Not sure how manticle did the experiment but i was under the impression he doesnt make time changes for no chill ?
No I don't. That's a separate experiment to see if you can compensate with NC to get same/simialr to chilled.
Mine was simply to compare the difference, as a no chiller, of a known beer and known recipe when chilled.
I don't make adjustments because I design all my own recipes and I no chill - therefore I design my recipes based around that method. No need to adjust anything - just to get a taste for what works to my palate.
My experiment took a beer that I make regularly that involves a lot of late hopping. I brewed a double batch on a friend's system, ran one lot off to no chill and one through a plate chiller. I can't remember now which one was run off first - the NC one to make sure it was still hot enough or the chilled one to make sure it got all the advantages of chilling.
Anyway both were fermented with same date packets of neutral yeast (05) - the chilled one same day (obviously) and the NC one next day. Same ferment conditions, both cold conditioned, both dry hopped at 1g/L with the same hops that appeared in the brewing, equal amounts of all hops. Neither yeasts were rehydrated, bot brews were fermented with cold break (NC one in the cube, no transfer, chilled got CB becuase it was a plate chiller).
While I did it mainly for myself to see what I thought, I got 3 other brewers to taste it, then took it to my brew club where a few others tasted it.
I think MXD was actually one of the few to pick the NC one straight up. Strangely enough, the first three brewers mentioned and at least one or two from the brew club, picked the NC as being more aromatic.
The chilled had a more distinct flavour hop profile (and actually showed some elements of one hop I didn't like which weren't in the NC version) and was definitely less bitter. I actually found it too sweet and out of balance and if chilling would change the recipe (probably by dropping the crystal and munich amounts, rather than by changing the hops). I know at least one other I gave two bottles to preferred the chilled and found the NC a tad too bitter.
Anyway mine was interesting but far from conclusive, except to say that yes there is a difference and yes NC will definitely give more bitterness in beers with late additions. Preference can still fall on either side and there would no doubt have been variables in my trial that I didn't control.
I have become interested in purchasing a plate chiller for use with some beers, when I feel like it but I'm not likely to give up NC completely and I'm not likely to start trying to compensate my NC beers by screwing with the addition times unless for the purpose trying an experiement precisely to determine that difference.
I think good on Don for having a crack - these experiments are a great way to learn about beer and different methods.
