Rapid Cooling and Late Hop Addition Utilization

I don't have a wort chiller, instead I immerse my brewpot in a cold water bath for about an hour after flameout to get mine down below 70 degrees. I am wondering if anybody has any insight on how this slower cool down, and thus longer warm steep time, could effect aroma hop utilization and aroma levels in the finished beer. I would assume having them steep in the warmer wort longer would alow for more of the aroma and flavor to be introduced to the wort, but hey I am no expert.

Are you stirring the wort while it is cooling? Before I made my CFC, my ice baths used to take about 20 min tops. Stir it, but ensure that you do not aerate the hot wort by splashing it.
As to your question on the time affecting your wort, I just read somewhere about an Aussie way of letting the wort naturally cool overnight. In fact the guy who tested it said it might be good up to a week or maybe two as he was using the last bit of the wort to whip up a "real starter" as he called it. I am sure that leaving your wort to cool overtime before pitching your yeasties all depends on the big "S". Sanitation. Good luck and try and brewgle that aussie cooling technique.

I believe it is the "No-chill Method".

I only stir the wort once, right when i put in the bath. This is so my trub settles in the middle of the pot, then I siphon to fermenter from around the sides. Maybe I will let one cool overnight and see what happens. SWMBO would surely notice a shiny new IWC in my brew room!

BTW, I don't use ice baths, just recirc 50-60 degree water from the tap.

2 bags of ice from the cornerstore is what I use. Runs me about a buck fiddy. That way I dont use up all SWMBO's ice in the food fridge.

I could just go outside and grab a pail full of snow!

Yeah, its 80 deg here so I dont have that option. Send me some!

Pubwilson said:

Yeah, its 80 deg here so I dont have that option. Send me some!

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Would you like me to send you a little floodwater too? We have plenty of that here in Fargo!

I can do up a Floodwater Fargo IPA in honor of you!

Pubwilson said:

I can do up a Floodwater Fargo IPA in honor of you!

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Ha! I should do a floodwater ale for every year it floods and save them..so far I would have a 1997, 2006, 2009 and 2010! You could compare how the different floods taste and age! L

permo said:

I could just go outside and grab a pail full of snow!

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That actually works fantastically well! Throughout this New England winter, I have been making a snow bath by pouring some water into a large plastic storage container outside and dumping a bunch of snow in. I do stir the wort periodically, and a couple of times I'll remove the boil pot to shovel a bit more snow in. I've been able to cool 5.5 gallons of wort to 70 degrees in 15-20 minutes this way.

Sadly (or not!), my snow bank has melted from all the rain (and flooding), so today I carried my pot down to a brook not far from my house and stuck it in. Nice cold water and it worked fine, but carrying the full, hot boil pot all the way down there and scrambling down the bank with it was a PITA...think I'm going to have to break down and get or make myself a wort chiller soon.