No chill method question

I would like to try a no chill method on my next brew. What I am going to do is after boil I will move to a pail and the put a lid on it and put it in my temperature controlled chest freezer. Can anyone tell me what temperature the freezer should be set at and how long it might take to bring down to proper yeast pitching temperature?

If you're talking about putting boiling hot liquid into an "Ale Pail" fermentation bucket, I don't think those are rated for temps that high.

If you don't have a way to chill, I'd just put the lid on the kettle and let it cool overnight, then transfer to your sanitized pail and set in the ferm chamber to get it the rest of the way down. You didn't say what style brew you're making or what yeast, but as a general rule for ales, 65-66° is typically a safe temp to shoot for.

It will be a Smuttynose Baltic Porter and no clue what yeast yet. I know it has to be under 70. Should I set the freezer at say 60-65 or less?

Set it for whatever temp you are planning on fermenting it at, which I would assume to be around 65°, but could be a little higher or lower depending on which yeast you choose. Most ale yeasts will do a great job at 65°.

LLBeanJ said:

If you're talking about putting boiling hot liquid into an "Ale Pail" fermentation bucket, I don't think those are rated for temps that high.

If you don't have a way to chill, I'd just put the lid on the kettle and let it cool overnight, then transfer to your sanitized pail and set in the ferm chamber to get it the rest of the way down. You didn't say what style brew you're making or what yeast, but as a general rule for ales, 65-66° is typically a safe temp to shoot for.

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Ale pails are good to 250 degrees F. They handle boiling wort just fine.

Iceman6409 said:

I would like to try a no chill method on my next brew. What I am going to do is after boil I will move to a pail and the put a lid on it and put it in my temperature controlled chest freezer. Can anyone tell me what temperature the freezer should be set at and how long it might take to bring down to proper yeast pitching temperature?

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The batch I did was set into a 62 degree room and it took about 36 hours to cool to pitching temperature (the same 62 degrees).

RM-MN said:

Ale pails are good to 250 degrees F. They handle boiling wort just fine.

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Well, there you go. I learned something new today.

Iceman6409 said:

I would like to try a no chill method on my next brew. What I am going to do is after boil I will move to a pail and the put a lid on it and put it in my temperature controlled chest freezer. Can anyone tell me what temperature the freezer should be set at and how long it might take to bring down to proper yeast pitching temperature?

Click to expand...

Rather than have your chest freezer handle that much heat, I suggest you put the bucket in a bath tub for a few hours, that will at least dissipate 100 degrees of heat, so your freezer will be less stressed.
The initial heat loss to the bath tub water will be relatively fast because of the large difference in temperature between the wort and the water.

You want to avoid cooling it too efficiently, particularly shortly after the wort is added to the bucket. You get some useful sanitization out of the heat. I would probably give it 12-24 hours (whatever's convenient) sealed up and just sitting in air at room temperature, then move it to your fridge.

I would let it chill in the kettle for 8-12 hours, then put it in your chest freezer to cool the rest of the way.

5-6 gallons of near boiling hot work is a big job for a freezer, they are not designed for that heat load.

Even tjough i have an immersion chiller, in the summer timei. Frequently have ground water 80+. I chill as far as feasible andt hem stick it in the ferm chamber. Ive gotten some really interesting looking break material from this. But everything came out fine. From 80-65 is usually ready for me to pitch the next morning or afternoon.

Also, just wanted to add that i recently.had a brilliant idea to use a square shaped cooler as a giant ice bath, i use just my IC until 80-90, then dunk the kettle in the cooler with ice and fill with water until.the kettle is about to float. Just in case youre doing no chill out of necessity rather thsn.preference.