No Chill Cube

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Im pretty sure ive eaten much much worse probably even bird shit for all i know as a toddler playing in the dirt than a cube of pasteurised wort. This article is nothing but a witch hunting campaign by a writer who is short of stories. Take meat for example. The recommended internal temperature of a lump of roasted meat is somewhere in the vicinity of 70 to 80 degrees depending on how cooked it is. Hot wort in a cube is usually above these temperatures. That guy does not know what hes talking about in my opinion. Botulism is not an issue if the temo
 
Read like this bloke is trying to knock out a few competitors, as to increase his chance of winning

Will agree with the meat temps and luwak coffee comes from an animal bum, and we still drink it, a clean cube (not one diesel oil was stored in) with boiling wort in it Would make for a unfriendly environment for nasties.
 
Ok so on tap sealing,seems like my plastic Icon jerry can is a touch big/flexible in the thread.

Do people plaster them up with thread tape?
 
i don't have taps on my cubes just bungs.
had one tap pop out when bumped and spilled hot wort every where.
 
Adr_0 said:
Ok so on tap sealing,seems like my plastic Icon jerry can is a touch big/flexible in the thread.
Do people plaster them up with thread tape?
Have done. Efficacy isn't amazing. I do have taps on my cubes because I also ferment in them. Careful not to knock or overtighten and apples be her.
 
i ferment in the cube so a tap is necessary. just be careful till it cools down and youll be right.
 
Didn't want to start a new thread. So asking here.

For those who ferment in a cube, do you just leave the screw top cap on? Or do you change it for something else that allows Co2 out?

Cheers
Chris
 
I'd imagine just loosening the lid a bit would suffice. That's what I do with my FV; I used to use the airlock and tighten the lid but the grommet perished so I just put tape over the hole and left the lid a bit loose. Has worked perfectly fine.
 
How do you stop air getting back in?

I've always gone no=chill in the fermenter and then rack off he fermented beer from the break when done.

I want to properly cube, and be a man.

I've done the knees to the wall, wort to the ball thing but it always expands back to 'normal' size with the air in the top. I just then ferment in the cube.

But I would rather be able to store some cubes.
 
Haven't got around to fermenting in the cube but i rigged up one of these from Grain and Grape with some nylon hose to use as a blow off tube.

1481589316082.jpg
 
nosco said:
Haven't got around to fermenting in the cube but i rigged up one of these from Grain and Grape with some nylon hose to use as a blow off tube.
I can see this being left in the wrong position and being a 'blow up cube' opposed to a blow off tube
 
Lord Raja Goomba I said:
How do you stop air getting back in?

I've always gone no=chill in the fermenter and then rack off he fermented beer from the break when done.

I want to properly cube, and be a man.

I've done the knees to the wall, wort to the ball thing but it always expands back to 'normal' size with the air in the top. I just then ferment in the cube.

But I would rather be able to store some cubes.
Easy, squeeze the air out with the knee in the side of the cube then screw the lid on tight at the same time, while the wort is at the brim of the cube opening.
 
Rocker1986 said:
Easy, squeeze the air out with the knee in the side of the cube then screw the lid on tight at the same time, while the wort is at the brim of the cube opening.
I've done that and screwed on tight but always seen the cube suck in a little air later as it expands back to square shape.
 
A guy on the Coopers forum, King Ruddagar has the Youtube channel called Fastbrew. I'm pretty sure I watched him get a good air squeeze on using a ratchet style tie down strap to great effect though it might have been there for keeping the doona on during mashing, can't remember.
I keep meaning to pick one up but keep forgetting until brewday comes around again and I find myself doing the foot to cube to wall shuffle/squeeze. And I still end up with air in the handle.
You could probably even add some leverage to the ratchet arm for some distance from the hot liquid, and to make it easier too. Prior to squeeze it might even extra as an incremental raiser of the BIAB bag.
 
Lord Raja Goomba I said:
I've done that and screwed on tight but always seen the cube suck in a little air later as it expands back to square shape.
That shouldn't happen. You should be able to store a cube for months, then when you open the lid that is when it expands back out.
 
Looks like air is getting back in somewhere. Aside from a cube infection (which I recently encountered), there should be no reason for your cube to gain air.
Check the bung and the lid seal, the only two points of entry.
After the cube expands and bloats with the hot wort you'd then expect it to expel any remaining air while cooling to accommodate the contraction of the cube. Or do I have this the wrong way around?
 
Cube lid seals can be problematic after first use. Not all, but defo some.

To get all air out, you want to fill the cube until the wort is pretty much to the top of the entrance.

Then get a towel or something so it doesnt burn you, stand over it, put lid on almost tight, tip it back so the lid is highest, squeeze with 'ze knees' to get all air out, and tighten. Dont need to tighten too hard, as it can result in poor seal from that point on.

Youl get almost all air out, just a tiny bit remaining. This will get absorbed back into the wort as it cools. I find they dont noticable contract, although I dont doubt the 4% off contraction calc.
 
Thanks for all the details around using a cube/keeping air out etc.

But, what if I'm adding the wort to the cube, once it's cooled, is there any issue with there being some air in the cube? Up until now I have added my wort (ambient temp/cooled) to my 30 litre ferment and have only usually filled it 22-22 ltrs. And I've had all that head space/dead space.
 

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