No Chill Questions

[dr K]

A number of points:
First off a big thank you to those who responded to my questions.
Second as I (thought) made clear was not trawling or hiding under bridges, goodness me my personal thoughts on NC stand out like dogs balls.
But they are my views and often my beeers are more poor than poured.
NC is clearly popular, and certainly held by many to be the true path ( as my previous thread, which started as an extollation of NC virtues whilst at the same time questiong its econonmic benefits shows)
NC , like boiling and fast chilling and late hopping is a legitimate process, it is used by many and many good beers result, which is good, but and here is the point of my investigation, it seems fairly wide ranging in its techniques and definitions, thus my questions.
In the history of brewing FC is actually quite new, in fact, as we know, Lambic Brewers still use coolships and natural cooling, and if the bottle of Cantillion I drank with about a kilo of mussels last night is any indication, they do a fine job!
Again, thank you, I will crunch the (admittedly small) sample and report back.

K

 

[bum]

here is the point of my investigation, it seems fairly wide ranging in its techniques and definitions, thus my questions.
...
I will crunch the (admittedly small) sample and report back.

Can you define AG next?

 

[raven19]

Do you NC and store for days/weeks/months and use when ready to ferment?

Varies from 24 hrs to 6months+ till yeast is pitched (generally within a month for me though)

If you do store do you store at room/cellar temp or refridgerate?

Shed temps. Varies from 8 - 30 depending on the season!

If you NC to use that day or the say day after do you:

Cool naturally.

do you leave the wort on the trub etc or transfer before pitching thus both oxygenating and clearing your beer.

I don't chill however try to get my cube and yeast starter/slurry to the same temp (i.e. pitching temp) which may including fridging both cube and starter prior to pitching.

I do aerate my wort with pump and air filter & SS airstone. I dump the whole cube, break and all into the fermentor with the yeast.

 

[raven19]

In the history of brewing FC is actually quite new, in fact, as we know, Lambic Brewers still use coolships and natural cooling, and if the bottle of Cantillion I drank with about a kilo of mussels last night is any indication, they do a fine job!

Mmmm love a good Cantillion. Wishing you well on your NC research (and possible endevours into NC)

 

[Thirsty Boy]

First off this is not a fish nor a trawl or even a troll, nor is it an invitation to defrost issues that long ago went off the boil.
A lot of brewers no-chill, I do not ask why but I do ask:
Do you NC and store for days/weeks/months and use when ready to ferment? yes, often store for long periods up to months. Ferment when convenient. except - if i have added hops to the NC cube, i feel that long contact with the cooked vege matter might make for bad tastes, so if there are hops in there, I try to ferment asap.
If you do store do you store at room/cellar temp or refridgerate? as cool as i can, fridge if there is room, coolest room in the house otherwise. If its going to be filthy hot... I make room in the fridge. and always away from direct light.
If you NC to use that day or the say day after do you:
Let it cool naturally to room temp then pitch and let go
Let it cool naturally to room temp the pitch then place in your temp contrlled fermenting fridge
Place the cube (after its cooled to room temp) in a temp controlled fermenting fridge and pitch when temps are stabilised.This one mostly, although nearly as often the next option
or..do you place the cube straight away (after its already cooled to room temp, not when hot) in a 1C fridge to get big cold break then store or pitch at the optimum temp for the yeast you are using and if you do do this do you leave the wort on the trub etc or transfer before pitching thus both oxygenating and claering your beer. I like to get the wort nice and cold, then let some air into the cube and shake it for oxygenation. being cold it soaks up more Oxygen. Then as the wort heats up to the temp I actually want to pitch at, I know its always holding a super saturation of oxygen. I'm very fussy with transfer from kettle to cube, so there is no trub but cold break in the cube; and I'm not german enough to be concerned about cold break - it all goes in. If i have deliberatley added hops to the cube, they are strained out when i tranfer to fermenter. I prefer a cold pitch, so I'm targeting temps 1-2 below my intended main fermentation temperature.
Comments will be appreciated.

K

 

[Thirsty Boy]

A number of points:
First off a big thank you to those who responded to my questions.
Second as I (thought) made clear was not trawling or hiding under bridges, goodness me my personal thoughts on NC stand out like dogs balls.
But they are my views and often my beeers are more poor than poured.
NC is clearly popular, and certainly held by many to be the true path ( as my previous thread, which started as an extollation of NC virtues whilst at the same time questiong its econonmic benefits shows)
NC , like boiling and fast chilling and late hopping is a legitimate process, it is used by many and many good beers result, which is good, but and here is the point of my investigation, it seems fairly wide ranging in its techniques and definitions, thus my questions.
In the history of brewing FC is actually quite new, in fact, as we know, Lambic Brewers still use coolships and natural cooling, and if the bottle of Cantillion I drank with about a kilo of mussels last night is any indication, they do a fine job!
Again, thank you, I will crunch the (admittedly small) sample and report back.

