Warning To No Chillers

[Joshisgood]

Hey guys, had a bit of a **** up and thought I'd report it here so that anyone who reads this won't make the same mistake. I had a cube of a white rabbit dark ale clone which I brewed on Saturday, cube was filled right to the brim, plan was to ferment in the cube so a couple of nights ago I decided to pour 1.5 liters off to make a starter. Thought if I squeezed the air back out when done all would be well. Turns out I was wrong, I came home today to find the cube swollen right up with about 3 inches of headspace where there was none before and a nice krausen on top of the wort, I slowly opened the lid to let the pressure out and was greeted by a smell like rotten water and seaweed. Very upsetting stuff. So there it is, my sad story, I hope this stops someone from making the same stupid mistake I did. The end

Ps any opinions on the Cube? Should I throw it out or is there some hope for it yet?
Cheers

 

[NickB]

Chuck it, not good at all. Only ever had one do this, and it had sat around for 13 months hidden from view. There's a lesson here - keep your cubes sealed or risk the wrath of the wild yeast!

Cheers

 

[manticle]

If it smells like that, I wouldn't waste my time. Or you mean the cube itself?

Up to you. If I get infections, I usually just chuck as the heartbreak of getting a second one is..........well.....heartbreaking (and more expensive than a new cube).

However if you want to save it desparately because it's been your friend since you were 11, boil up HLT and fill the whole cube with boiling water and sodium percarbonate. Let sit for an hour, pour out solution, add unscented bleach and cover all surfaces. Rinse again with boiling water, empty, fill with sodium met solution, cover all surfaces, drain and let sit for 60 mins. Rinse with cool water (or more hot if you like), then starsan. Make sure you break apart the tap if there is one and get into the tap thread too.

Get your starter wort for NC from the left over stuff that doesn't make it in. Let it settle overnight, decant the clear wort, reboil and bob's your uncle.

Alternatively take some from the unhopped runnings while brewing and boil on the stove while you boil the main batch.

Did you pour off from the top or the tap?

I have previously made starters for cubes by pouring from the tap but I think my above two methods are much safer.

 

[brettprevans]

Hey guys, had a bit of a **** up and thought I'd report it here so that anyone who reads this won't make the same mistake. I had a cube of a white rabbit dark ale clone which I brewed on Saturday, cube was filled right to the brim, plan was to ferment in the cube so a couple of nights ago I decided to pour 1.5 liters off to make a starter. Thought if I squeezed the air back out when done all would be well. Turns out I was wrong, I came home today to find the cube swollen right up with about 3 inches of headspace where there was none before and a nice krausen on top of the wort, I slowly opened the lid to let the pressure out and was greeted by a smell like rotten water and seaweed. Very upsetting stuff. So there it is, my sad story, I hope this stops someone from making the same stupid mistake I did. The end

Ps any opinions on the Cube? Should I throw it out or is there some hope for it yet?
Cheers

Sorry but whats nochill got to do with it? U opened a container with wort, it got infected. U recon it wouldnt have got infected if it was chilled before u cubed it?

Now as fir ur cube, clean it properly and its fine. Would u throw a fermentor out after an infection?. Bleech, pbw, starsan and its fine

 

[QldKev]

I'd throw the cube too.

And yes, if I had an infection in a fermentor it would get the toss too; $16 for a Bunnings fermentor makes the decision easy.

 

[Joshisgood]

If it smells like that, I wouldn't waste my time. Or you mean the cube itself?

Up to you. If I get infections, I usually just chuck as the heartbreak of getting a second one is..........well.....heartbreaking (and more expensive than a new cube).

However if you want to save it desparately because it's been your friend since you were 11, boil up HLT and fill the whole cube with boiling water and sodium percarbonate. Let sit for an hour, pour out solution, add unscented bleach and cover all serfaces. Rinse again with boiling water, empty, fill with sodium met solution, cover all surfaces, drain and let sit for 60 mins. Rinse with cool water (or more hot if you like), then starsan. Make sure you break apart the tap if there is one and get into the tap thread too.

Get your starter wort for NC from the left over stuff that doesn't make it in. Let it settle overnight, decant the clear wort, reboil and bob's your uncle.

Alternatively take some from the unhopped runnings while brewing and boil on the stove while you boil the main batch.

Did you pour off from the top or the tap?

I have previously made starters for cubes by pouring from the tap but I think my above two methods are much safer.

Thanks mate, I did mean the cube I'll definately be throwing out the contents. I poured out of the top as this cube isn't yet tapped. Did the same last week with another cube but poured from the tap and it was ok but I probably won't risk this again after today

Sorry but whats nochill got to do with it? U opened a container with wort, it got infected. U recon it wouldnt have got infected if it was chilled before u cubed it?

