OK to leave wort for 24hrs?

My first attempt at partial-mash hasn't gone so well--I have a stuck sparge (well, it's not draining well long before I sparge), and although all the advice I've seen says not to stir while you're draining, it's the only way I'm getting anything coming out. I had trouble with my mash temps, too; I thought I had the temp right at 148*, but when I checked a few minutes later it had crept up to 154*. So I added some cold water and thought it was all right, but I think the temperature dropped down to about 140* or so for a good portion of the mash. At least this is only 3lbs of the grain bill--the gravity should be plenty high even if I get no sugars out of this. Still frustrating.

At any rate, it's 11pm already, and I'm looking at a 90min boil once I manage to get all the liquid out of the lauter tun. Is it going to harm anything if I store the wort for 18 hrs or so and boil it tomorrow?

Probably not. Just keep it well sealed in a bucket.

Shouldnt be a problem, just make sure it is sealed off well enough to keep gross contaminants out. If anything microbial gets in it will be killed off at the boil.

I personally wouldn't store it a single second longer than you have to but you're still going to boil it so you should be fine. Just keep it closed up well.

I don't really *want* to leave it, but I also don't want to be starting a 90-minute boil at midnight, either. If I do that I'll be lucky to be done by 2am.

Any thoughts on what my problem is? I assume it's not supposed to be this difficult, even with a cheap lauter tun (5-gal round cooler with about a foot of steel braid inside). Did the temperature drop cause this?

if the wort is below 120* for a length of time, the beer will come out tart. did that once. read that fact in brew your own mag. think it was ask the wizard.

Oh geez. Well, I don't think it fell that far. I eventually brought it back up with hot water. I believe I read that lower temperatures will cause the formation of some sort of sugar that will gum up a sparge, though.

if the wort is below 120* for a length of time, the beer will come out tart. did that once. read that fact in brew your own mag. think it was ask the wizard.

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I am assuming what you are referencing is talking about certain bacteria that will grow in wort causing a sour or tart taste, much like sour Flemishs, farmhouse ales and Berliner weisses. If avoidable I would not let my wort sit for that long pre-boil or post-boil before pitching but since you will be boiling it should be fine. Just keep it sealed shut until the boil.

CBMbrewer said:

I am assuming what you are referencing is talking about certain bacteria that will grow in wort causing a sour or tart taste, much like sour Flemishs, farmhouse ales and Berliner weisses. If avoidable I would not let my wort sit for that long pre-boil or post-boil before pitching but since you will be boiling it should be fine. Just keep it sealed shut until the boil.

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I recently did this with a batch. I've read and talked to a few people who do this quite often with good results. If you heat your wort to 180 to stop all enzymatic activity, then cover tight, all should go well. The only issue I heard about was possible dms issues but a 90 min vigorous boil should minimize that risk. My batch is fermenting well and smells fine. I guess we will see...