejooce out of both cubes, then all into
the fermenting vessel.

T.

Thankfully I don't have a cat ... and my letterbox is in a wall.

 

[loikar]

You didn't mention you splash your wort 'from a height' into a cube, then 'shake the shit out of it', this isn't what I would call the normal No Chill method. More like a Splash, Thrash and Crash method.

I'm just a simple old - gentle transfer through tubing into the cube, then seal it up and store it.

Your advice isn't very helpful to anyone who doesn't splash from on high, or wasn't aware that this is your method - now we know, we're all back in a happy place.

When I say "From a height" I mean i have a hose from from the kettle tap to the top of the cube, or in my case a jerry. and then it falls to the bottom of the cube from there. I don't mean from ceiling height.
I think if you're going to ferment in your cube, then you will either get air in it while it's hot or when it's cold, the only way to do is to shake the shit out of it.
If you were to transfer into a fermenting vessel, then you can do this at the time of transfer.

Sorry if you feel it wasn't helpful, i kinda figured it was a no-brainier, how else would it happen.

I would be interested to see how others do it when fermenting in the cube.... Manticle?

I don't like HSA, prefer HSB, no problem there.

Good! you have no idea how hard it is to shit cleanly in a letterbox.
the trick is to catch the cat first.

BF

 

[loikar]

The other trick with the willow jerrys is to not overtighten the lid when they're hot. I've found it hard to get a good seal if you over tighten the lid... but if you just back it off a bit, then it seals fine

+1

 

[hsb]

Sure. I'm always in the 'whatever works for you' camp when it comes to all things homebrew.

You said, "Minimal exposure to air" but now we have clarity, it's splashed into the cube whilst hot to reintroduce air in your method.

I don't think that is the preferred method for No Chilling but ^ see my first statement

I have actually had someone put **** in my letterbox before, turned out it was some (other) angry neighbour seeking vengeance against our neighbour for letting their dog defecate outside their house. They got the house number/letterbox wrong.

Moral of story is - check first - they cleaned up our letterbox lovely in the end, i never knew there was metal underneath all the scum!

I wouldn't ferment in there mind, not without some sanitiser.

 

[manticle]

You didn't mention you splash your wort 'from a height' into a cube, then 'shake the shit out of it', this isn't what I would call the normal No Chill method. More like a Splash, Thrash and Crash method.

I'm just a simple old - gentle transfer through tubing into the cube, then seal it up and store it.

Your advice isn't very helpful to anyone who doesn't splash from on high, or wasn't aware that this is your method - now we know, we're all back in a happy place.

I don't like HSA, prefer HSB, no problem there.

I transfer with a hose from the kettle but all it takes (as I'm sure I've typed in this thread somewhere but it may be another) is to loosen the lid off when the brew is chilled to let air in, re-tighten, then shake the cube around to agitate the wort inside.

Yeasties have been made happy enough this way to get me 2 recent firsts in vicbrew and a 4th in the nats.

Presumably other methods of aeration such as airstones could be used (never used one myself so not 100%)

 

[loikar]

Sure. I'm always in the 'whatever works for you' camp when it comes to all things homebrew.

You said, "Minimal exposure to air" but now we have clarity, it's splashed into the cube whilst hot to reintroduce air in your method.

I don't think that is the preferred method for No Chilling but ^ see my first statement

Ahhhhh, now I see where the wires crossed...... "Minimal exposure to air"
you thought air as in o2 in beer for yeast, and I was meaning air as in wild yeasts and bacteria.

splashing in the cube while it's hot makes more sense to me, it ensures that if any bacteria are floating around at the time of splashing, they are killed pretty quickly in the heat.

I have actually had someone put **** in my letterbox before, turned out it was some (other) angry neighbour seeking vengeance against our neighbour for letting their dog defecate outside their house. They got the house number/letterbox wrong.

Moral of story is - check first - they cleaned up our letterbox lovely in the end, i never knew there was metal underneath all the scum!

I wouldn't ferment in there mind, not without some sanitiser.

Was your cat ok?
if it was, it wasn't me.

 

[Malted]

I use two jerries in one fridge and don't have to worry about headspace because I run blow off tubes from them into a flask of cooled boiled water. If Krausen gets out, the water bath cools it's ardor before it attacks the fridge. I also have some alfoil over the top of the flask -a la BribieG's self top cropping.

 

[jacknohe]

I'm looking at doing this in the new year due to fridge realestate issues. I can use my bar fridge for fermenting with a 20L jerry can. I'm just wondering how you all add finings or polyclar (or both) and if you rack to another jerry can.

Normally I add finings first then polyclar a few days later. I have racked in the past and got a little lazy and did it all in the primary but with a barrel fermenter I can take the lid off and pour the finings/polyclar reasonably evenly then give it a very gentle stir around the top two inches to even it up and let gravity and cold do the rest.

Not sure with a jerry can though. Is it enough to just pour finings/polyclar through the hole or will I have to gently rock the jerry can to get an even spread (risking oxidation)?

 

[argon]

if you put the finings in as a hot solution the two solutions will stratify, where the hot liquid will rise to the top, spread over the entire layer of the beer, then cool and fall through the beer pretty evenly.

 

[loikar]

I'm looking at doing this in the new year due to fridge realestate issues. I can use my bar fridge for fermenting with a 20L jerry can. I'm just wondering how you all add finings or polyclar (or both) and if you rack to another jerry can.

Normally I add finings first then polyclar a few days later. I have racked in the past and got a little lazy and did it all in the primary but with a barrel fermenter I can take the lid off and pour the finings/polyclar reasonably evenly then give it a very gentle stir around the top two inches to even it up and let gravity and cold do the rest.

Not sure with a jerry can though. Is it enough to just pour finings/polyclar through the hole or will I have to gently rock the jerry can to get an even spread (risking oxidation)?

Do what you've always done.
you'll just be pouring it in a smaller hole.
give it a rock if you want. or rotate the entire cube to mix it up and let the yeast settle again.

oxidation?, it's not going to happen mate, not without you putting a shitload of effort trying to make it happen at least.

BF

 

[loikar]

if you put the finings in as a hot solution the two solutions will stratify, where the hot liquid will rise to the top, spread over the entire layer of the beer, then cool and fall through the beer pretty evenly.

Yeah, maybe if it's a considerable amount
but 300ml of hot solution in 23L, im thinking wont maintain it's heat long enough to 'stratify'

 

[iralosavic]

Reading through contemplating the use of a cube, but I wonder:

Can't you just feed from your boil vessle directly into your round plastic fermenter, seal her up and pop her in the fridge until it reaches pitching temp?