Didn't mean it that way, I'm sure it would have been equally infected if the wort had been chilled, I just figured that no chillers would be the most likely bunch to have cubes of unfermented wort lying around and be tempted to do what i did. I do not blame no chill for what happened to me, I blame only myself.

 

[Camo1234]

Hey guys, had a bit of a **** up and thought I'd report it here so that anyone who reads this won't make the same mistake. I had a cube of a white rabbit dark ale clone which I brewed on Saturday, cube was filled right to the brim, plan was to ferment in the cube so a couple of nights ago I decided to pour 1.5 liters off to make a starter. Thought if I squeezed the air back out when done all would be well. Turns out I was wrong, I came home today to find the cube swollen right up with about 3 inches of headspace where there was none before and a nice krausen on top of the wort, I slowly opened the lid to let the pressure out and was greeted by a smell like rotten water and seaweed. Very upsetting stuff. So there it is, my sad story, I hope this stops someone from making the same stupid mistake I did. The end

Ps any opinions on the Cube? Should I throw it out or is there some hope for it yet?
Cheers

Slightly off topic but what is your recipe for the Dark Ale Clone? :icon_cheers:





Have you brewed it before or was this a maiden voyage?

 

[Joshisgood]

Slightly off topic but what is your recipe for the Dark Ale Clone? :icon_cheers:
Have you brewed it before or was this a maiden voyage?

it was to be my first time brewing it, I got the recipe from screwtop on the forums here. Wort smelled and tasted awesome before I fucked it up too. If you pm him I'm sure he'll send it to you.

 

[Tony]

bleach will fix it.

When i seal up a hot cube..... i tip it on the side the heat treat the lid as well, and stand it back up after 20 min.

I have been stung like this by not heat sealing the lid.

 

[dr K]

am I missing the point or is White Rabbit Dark Ale not open fermented?

 

[bum]

In some dude's garage and without yeast pitched? No, probably not.

 

[CONNOR BREWARE]

So will you let it run it's course for a few months? Go on you can always get another cube!

 

[Joshisgood]

bleach will fix it.

When i seal up a hot cube..... i tip it on the side the heat treat the lid as well, and stand it back up after 20 min.

I have been stung like this by not heat sealing the lid.

Cheers tony, I do always make sure to tip on sides after filling. How much bleach would you recommend to kill whatever's in ther? I've got the cube full of boiling water and sodium per carbonate now but might hit it with a bleach solution aswell

 

[hando]

If you can get podcasts, there are some really good podcasts called Brew Strong. They have one on Cleaning and one on Sanitation. From what those guys were saying, there is no point sanitising until the cleaning is done. If you're satisfied there is no gunk or dirt or whatever on the surface of the cube then you can sanitise. Sanitisation is acheived through contact time of the sanitiser on the surfaces. I don't think you have to go overboard using one sanitisation method then another, then another. Just make sure it's clean, then sanitise. :icon_cheers:

 

[Tony]

nice and strong..... about half a cup in a few liters. Take the seal out of the lid and put it in the cube with the bleach solution and put the lid on.

Give it a shake every 10 min for an hour or so and not much will live... trust me.

I have left cubes to go green and black with mould. A strong bleach solution and they are as good as new!

Oh..... rinse very well, and give it one final rinse with boiling water to make sure you get every last bit of the bleach out!

 

[sponge]

Definitely remove the lid seal for cleaning as tony mentioned above.

Don't use a sharp object to get it out though. just hit it against a towel on a bench (to not damage the bench) and it should pop out, or at least one side pop out and just get it out with a spoon or something similar...

Those things can hide all sorts of nasties.



Sponge

 

[Uncle Fester]

Also, I store the cube full of water with an aldi non scented dishwasher tablet in it.

keeps it as clean as a whistle. Also, the pasturisation effect of your next no-chill will pretty much sort out anything you may have missed with whatever option from above you choose.


Fester Out.

 

[Trippers]

Funny I had my cube of EPA that i brewed on Saturday do the same thing. I though she was gonna blow!!! Its the first one i've had do it in probably 50 cubes + Maybe there was some wild yeasts in the air on Saturday night :drinks: ANyway a good reminder to keep everything spotless. Maybe i got a bit lazy... Its so depressing tipping out beer. Oh well 1 cube left and 1 fermenting. Looks and smells awesome. Cheers
Trippers

 

[Dazza88]

i have a small crack on the tap receving thread of a 20l willow jerry. from overtightening the tap i am unsure if i should chuck it or keep no chilling in it.

what do you people think?

 

[Nick JD]

With nochilling in cubes, I'm pretty sure that 99% of swollen cubes happen like this:

1. Seal is lost on lid.

2. Air drawn in.

3. Dust in air contains microbes.

4. Microbes realise they have hit the microbial jackpot.

5. Swollen.

It has very little to do with something inside the cube surviving the "canning" process.