No Chiller Method Disasters and Successes

[domonsura]

Do you sell Fresh Wort Kits ?

NOPE. I sell grain. I encourage people to HTFU and make their own wort ....

Fester - that's exactly my point - just because there are malt and hops in there to disguise the taint, doesn't mean it isn't there anymore. Just that our taste buds can no longer differentiate between the malt/hops and taint.

Jimmyjack - Glad you enjoy being a minion of satan..........I used to be one as well.....but then I've done a few things I'm not proud of....


And some of you are STILL missing the one little point I was making, whilst you repeatedly ask if I ferment in glass, stainless or (god forbid?) plastic, as if it's the same thing....

HOT wort into plastic is what I think is dodgy. Not fermenting in plastic. And for the record, if I could afford to replace all of my fermenter vessels with glass or stainless, it would happen so fast the wifes head would spin. Of all the home breweries I have visited over the last couple of years,
I reckon only 50% of the people who have been no-chilling have actually been using HDPE containers. The rest (who shall remain nameless) have been using various nasty cheap rubbish containers, which is why I asked the question, because quite clearly not everyone uses containers made from material appropriate for food or the temperatures.

I DO NOT have a problem with no-chill, as I have already said. No chill is a cool thing that I'd probably do if I didn't have a chiller. But I'd probably score a stainless container for it....

 

[SJW]

QUOTE(SJW @ Oct 20 2007, 10:38 AM)
I dont know what went wrong. I think TL might of hit the nail on the head as (I hate to admit it) it was a pool no chiller.


I think it might have been me.

Sorry Bud, I was in a bit of a state. I got my PM's and TL's mixed up.
I still dont know boys. As I said I have done a lot of No Chiller brews with no probs, even when dumping in the pool. The only diff with this one was that I left it in the kettle for about 30min, then put in the pool (in the sun). Also the bit of PVC tube is geting pretty old and cruddy now and I dont iodophor it.
Also I think the other brew I did that day, the Duvel clone for the case swap is infected too. It went off like a bomb with a big starter of slurry from a previous Belgian strong but it has a bit of a funky taste to and after 7 days the gravity has stopped at 1030, and this is the Wyeast Belgian Strong.
So unless the boys in the swap can deal with a mix of 2 or 3 brewsto make up my 28 for the swap I might need to pull the pin. But thats another thread.
Not happy.
I guess I started this thread to find out if anyone else has had a similar experience. :angry:

Steve

 

[crozdog]

No chill is a cool thing that I'd probably do if I didn't have a chiller. But I'd probably score a stainless container for it....

but how do you squeeze the sides in to expell the air in the headspace? B) h34r:

 

[Doc]

As per another topic, I had one swell up about 12 NC's ago. It had prev been stored for 2 months before going bad. That batch was 2 NC cubes and the second one is still sitting waiting to be fermented.

I had another start to go about 2 months ago. I noticed one night that it had a little headspace in the cube. I'd just kegged its sister cube, so opened and pitched on the cake. It smelt and looked fine. It fermented normally and tastes great.

So out of ~40 brews this year of which 90% have been NC, and the majority (2 x 15 litre cubes), I have had only one go bad, and that was probably due to lack of care between rinsing and filling.

Doc

 

[user 1153]

I'm impressed you guys store your NC cubes for so long.

I use the NC method but I drop straight to my fermenter and never leave it longer than overnight before pitching. (A night in Canberra is enough to drop the temperature to the mid 20's at the most).

I think SJW worked it out himself when he said he transfers with a bit of PVC tube that he never sanitises before use. It is most likely that you were unlucky enough that on this occassion something wrong went through the tube with the wort and survived the high temps.

PS: Domonsura, your esky SS false bottom is the best bit of kit I have put into my setup to date. I am so happy with it. Cheers man.

 

[warrenlw63]

Yeah I must confess that any longer than a week max in a cube scares the daylights out of me.

I usually leave them no longer than 2 days.

I don't see N/C as a new and inventive way of compiling long-term unfermented beer stocks for a nuclear war. I view it totally as a method of saving water.

Warren -

 

[SJW]

I think SJW worked it out himself when he said he transfers with a bit of PVC tube that he never sanitises before use. It is most likely that you were unlucky enough that on this occassion something wrong went through the tube with the wort and survived the high temps.

Yep I think this and the fact that the wort was at a lower temp prior transfer + the pool thing all adds up to INFECTION. As I am sure that the sodium per. wash + Iodophor rinse had the cube in good shape.
Dont care about the grain so much just the time wasted is a killer. And the hops.

Anyway, lifes tough.

Steve

 

[Cortez The Killer]

I'm no no-chill veteran (10 batches) but I haven't had any infections

The longest I've had wort in the cube is a bit over 2 weeks

After using a cube - i give it a good rinse clean with bleach

And then leave a fairly strong bleach + water solution in the cube whilst not in use. I seal the cube and leave it closed up until its next use.

