Stating whether chill or nochill in recipes

[ekul]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading through a lot of recipes in the last week looking for a nice imperial IPA to make. I'm finding it really difficult to work out whether people are nochilling or chilling as it is rarely mentioned. It would be really helpful if people would put this into their recipes somewhere.

I was also thinking it would be helpful if there was an option in the recipe database to say whether people are chilling or nochilling.

what does everyone think?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

As no chill has an affect on the final bittering then i would say yes

 

[danestead]

I agree.

When I was brewing the recipe database recipes I used to have the same problem. Reading through the recipe discussion usually helps and you tend to get to know which user uses which technique etc after a while. Also, having some knowledge of styles can be a bit of help because you get to know when in the boil hop additions are generally done.

 

[technobabble66]

Definitely important info on any recipe in the AHB forum.
Given how many of us No Chill and the huge difference late additions can make if no chilling, it should mandatory for all posted recipes, & needs a checkbox in the new recipe DB.
2c

 

[danestead]

Only problem is some people chuck their cube in the pool, in the ferment fridge and some probably just let it cool in the ambient air. That is going to make a difference to IBUs extracted from late additions and the flavour/aroma extracted.

 

[stm]

I think not very useful by itself. There are so many variations to chilling (eg do you let sit for 20 minutes then whirlpool then chill, or chill immediately then whirlpool etc, as well as no-chilling (let sit, whirlpool etc), then a simple chill or no-chill doesn't add much. Basically you crucially need to know your target IBUs and then work back from there based on your own equipment and process.

 

[danestead]

Yep as above I agree.

I have often sent a PM the the designer of the recipe to ask them questions about their process etc. I think that is the best way to go about it.

 

[TheWiggman]

Only problem is some people chuck their cube in the pool, in the ferment fridge and some probably just let it cool in the ambient air. That is going to make a difference to IBUs extracted from late additions and the flavour/aroma extracted.

I think that's the point though Danestead. If you upfront say the additions are no-chill, then it's much easier to make sense of the additions because that will have a bigger impact than putting a cube in the pool. This would be akin to someone cooling using tap water at Falls Creek vs. Cairns mid summer.
If no chill recipe said -

25g Goldings @ 50
10g Fuggles @ 10
10/25 Fuggles/EKG @ 0 min

...then a no-chiller can be confident he/she would follow that*. A chiller might consider dropping each addition back 15 mins or upping an earlier addition to acheive the same bitterness*.

Should also add an 'In cube' timing for hop additions (alongside boil, dry etc.).

Ed: *as a starting point, each system is different

 

[Beerandpies]

I am pretty new to biab, and took advice of a 3v brewer and he said that because i use a hop sock in my boil (not dropping pellets straight in) that there would be little effect on bitterness by using the no-chill method. Is this correct?

 

[danestead]

I am pretty new to biab, and took advice of a 3v brewer and he said that because i use a hop sock in my boil (not dropping pellets straight in) that there would be little effect on bitterness by using the no-chill method. Is this correct?

As you are removing the hops at the end of the boil, yes I believe there would be a lesser effect.

 

[Bribie G]

Also there are a number of brewers who use the "Argon Method" where the bittering hops only are used in the boil, some wort is removed and put to one side and the aroma hops are given their ten minute / flamout boil the next day then added to the cubed wort that has cooled overnight.

So the aroma hops "bypass" the main boil. After an hour of the main boil it's unlikely that any further isomerisation of the bittering addition will take place, so a no-chilled "Argon method" beer should have very similar profile to a chilled brew.

 

[Alex.Tas]

I am pretty new to biab, and took advice of a 3v brewer and he said that because i use a hop sock in my boil (not dropping pellets straight in) that there would be little effect on bitterness by using the no-chill method. Is this correct?

I would disagree with this advice, as from what i have read the hop oils are dissolved from the pellet/flower relatively quickly. Therefore even after you remove the actual hop matter the oils remain in the wort and can continue to isomerise in the cube (increasing the bitterness).