to chill or not to chill?

[mmaguy41]

Who here uses a wort chiller? I currently only boil using a 19l pot so i usually top up to 23l litres with ice which brings me to pitching temp, however im going to upgrade to a 33l boiler from the forum sponsors and wont be doing that anymore. So my question is to chill or not to chill?

 

[rich27500]

I don't and my beers are well received, get occasional chill haze but no off flavours.

 

[tazuk]

malt miller 60 plate chiller for me awsome piece of kit :thumb:

 

[artyb]

i fire it straight into a no chill cube [jerry can]

it can then be stored for a long while before fermenting...

 

[mmaguy41]

Hi rich i remembered you dont chill from the old speckled hen challenge, do you just leave the wort to cool in your boiler or transfer to fv and stick the lid on with airlock?

 

[Hollow Legs]

I use a chiller, must admit it adds quite a bit of time to the process and I still get chill haze?

Good luck

 

[rich27500]

Mmaguy41 I've tried both. When I rebuild the brewery and have more space I'm going to do the no chill cube thing. Right now I leave to cool in the boiler. That may be sacrilege to some but like many BIAB brewers I remain unconvinced about chilling on a 23l brew length. I suspect in commercial brewing its vital, especially in terms of getting on with fermentation. From my perspective there are lots of things more important than a wort chiller. Sanitation, good quality ingredients, steady mash temperature, strong boil, copper finings, the right yeast in good condition and fermenting temperature. Another addition for my rebuild will be a brew fridge. Until then I brew to natures schedule...it's lager season!

 

[oldjiver]

I let my brew settle in the boiler for about an hour, then rack off of the trub and hops into the FV. I let it cool naturally and it seems perfectly clear. After pitching the yeast I get a big wad of trub float to the surface after a while ?. I lift this out with a large sieve. I then stir, put on the FV lid and put the FV in a bin liner and tie the top. I know plastic allows air in but the carbon dioxide seems to come our faster than the air gets in. When fermentation has stopped I add finings and one day later rack into bottles. Yes I still get a chill haze but as I only brew bitter and Stout/Mild, I dont chill the bitter and the haze does'nt matter with the Stout!

 

[Good Ed]

There are a couple of reasons for cooling the wort quickly, which depending on the style you are brewing may affect the taste or not.

Firstly the rapid cooling helps those proteins left after the "hot break" to precipiate out forming the "cold break", these proteins are not affected by slow cooling.

Secondly, during the boil DMS (dimethyl sulphide) is produces but is constantly being driven off by the boil, with slow cooling DMS is still being produced in the hot wort but not being driven off. DMS can give you a cooked vegetable flavour. So by cooling the wort quickly, you want to get below 60C as quick as possible in at least 10 minutes, you are eliminating the possible off flavours. This is important when making lagers and also when using pilsner malt.

As regards getting a clear beer, good brewing practice and the use of Irish Moss or similar should achieve this.

 

[graysalchemy]

The sooner the yeast goes in the better as it means no other wild yeast or bacteria have a chance to contaminate the wort. Even if it is in a sterilised container the transfer runs the risk of contamination as it is exposed to air. So by chilling you are shortening the time that there is no yeast in the beer. As soon as the yeast get going then it is more difficult for any other pathogens to establish in the wort as the yeast dominate.

Also as Good Ed says as well.

Chilling isn't a luxury its essential good practice.

:thumb:

 

[bobsbeer]

I use a chiller, must admit it adds quite a bit of time to the process and I still get chill haze?

Good luck

Not sure how? I use a chiller and I find the yeast is pitched in less than 30 mins from the end of the boil. Surely leaving to cool naturally would take hours unless you live in the Arctic.

 

[Ceejay]

The sooner the yeast goes in the better as it means no other wild yeast or bacteria have a chance to contaminate the wort. Even if it is in a sterilised container the transfer runs the risk of contamination as it is exposed to air. So by chilling you are shortening the time that there is no yeast in the beer. As soon as the yeast get going then it is more difficult for any other pathogens to establish in the wort as the yeast dominate.

Also as Good Ed says as well.

Chilling isn't a luxury its essential good practice.

:thumb:

I wholeheartedly agree with this. There are other things as well. If you've added a tonne of aroma hops at flame out, you want to cool quickly to secure the aroma. Having it sat around hot for a while risks driving off all the volatile oils that create that aroma. I was also under the impression cooling quickly secures a good cold break.

 

[carl_saint]

I agree with the above comments on chilling.i want my yeast pitched ASAP and by chilling I can have the yeast in within 30 mins and fermenting in a couple of hours. I wouldn't brew without it!

 

[PD]

yes chiller for me too. Get that temperature down as quickly as possible to help keep those aromas evident.
I then let the wort stand for about an hour to let the hops drop around the strainer, although I understand there's some risk with this from contamination as yet I haven't suffered any problems.
I also don't like 23 litres of hot wort hanging around for several hours cooling naturally. Cleaning and sweeping up etc after the brew would put too many nasties into the air.

 

[andyd]

Used a chiller for the first time yesterday for AG16 so I can't comment on any difference in outcome as yet. That said, I haven't experienced any problems with the previous 15 left to chill on their own. Reducing the risk of infection is my prime reason for making the change (as per GA's comments above) and I guess just my own peace of mind at getting to the end of the brewday more quickly and getting fermentation underway.

 

[jonewer]

The only time I didnt use a chiller I got an infection. So did the beer.

 

[Hollow Legs]

I use a chiller, must admit it adds quite a bit of time to the process and I still get chill haze?

Good luck

Not sure how? I use a chiller and I find the yeast is pitched in less than 30 mins from the end of the boil. Surely leaving to cool naturally would take hours unless you live in the Arctic.

You must have a better chiller than me as mine takes nearly an hour to get it down to pitching temp :cry: I hear what you're saying though once it's done it's done :

 

[jonnymorris]

Firstly the rapid cooling helps those proteins left after the "hot break" to precipiate out forming the "cold break", these proteins are not affected by slow cooling.

I also believe, or at least I read, that achieving the cold break as mentioned by Good Ed improves the shelf life of the beer... not that mine ever get to live that long.

 

[mmaguy41]

Some really good points here, thanks guys. Im leaning towards getting a chiller now when ive got some spare pennies

 

[rich27500]

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/7/c/f/7cf3d7...1ce3dae902ea1d01cd8130d0c05f0d94&c_id=5104909 this is VERY interesting