I know there are compelling reasons to cool down to pitching temp as quickly as possible. Is this because of the time or the heat? Let's say I want to pitch at 65 deg and get to that temp but get called away for some reason. Would it hurt anything to leave the wort alone for 5 minutes to 2 hours before aerating and pitching? If it gets too cold, is it ok to let it come up by itself?
If wort gets too cool - is it ok to wait before pitching?
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Spartangreen
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It's ok. Preferred in some circles.
It's better to pitch at the low end of the yeast's range than to pitch too high. As long as it's covered,it should be ok for a short time.
firebirdude
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Quick chilling is done to limit the amount of time the wort stays "warm." Warm temps allow any infections to thrive. Though obviously letting the wort sit around is less than ideal, it shouldn't be a problem if it's chilled and covered.
Sittin for too long without pitching can invite bacteria that may have settled into the wort while chilling to take hold by the time the yeast is pitched. That's the general concensus.
TyTanium
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It's a microorganism dream-come-true. Malt sugar solutions are one of the best mediums on the planet for growing microorganisms - including yeast. You want the yeast to start partying before something else does.
But don't worry about it...many people leave it overnight. Do the best you can, don't worry about the rest.
But don't worry about it...many people leave it overnight. Do the best you can, don't worry about the rest.
Quick chilling also helps drop some of the break material in the wort - called cold break. This is less important in extract brewing iirc. Then again, if you let it sit long enough it will all clear. Someone (Revvy??) has said after 4 weeks in a primary, they've even had crystal clear wit beers.
The longer it sits around the more likely something you don't want to grow in your wort will take hold...once the yeast has a chance to dominate the resources the wort is much better protected against unwanted infection.
LouBrew13
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If you leave uncovered wort just hanging out, you ruin a real risk of infection from the stuff in the air that you can't see. The quickest method available to you to chill hot wort is what you want. In essence the longer time...higher risk. If you cool it down too low by mistake, make sure to try and protect it.
Contamination isn't a huge problem if it is in a completely sealed container from when it was too hot (like 200F+) until pitching. The generic name for this process is 'canning' used by companies to bring us red (and white) pasta sauce. And many other fine products in your store. The no chill guys do this without a problem. BUT the wort has to be covered and the cover should be sanatized also (say cover for the last 5 mins of the boil and the steam/heat should take care of it for these purposes - assuming it is a pot and not a fermentor)
ludomonster
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Canners use pressure cookers to raise the boiling point of water high enough to prevent botulism.
I wouldn't steam sterilize your lid. You can condense DMS and cause it to return to the wort. It won't be a lot, and it's probably a preference thing. But I think you might want to spray the lid with star san instead.
Also, if you get your wort down into the 80's you could pour it into the carboy and let it sit with some foil over the top for a long time.
I wouldn't steam sterilize your lid. You can condense DMS and cause it to return to the wort. It won't be a lot, and it's probably a preference thing. But I think you might want to spray the lid with star san instead.
Also, if you get your wort down into the 80's you could pour it into the carboy and let it sit with some foil over the top for a long time.
I can see that as a problem. I don't have pets, although I have kids. Fortunatly I don't have to worry about them getting into my brew stuff - yet. Next time will be the first - and I probably will find them swimming in my wort lol.
My cooling process -with extract- is to put it in a sink of cool water with ice. The one beer I tried to sour - made a wort, left exposed over night and then boiled the next day didn't get sour... must not have had a good breeze. I generally cover in the last few minutes to prevent fall in and such.
Isn't DMS a problem early in the boil? not late? Also isn't it just an AG problem? I'm not saying to cover for the whole boil, just the end. Alternatively other sanatizers could be put on the lid instead of heat. Honestly if the OP is doing a few minutes to 2 hours covered, he isn't even competing with the many who post about overnight chilling. Clearly they've covered there hot wort with something because 12 hours would be to long for an exposed beer to not sour.
If you cover something hot, it will cool without getting bacterial infection. How long it will last (days, months, years) does depend on how it was prepped, but OP suggested a few mins to 2 hours. I see no problem doing 2 hours, infact I have. Heck I once had a wine that sat covered at about 80-90F for 4 hours before I pitched yeast. Tasted great. Recomend this? No for several reasons many of which have been mentioned. (last being who wants to wait hours before they get to pitch... more of a "let me finish getting this going" esp late at night)
grimzella
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As long as the dog rinses his mouth with vodka that's not usually a problem.
TyTanium
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I just pee'd my pants.
Haha, touche.
Truthfully the "dog sampling" only happened once. Called it "dog drool" brown ale. No infection. Either means all that stuff about a dog's mouth being clean is really true, or the yeast really do make it inhospitable to anything else. Or both. Beer is cool.
tchuklobrau
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Uuuuhhhhh you lefft it uncovered to encourage bacteria to sour the beer, then boiled it. Thats why it did not sour not the lack of breeze. would think boiling killed anything you cought.
to the op. I've had a few that I chilled below the pitch temp. I sealed all up just as if i had pitched, waited till the am, sanitized lid opened pitched and resealed. Happened on 3 beers so far(probably wont be the last) all turned out fine.
TyTanium
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I think that's a pretty common process - you let it sour until it's where you want it (i.e., not fully soured, just partially), then boil to stop the souring process.
tchuklobrau
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Might be I dont do sour beers, Just seemed to me the boil would change everything. I just looked at my post again was sposed to be a ? shoulds said Isnt that why it did not sour?
DMS is also created after the boil, and will stay in the wort since it isn't boiling. Long chilling can create some DMS issues. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/DMS
ludomonster
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You can't completely remove DMS, but after a certain point you'll be less likely to taste it. It also depends on how much pale malt you use, if you use extract and the other flavors in the beer.
That's basically it for making a 'sour mash' if you will. Generally 24 hours - I waited 12. Once the sour is in the beer, you can't get it out with a boil. Sure kills the bacteria, which cause the sour by product, but doesn't get ride of what is there. Just becasue I boil a beer and kill the yeast, doesn't mean I have a wort, I still have beer.
tchuklobrau
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Gotcha so the boil kills whats in there preventing more sour but doesnot remove whats there already.(amount of sour that is)
I can be if you add something like 1/2 gallon of lemon juice, or something similar. A lot of fruit juice can add acid/sour to the beer, although most is mild, not as extreme as lemon juice would be.
But most often in the case of a sour beer, it is a byproduct of the wild yeast that are alowed in, or some specific Belgian yeast strains (although oddly I'm repeating myself as the Belgian sours are from captured wild yeast). If the wild yeast does it, it is often a B.Lactus(sp?) which make lactic acid, although others could be made. Since there is no pathway for the yeast to break that down, the acid remains even after a boil that kills the wild yeast.
It was something to try, right now, I'm not likely to attempt it again. But I might if the mood strikes me.
