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**Mirage** · 09-10-2008, 06:32 PM

Just a quick question on chilling wort. I have heard mixed things on putting a lid on the cooling wort. The positive being that less stuff can get into it, and the negative being that things which produce off flavors leave the wort through steam so you don't want them in there. Anyone know which is worse? Thanks!

Joker · 09-10-2008, 06:41 PM

I have never covered and never had any ill effects. I would think covering would also lend to longer cooling time by trapping the heat in to a degree.

McKBrew · 09-10-2008, 06:44 PM

I like to keep the cover off too. If you are brewing outdoors in an area where stuff might drop into your beer, you could always cover it with a thin cloth.

carnevoodoo · 09-10-2008, 06:53 PM

Plenty of people cover to keep any particulates from falling into the wort. My next door neighbor does it all the time. At the point of cool down, you won't be letting off anything else that will make your beer taste bad. it is just personal preference, I think.

ArcaneXor · 09-10-2008, 06:58 PM

Once the temp drops below 160 or so it's a good idea to cover it - dust is covered in wild yeasts, which can cause problems for long term storage. At that point, DMS formation isn't really an issue, so covering won't cause any off-flavors.

**Orfy** · 09-10-2008, 07:01 PM

The real trick is to get an healthy dose of good yeast in the wort as soon after the boil as possible to ensure nothing gets a hold of the brew before the yeast does.

**Mirage** · 09-10-2008, 07:57 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I left my first batch uncovered but am trying to make my technique better for round 2!