No Chill Results Thread - Post your good or bad notes here.

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
BargainFittings

BargainFittings

Vendor / Owner
HBT Sponsor
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
1,838
Reaction score
105
Location
Allen TX
I'm starting this thread to compliment the other no chill postings. This thread is for results only. Tasting notes of batches you have completed.

I've done 3 no chill batches in the last couple weeks. One american rye, one mild brown ale and one 60/70 shilling.

The american rye is ready to keg so I'll edit this post when I taste it.
 
The first no chill I did, I split the 11 gallon batch with a freind. He took his wort home in the cube the next day and pitched the yeast then. So far so good.

The second cube I filled yesterday from the brew kettle with an oz of Cascades hops in it. This will be kept for a while. I will post results when I know more.

Starting my pile of full cubes....

David :)
 
I did 2 no chill batches on the same day, BM's Centennial Blonde and an Irish Red Ale.

The blonde is just fine. I was worried about hot side aeration as I really splashed both about when transferring from kettle to no chill fermenter (the almost famous UPS 6 gal winpak). It is also cleared exceptionally well, no chill haze whatsoever.

The Irish should be aged and carbonated by the end of this week and I'll know more then but my sample of it when I racked it to the keg was pretty good too.
 
I use a vynal hose. It does stand up to the heat. I put it in the bottom of the cube and open the valve a little until the hose is submerged. Then I open it up all the way. Trying to avoid HSA.

David
 
I've got a fairly hoppy no chill ale on tap now and it tastes fine, looks good. I'm currently using mostly Centennial or NB for the bittering hops and use a bit less than I do with the chiller, as to my taste it seems I get more bittering with a given amount in no chill than I do with the same amount chilled (I realize I could add later in the NC boil for less bitterness, but prefer to add less and let it boil and save the surpluss for next batch). I also recycle aroma hops, which I think provides some complexity. But the question was how does it taste and to me it tastes as good as the same recipe chilled.
 
I have done three no chill beers.

Circle City Haus Ale: Very clear, very balanced, I DID however adjust my hop additions to compensate for the increased utilization. I used a cube hop with this brew as well and it worked well. Great beer!

SNPA Clone: Very clear, nicely hopped. I used a FWH in place of some flavor additions that come after 20 minutes in the boil. Again a great beer. My FIL went out and bought some SNPA and had some of mine, tasted very similar, but he PREFERRED my SNPA clone?

Hugh Heffe: Just brewed, only a bittering hop addition in this one so there were no hop adjustments. It is in the fermentor now, the WLP300 took off like a rocket in the RWS. (Real Wort Starter) This was my first beer with ANY pilsner in it... 61% wheat, 27% pilsner and 12% 6-row pale.
 
I've entered 3 of my no chills in 2 competitions so we shall see.

American Rye - Hint of sulfur. Smooth taste and very full body. The odor is going away.

60 and 70 shilling - went from primary to keg and had the same sulfur hint. I took samples to a brew club party and they said the same thing without prompting them. After 2 weeks it still has a small amount of stink. I"m going to shake and vent both kegs a couple times to drive off the odor.

Mild Brown Ale - taste exactly the same as my chilled version. Very nice even from the primary. Nice full body for a small beer. Good color and flavor. No faults that I can detect.
 
My no-chills include: (in no particular order)
Northern Brown - my first. no-chilled in a bucket. Still good after about 6 months. (I "found" a 6 pack in my closet.)
Red Wheat - didn't last long, all my friends drank it.
American Brown - overhopped it. too bitter. my other no-chill beers had been just bittering additions.
Saison - It tastes like a saison. Finished a little high, but I had a horrible brew day (stuck recirculation, etc.)
Irish Red - On tap currently. A friend favorite. A little sweet for me.
Duvel clone - Very nice. A little too fruity but it's only a couple of months old.
JZ's Pale Ale - too bitter. I didn't adjust the bittering hop. Should have calculated it at 80 minutes.
JZ's American Amber - Still too young to tell.
American Stout - first really good dark beer I've made since going all grain.
"Belgian" Red - (IRA with WLP 500). Still in primary.
Red Wheat (different recipe). Very good. I'm savoring this one now.

Plus a few more, but I don't have my notes. I haven't chilled a beer in several months.

Big thing I've learned is to adjust the hop schedule.

RWS rules!
 
Bakins,

Are you using a hop adjustment schedule similar to the Pol or do you have a different schedule? Are you FWH for additions under 20 min as well as dry hopping where applicable?
 
My no chill Hefe is perfect...

My Oktoberfeast Ale is about to get kegged, the samples tasted great though.
 
Jmarsh544 said:
Are you using a hop adjustment schedule similar to the Pol or do you have a different schedule? Are you FWH for additions under 20 min as well as dry hopping where applicable?
Click to expand...

