Users Of The "no Chiller Method"

[user 1153]

I'm interested to know how others store their cubes while not in use.

I just leave them sitting there with the lids on clean but not sterilised. They are totally dried first before the lid is put on.

I don't bother with the sterilisation until the time just before I am planning to use them.

 

[PostModern]

I'm with Stuster. Store empty and dry.

 

[SJW]

Is cube-hopping the current agreed best solution?

It's my solution anyway

 

[SJW]

I just leave them sitting there with the lids on clean but not sterilised. They are totally dried first before the lid is put on.

I don't bother with the sterilisation until the time just before I am planning to use them.

Thats what I do.

 

[craig maher]

I'm with Stuster. Store empty and dry.

Me 3 - Dry and empty here too :beer:

 

[rehnton]

Thats what I do.

how long do you guys use your cubes for?
mine develop a nasty discoloration in a couple of brews

 

[PostModern]

how long do you guys use your cubes for?
mine develop a nasty discoloration in a couple of brews

What sort of cubes do you use? I use a 20L version of the 17L ones NNL use. Same material (food grade HDPE) as ndbrewing's ones as well, tho those are a different shape. I've put quite a few brews through a couple of my containers and they're nothing but white. I do use PSR and napisan to clean them, so maybe they're well bleached?

 

[Hutch]

how long do you guys use your cubes for?
mine develop a nasty discoloration in a couple of brews

This is where the Nappy-San / Sodium Percarbonate comes in handy.
After emptying the wort from the cube, it's normally stained a very dirty off-white colour. Boiling water and a teaspoon of sodium Percarbonate fizzes like mad. Shake the crap out of it for a few minutes, poor out the dirty liquid, rinse with a little more boiling water and you're left with a spotless cube.

Discovering Sodium Percarbonate and acid sanitiser have been the most important improvements to my brewery!

 

[SJW]

This is where the Nappy-San / Sodium Percarbonate comes in handy.
After emptying the wort from the cube, it's normally stained a very dirty off-white colour. Boiling water and a teaspoon of sodium Percarbonate fizzes like mad. Shake the crap out of it for a few minutes, poor out the dirty liquid, rinse with a little more boiling water and you're left with a spotless cube.

Discovering Sodium Percarbonate and acid sanitiser have been the most important improvements to my brewery!

I am hearing ya. Nice point about the boiling water with the Sodium Per. I was talking to the boss of the chemical company where I got my Sodium Per from and he said that you need to mix with at least 60 deg C water to activate. And in his opinion it was far better than Iodophor for sanatisation aswell. The only down side that I find is you need to rinse and there you have a opotunity for contamination compared with Iodophor that is no rinse. And IMO Sodium Per would be a lot safer to use than PSR. Even though I dont know whats in PSR the fumes it gives off indicate that it aint good.

Steve

 

[PostModern]

I am hearing ya. Nice point about the boiling water with the Sodium Per. I was talking to the boss of the chemical company where I got my Sodium Per from and he said that you need to mix with at least 60 deg C water to activate. And in his opinion it was far better than Iodophor for sanatisation aswell. The only down side that I find is you need to rinse and there you have a opotunity for contamination compared with Iodophor that is no rinse. And IMO Sodium Per would be a lot safer to use than PSR. Even though I dont know whats in PSR the fumes it gives off indicate that it aint good.

Steve

PSR is a chlorine based cleaner. The fumes are chlorine gas. I use it every couple of batches just to shake things up for the lurking botulism spores.

I'll have to try the napisan with hot water next time. I usually have the cube partially filled with cold before my taps run hot, so probably only about 45-50C when I add the percarbonate. My hot tap was 67 last time I measured, so it should be enough to "activate" the percarbonate.

 

[SJW]

I'll have to try the napisan with hot water next time. I usually have the cube partially filled with cold before my taps run hot, so probably only about 45-50C when I add the percarbonate. My hot tap was 67 last time I measured, so it should be enough to "activate" the percarbonate.

Should be OK. I noticed that the Napi-san products are a lot soapier than the pure Sodium Per and need a lot more rinsing. But a lot of blokes use it and it must be fine. Just do a test with a tes spoon of napi-san in a glass and add the hot water. If it fizzes up like mad then I would say its working. I did the same with Sod. Per. and boiling water and it almost exploded. 100% foam everywhere.