K

there are certainly lots of NC variations - far more than you've specifically asked about. Mostly you have stuck within the general realm of "standard" no-chill. pretty much as defined in the article on how to use a no-chill cube that exists in the AHB wikki http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=56

Because i rarely see anyone much arguing about the rightness of that article. I always consider it to be the "defenition" of no-chill. The "standard technique" from whence all the variations sprung. Thus when someone says "i no-chill" and offers no qualifications at all, i simply assume they are doing it basically as per the article. so, i mildy dispute that NC has wide ranging definitions - it pretty much has a single one - but the variants often dont refer to it. it would make life easier for someone trying to get to grips with the whole notion if they did.

once you've crunched on the answers from the people who beleive in the standard model.... you should start to have a wee look at the heretics out there who "no-chill" in their fermenters and their kettles, who throw sealed up cubes in the dam or the snow, who re-open their cubes at certain temperatures to make arcane hop additions..... whackos who's fundamental grasp of the universe is flawed, because they dont brew like me

have fun K

TB

 

[black_labb]

First off this is not a fish nor a trawl or even a troll, nor is it an invitation to defrost issues that long ago went off the boil.
A lot of brewers no-chill, I do not ask why but I do ask:
Do you NC and store for days/weeks/months and use when ready to ferment?
My cubes are pitched anywhere from a day to a month later depending on my available fermentors and state of my yeast starters. I'll often try to line up a number of beers that use the same yeast and top crop from one to the next, though this doesn't usually go too far as I only have 3 fermentors and 4th dedicated to bulk priming.

If you do store do you store at room/cellar temp or refridgerate?

I have a under house storage area that is partially regulated by the ground temps (the house is built on a hill). during the summer the temp is between 20 and 24*c (though it takes a number of hot days in a row to get towards the 24*) and roughly 14-17*c in the winter.

If you NC to use that day or the say day after do you:
Let it cool naturally to room temp then pitch and let go
Let it cool naturally to room temp the pitch then place in your temp contrlled fermenting fridge
Place the cube in a temp controlled fermenting fridge and pitch when temps are stabilised.
or..do you place the cube straight away in a 1C fridge to get big cold break then store or pitch at the optimum temp for the yeast you are using and if you do do this do you leave the wort on the trub etc or transfer before pitching thus both oxygenating and claering your beer.
Comments will be appreciated.

I usually brew in the afternoon or night and will not pitch before the next evening. I have cooled the cube before pitching to help with aeration. I'd suggest that "place the cube straight away in a 1C fridge to get big cold break" is pretty inaccurate. A fridge is not able to remove heat as quickly from 22L of 75*c + as it is insulated from the outside and 22L of hot wort has alot of thermal inertia; it would heat the fridge up quicky. A fan would be quicker at removing heat from the cube until it starts to approach air temperature. I'd also suggest that the cold break that forms over time is the same wether it is cooled quickly or slowly if enough time is given for the more slowly cooled beer. I do understand that you disagree and don't really want to start argueing on the subject.

 

[d3vour3r]

my last NC went like this:

Pour hot wort into from urn, left on side to pasturize and kill any bugs in handle and lid for 30mins- 1 hour.

stored in my room for 2 weeks. didnt get over ~25 deg as i have A/C.

poured into FV from hieght to areate as much as possible, wort was around 25 deg. put into fridge (a dead fridge with 1-2 froze 3L bottles) to ferement around 18-20deg.

currently 5 days into ferment. no signs of infection. wort is fermenting nicely with that nice smell. beer will be a JSGA clone (drsmurtos).

TBH NCing is a simple no brainer. only problem is adjusting hop schedule to counteract the extra bitterness. i plan on dry hopping my flameout additions. Ive tasted the SG sample and it has plenty of flavour/bitterness and a bit of aroma, which will increase after dry hop.

 

[argon]

Do you NC and store for days/weeks/months and use when ready to ferment? all of the above, most commonly within a week. Have had one for 18months.
If you do store do you store at room/cellar temp or refridgerate? at ambient ranging from 14C to 35C
If you NC to use that day or the say day after do you:
- Let it cool naturally to room temp then pitch and let go No
- Let it cool naturally to room temp the pitch then place in your temp contrlled fermenting fridge No
- Place the cube in a temp controlled fermenting fridge and pitch when temps are stabilised. This
- or..do you place the cube straight away in a 1C fridge to get big cold break then store or pitch at the optimum temp for the yeast you are using and if you do do this do you leave the wort on the trub etc or transfer before pitching thus both oxygenating and claering your beer. No

Have also been known to do this;
Late Hopping And No Chilling Guide