Mostly using Pol's. The more "malty" beers have been better to me. The bitter American ones have been, well, more bitter than I would like. That could be from over-hopping or an evolving palette. Or heck, mislabeled bitter hops AA.
 
Four no-chill beers here:

Scottish 60/ extract: yeah, it's beer. No worries
Centennial Blonde: No chill haze, not bad at all
Mostly Dead Guy: Very smooth and complex, too dark to notice chill haze
Pale Rye Ale: Just went into bottles Saturday

Brewing a couple of lagers this weekend: we'll see how it works. I'm not expecting any problems.
 
I've done 5 this summer:
1. Free Pale Ale (extract) - I somehow ended up with a can Coopers IPA and had some extra yeast lying around so I brewed it up. I wanted to see if I could get DMS so I did a 15 minute full boil. No DMS. No chill haze. Crappy but drinkable beer.
2. Hefe (Extract) - No DMS. Plenty of haze but that's the nature of the beast :)
3. Kolsch (Partial) - This was my first attempt at this style. Turned out great but there was a very slight chill haze. By very slight, I mean you could clearly make out objects on the other side but things like small writing were hard to make out.
4. Northern Brewer-Based Pale Ale (Partial) - Hoppier than I intended. I'll try adjusting per the Pol's chart next time around. Same recipe turned out better back in October when I just left the bucket outside to chill. I'm really mad because I treated this one like crap and it is crystal clear while the Kolsch had some haze. Grrr...
5. Simcoe-Based Pale Ale (AG) - Just cold crashing it now. Taste is where I expect it.
 
I've done 4 ten gallon batches so far:

5g westvletern 12 (first runnings) and 5g westvleteren 8 (second runnings) - no chill haze when I took samples and no off flavors, currently cold conditioning/lagering.
10g of Ed's IPA - didn't modify the hop schedule for no-chill, has a beautiful hop kick, haze due to dry hopped pellets, no noticeable off-flavors already kicked 5g of it.
10g of Rye Pale Ale - made the mistake of not modifying the hop schedule and has a hint of harshness I guess due in part by the hops and rye malt. Enjoyable nonetheless, however there is some noticeable chill haze.
10g of Ed's Bavarian Hefe - adjusted for hop schedule, currently blowing off in the fermenters right now. I'll report later on this one.
 
I've brewed a Kolsch and Hefe. No off flavors. Good beer.

I can't tell a difference between chilled and no-chilled beer. I also took the Kolsch to our local brew club and no one detected any off flavors.

I'll keep no-chilling at least for the summer and fall. I haven't decided what I'll do once my water turns cold again. On one hand, I'd sacrifice the extra fifteen minutes to chill my wort in order to be able to pitch my yeast and be done with it. But there's also the ease of making a real wort starter... Working w/ DME is no fun and it stinks up the kitchen. It's a PITA.

The more I think about it, the more likely it seems I'll keep on no-chilling beer. The only possible exception might be IPAs. I haven't done a no-chill IPA yet for the reason that all the hop schedules are based on chilling beer.
 
smiths9312 said:
The only possible exception might be IPAs. I haven't done a no-chill IPA yet for the reason that all the hop schedules are based on chilling beer.
Click to expand...

I'm actually thinking of doing an all "cube-hopped" IPA. It just has to be good :) (Especially if I brew-in-a-bag...)

I've given up chilling. My plate chiller is now a very expensive paperweight - I literally use it to hold brew notes...


Got a Westy 12 "clone", a ruination "clone", and a few others on deck. I'll report back. Brewing slowing since kids are back in school - not enough "assistant brewers" around...
 
bakins said:
I'm actually thinking of doing an all "cube-hopped" IPA. It just has to be good :) (Especially if I brew-in-a-bag...)

I've given up chilling. My plate chiller is now a very expensive paperweight - I literally use it to hold brew notes...


Got a Westy 12 "clone", a ruination "clone", and a few others on deck. I'll report back. Brewing slowing since kids are back in school - not enough "assistant brewers" around...
Click to expand...

I brewed an a cube hopped APA last weekend. I used .5 oz of Magnum at 40 min then cube hopped 4 oz of Cascade and Cent. Took a sample last night, was mighty fine.
 
When you "no chill" I am guessing you are letting the beer set at room temp. Would setting the beer in a freezer to cool it faster be acceptable?
 
Brutus Brewer said:
When you "no chill" I am guessing you are letting the beer set at room temp. Would setting the beer in a freezer to cool it faster be acceptable?
Click to expand...

Sure, though you will be working the hell out of your compressor. Cooling 5 gallons of near boiling wort to pitching temps. aint easy to do. I dont know how much faster it will be.

I just leave the container outside overnight (65F) and the next day it is ready to go!
 
Brutus Brewer said:
When you "no chill" I am guessing you are letting the beer set at room temp. Would setting the beer in a freezer to cool it faster be acceptable?
Click to expand...