During this time I'll lay the cube on its various sides and upside down and give it a good shake occasionally when i pass it.

Come brew day I'll give it a good rinse with water and a blast with idophor.

I've read in another thread that NNL lay their cubes on their side so the handle has direct contact with the hot wort after filling.

I'll be giving this a go too when I do my next batch.

Cheers

 

[bindi]

Yeah I must confess that any longer than a week max in a cube scares the daylights out of me.

I usually leave them no longer than 2 days.

I don't see N/C as a new and inventive way of compiling long-term unfermented beer stocks for a nuclear war. I view it totally as a method of saving water.

Warren -

Ditto to that, only a couple of times has a NC cube gone past 48 hours before pitching the yeast, 40+ NC and not a drama.

Edit: Typos

 

[yardy]

I've read in another thread that NNL lay their cubes on their side so the handle has direct contact with the hot wort after filling.

i use the 25lt rectangular job, as its getting close to full i slowly tilt it back whilst still slowly transferring, meanwhile the handle etc is filling, when the wort just starts to overflow from the cube i shut off the tap from the kettle, rip the hose out of the cube and cap it.
no squeezing of the sides etc and the whole cube is full of wort.
gets a bit hot on the hand holding the cube but i weld for a living so.......

Cheers

 

[geoffi]

Yeah I must confess that any longer than a week max in a cube scares the daylights out of me.

I usually leave them no longer than 2 days.

I've had them hanging around as long as six weeks before pitching. The result? Some of the best beers I've ever brewed, IMHO. Not suggesting the wait had anything to do with the good outcome, but I don't think it caused any problems.

 

[Kingy]

Ditto to that, only a couple of times has a NC cube gone past 48 hours before pitching the yeast, 40+ NC and not a drama.

Edit: Typos

thats why i think my NC cube puffed up, as its the first cube ive left for a while (1 month) i usually pitch 3 days later.
In future ill be sticking to short term storage

 

[Duff]

thats why i think my NC cube puffed up, as its the first cube ive left for a while (1 month) i usually pitch 3 days later.
In future ill be sticking to short term storage

You must have sanitisation concerns then.

I've left NC cubes >6 months with no problems which have fermented out well.

Many HB shops have fresh wort sitting on the shop floor for longer than 1 month.

 

[Pumpy]

You must have sanitisation concerns then.

I've left NC cubes >6 months with no problems which have fermented out well.

Many HB shops have fresh wort sitting on the shop floor for longer than 1 month.

I agree with Duff,

well two month for me and everthing is Ok. a good quality cube or those blue water containers Big W are fine

anyone want to buy a copper chiller , $50

I will never go back to being a 'water waster '.

and all this clap trap from all the doubters 'Hoo Haar' that what I say .

Your not a real brewer unless you 'No Chill' these days.

Get out of the middle ages .

Embrace change

Pumpy h34r:

 

[Darren]

I agree with Duff,

well two month for me and everthing is Ok. a good quality cube or those blue water containers Big W are fine

anyone want to buy a copper chiller , $50


Get out of the middle ages .

Embrace change

Pumpy h34r:

Pumpy,

You have gone back to middle ages, where they realised that chilling was essential to make good beer

cheers

Darren

 

[Pumpy]

Pumpy,

You have gone back to middle ages, where they realised that chilling was essential to make good beer

cheers

Darren

Ok Darren Wins .

But please please no more

'No Chill' threads !!!!! :mellow:

 

[Screwtop]

Scanned through all of this conjecture, seems a waste of bandwidth really, 4,000 brewers 4,000 different opinions but when you bi-polarise an outcome like this (chill or no-chill) then what can you expect. Really who gives a ****.

So I believe another dimension should be added, who believes their brews should be circumcised, should we only circumcise no chill?

 

[bindi]

You must have sanitisation concerns then.

I've left NC cubes >6 months with no problems which have fermented out well.

Many HB shops have fresh wort sitting on the shop floor for longer than 1 month.

No sanitation [spelling!!] concerns here, I will do a long term test at some point, but can't wait to pitch the yeast [or waste water], or is it 'tempt the "Gods"'?

 

[Pumpy]

Scanned through all of this conjecture, seems a waste of bandwidth really, 4,000 brewers 4,000 different opinions but when you bi-polarise an outcome like this (chill or no-chill) then what can you expect. Really who gives a ****.

So I believe another dimension should be added, who believes their brews should be circumcised, should we only circumcise no chill?

I agree with Screwtop

Nip the tip of the bud


Pumpy

 

[Barge]

... who believes their brews should be circumcised... ?

But my efficiencies at 60% as it is