 

[wambesi]

So where is the best way to get some cubes that are food grade?
I am starting to aquire items needed for my first AG brew in Dec hols and know you can get some at Bunnings, but are these good enough quality/size/food grade?

Local areas to me are Epping/Greensborough in Melb. Thanks guys.

 

[therook]

So where is the best way to get some cubes that are food grade?
I am starting to aquire items needed for my first AG brew in Dec hols and know you can get some at Bunnings, but are these good enough quality/size/food grade?

Local areas to me are Epping/Greensborough in Melb. Thanks guys.

Try Bunnings in Epping...In the camping area.

or

Wait until the next rays outdoors sale over in preston

Rook

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Try Bunnings in Epping...In the camping area.

or

Wait until the next rays outdoors sale over in preston

Rook

or

If you like blue Willow jerries, SuperCheapAuto.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

To get the Sodium Percarbonate happening, I boil the kettle (the one I use to make tea and instant coffee) and pour a bit of that into the cube on top of it. I figure that I don't have to have a huge quantity of liquid in there if I give it a good shake and get it bloated from the steam...

 

[rehnton]

What sort of cubes do you use? I use a 20L version of the 17L ones NNL use. Same material (food grade HDPE) as ndbrewing's ones as well, tho those are a different shape. I've put quite a few brews through a couple of my containers and they're nothing but white. I do use PSR and napisan to clean them, so maybe they're well bleached?

i use the blue food grade 20L water containers from Super Cheap Auto or Kmart. About $20 a go. I clean with bleach but it makes no difference to discoloration....investment in napi san maybe on cards!

but still......do you guys have a rule of thumb re: replacement of cask. i have one that ive been using for 4 months of so; starting to think that its due for recycling

 

[PostModern]

i use the blue food grade 20L water containers from Super Cheap Auto or Kmart. About $20 a go. I clean with bleach but it makes no difference to discoloration....investment in napi san maybe on cards!

but still......do you guys have a rule of thumb re: replacement of cask. i have one that ive been using for 4 months of so; starting to think that its due for recycling

I have one I've been using all of this year (purchased from Cospak for those interested). Might be time to retire it to a cold conditioning cube and get some fresh ones for no-chill, just in case Darren is right.

 

[braufrau]

I have one I've been using all of this year (purchased from Cospak for those interested). Might be time to retire it to a cold conditioning cube and get some fresh ones for no-chill, just in case Darren is right.

According to the links I posted, to inhibit the growth of botulism required only 1ppm of hop oil.
The report here say that its the beta acids which are the important component in preservation.

An IBU is a part per million of just the alpha acids.
An average sort of ale of 25 IBUs, would have 25ppm of alpha acids alone.
Assuming the other components are extracted proportionally, the beer contains more than 25 times the oil required to kill botulism .

Botulism is not a problem unless you are making unhopped beers.

 

[Hutch]

i use the blue food grade 20L water containers from Super Cheap Auto or Kmart. About $20 a go. I clean with bleach but it makes no difference to discoloration....investment in napi san maybe on cards!

but still......do you guys have a rule of thumb re: replacement of cask. i have one that ive been using for 4 months of so; starting to think that its due for recycling

Not that there's anything wrong with buying new cubes for $20, but I prefer to buy fresh wort cubes from G&G for $35, and get a fan-f-tastic 20Ltrs of beer from the proceeds :lol:
These are 17Ltrs capacity, which suits my AG brewing perfectly, as I try to aim for 17Ltrs post-boil.
I've started to accumulate quite a few of these cubes, more than I need in fact (if anyone in the Melbourne area is interested in a free cube or 2 and you're willing to pick them up, PM me).

Hutch.

 

[PostModern]

According to the links I posted, to inhibit the growth of botulism required only 1ppm of hop oil.
The report here say that its the beta acids which are the important component in preservation.

An IBU is a part per million of just the alpha acids.
An average sort of ale of 25 IBUs, would have 25ppm of alpha acids alone.
Assuming the other components are extracted proportionally, the beer contains more than 25 times the oil required to kill botulism .

Botulism is not a problem unless you are making unhopped beers.

Well, I'm sold. Again