Supposedly, there is more risk of infection bcs the wort isn't hot enough long enough. Not sure I believe that, but I read it on one of the aussie boards. It would probably throw off the current guestimates concerning further hop utilization in the cube.
 
Here's my Munich/Northern Brewer SMaSH. Sorry for the ****ty photo. One of the best beers I've made.

SMaSH_013.jpg
 
McCuckerson said:
Very nice! please post the recipe for the SMaSH!
Click to expand...

Here's the recipe with the hops adjusted for no chill.
5.5 gallon
80% eff.

OG - 1.043
FG - 1.015
IBU - 26.6

8.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
0.50 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (FWH
0.50 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (Mash Hop) optional
0.50 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (40 min)
0.50 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (Cube Hop)

Mash at 154F. Rehydrate 1 packet of US-04.

Ferment for 2 weeks, cold crash, then bottle or keg. Low bitterness and gravity make this beer drinkable very quickly.


Here's the tasting notes I put in BeerSmith:
Beer tastes great. Very malty, no preceivable hop flavor. It's a very balanced beer with no off flavors. Almost completely clear. Tastes best at warmer temps with restrained carbonation. When overcarbed it seems to carry any taste away. Well received by everyone. While not an amazing mind blowing complex beer, I am completely satisfied seeing how there's nothing for any off flavor to hide behind.

I must admit I'd like more bitterness, this is more on the malty side. Thought of brewing this again but with 1 oz increments instead of .5 oz.
 
chefchris said:
8.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
0.50 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (FWH
0.50 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (Mash Hop) optional
0.50 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (40 min)
0.50 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (Cube Hop)
Click to expand...

So was that 40 minutes from end of boil or calculated at 40 (ie, actually added at 20 minutes)?
 
bakins said:
So was that 40 minutes from end of boil or calculated at 40 (ie, actually added at 20 minutes)?
Click to expand...

My guess is, since he has "cube hop" in there, that the hop schedule is showing what he actually did. 40 minutes as the 60 minute bittering addition. That and he said that this was showing the hops adjusted for no chilll in his post.
 
Did 8 no-chill Honey Wheat batches. blended them all into 8 kegs. they all turned out great. course, i only did this cause i hadn't found the box with my chiller in it yet and i had a 1 week window to make these brews
 
The Pol said:
That and he said that this was showing the hops adjusted for no chilll in his post.
Click to expand...

I wasn't sure if he meant he shifted them or listed the calculated amounts.

Did 2 more no-chill's: a smoked porter (still in primary) and another red (force carbing). Will report back. Adjusted my hops a little better this time, I hope.
 
I did 10 gallons of a Murphy's Irish Stout Clone with adjusted hop schedule this past weekend, pitched RWS on monday and currently the wort is happily bubbling off. I've put my no chill hefe on gas on monday as well so I'll report back on the beer whenever I get an open tap in the next few weeks.
 
So... has anybody had poor results doing a no-chill brew?

And there's nothing to this, right? Just pour your near-boiling wort into a bucket or better bottle, airlock it, and leave it overnight to cool before pitching?

Because if it turns out that the chill step is unnecessary, that's a good 15-25 minutes I can take out of my brew day.
 
bernerbrau said:
So... has anybody had poor results doing a no-chill brew?

And there's nothing to this, right? Just pour your near-boiling wort into a bucket or better bottle, airlock it, and leave it overnight to cool before pitching?

Because if it turns out that the chill step is unnecessary, that's a good 15-25 minutes I can take out of my brew day.
Click to expand...

All of my no chills (that is all I have done since February) have been excellent beers! They are nice, clean and become crystal clear within weeks of being kegged.
 
I am going to be brewing an all FWH'd IAPA soon, no chill...
 
bernerbrau said:
So... has anybody had poor results doing a no-chill brew?

And there's nothing to this, right? Just pour your near-boiling wort into a bucket or better bottle, airlock it, and leave it overnight to cool before pitching?

Because if it turns out that the chill step is unnecessary, that's a good 15-25 minutes I can take out of my brew day.
Click to expand...

No bad results here. I think I've done around 8 batches of no chill.

The Pol said:
I am going to be brewing an all FWH'd IAPA soon, no chill...
Click to expand...

That was my first no chill. All FWH Columbus IPA, turned out very nice. The IBUs are tricky though. It definately doesn't seem as bitter as it should be.
 
I have adjusted my FWH utilization in ProMash to accomodate the IBU perception issues with FWH
 

Similar threads

Bobby_M
Multiple Concurrent Small Batch Brewing
Replies
35
Views
2K
Bobby_M
Bobby_M
Protos
Fermentis Safkvas C-73 Experience
Replies
3
Views
860
Protos
Protos
PashMaddle
Brewday got postponed.
Replies
22
Views
903
sibelman
sibelman
A
Dumpers
Replies
28
Views
2K
Christoff
C
A
Help Troubleshoot My Half-Fermented Cider
Replies
5
Views
756
AlexKay
A
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top