No Chillers + Adjustments

[redwing_al]

Hi, I am going to experiment with the No Chill method soon. I have heard to move the hop additions out 20 minutes for each addition, but I'm wondering what other no-chill brewers do in the hop schedule.

Also

I see Beersmith has a setting in the equipment profile called "steep hop utilization' It wants me to enter a value for how long the wort is above 85F. My question is how long (est) it takes a kettle to go from 212F to 85F while cooling naturally. I'm going to leave the wort in the kettle I think for my first test.

If you use beersmith for no chill, what is your value?

If you know because of 'math' how long it would take to get to 80F, lemme'know!

Please this is not a debate about No Chill vs Quick Chill.

Word,
Al

 

[mongoose33]

What's your ambient temperature? Is there air movement? If ambient is 85, it's going to take a long time to drop to 85, much like how a chiller's efficiency slows as the wort nears the temperature of the source water. If ambient is 90, it's never going to drop to 85.

You could accelerate the cooling by having a fan blow on the kettle.

As for how long....4-12 hours depending on ambient. If you have a chance you could boil some water in your kettle and then examine the temperature drop in your system and at your ambient conditions for a more accurate answer.

 

[redwing_al]

What's your ambient temperature? Is there air movement? If ambient is 85, it's going to take a long time to drop to 85, much like how a chiller's efficiency slows as the wort nears the temperature of the source water. If ambient is 90, it's never going to drop to 85.

You could accelerate the cooling by having a fan blow on the kettle.

As for how long....4-12 hours depending on ambient. If you have a chance you could boil some water in your kettle and then examine the temperature drop in your system and at your ambient conditions for a more accurate answer.

Let's say its 68F. How would I calculate to 85F wort? I'd like to use the value in Beersmith.

Beersmith says:

Using this same feature you can now get an accurate estimate for “no chill” brewing. You mark the box to estimate boil hop utility in the whirlpool to carry forward remaining bitterness. All you need to know is the approximate time the cube or hot wort vessel you are using is above 85C, and the program will carry forward the boil hops and estimate the additional IBU additions that happen as the cube is chilling. This also has the advantage of giving a much more accurate number than the old “rule of thumb” blanked hop percentage as it calculates each addition based on its boil time and remaining non-isomerized alpha acids.

 

[madscientist451]

The quote from Beersmith (above) says 85C, which is about 185F. The OP mentioned 85F.
My unscientific observations are: If I brew at night, get done about 10pm sit the kettle in a tub of cool water outside, then after about 1/2 hour take the kettle out of the tub (water in the tub will be warm by then) , by 6am the wort is pitching temp about 70. That is with outside temps in the 60's. Without the tub of cool water, the temp would probably still be 85 at 6am, it takes a long time to cool on its own. I'll guess and say it will drop to 185F within 90 minutes. The above method works better when the outside temp is below 40F. I'm going to try the no chill method with an all late addition NE IPA and see what happens.
Perhaps do a plain water test? Get a kettle of water boiling, switch it off and measure the temp every 10 minutes and see what you get.

 

[mongoose33]

Why don't you just leave it go overnight and see what you get? You're experimenting with it--so brew in the afternoon or evening, and then, keeping the kettle covered, let it cool overnight.

As long as it's covered, you will be fine.

 

[RM-MN]

Hi, I am going to experiment with the No Chill method soon. I have heard to move the hop additions out 20 minutes for each addition, but I'm wondering what other no-chill brewers do in the hop schedule.

Also

I see Beersmith has a setting in the equipment profile called "steep hop utilization' It wants me to enter a value for how long the wort is above 85F. My question is how long (est) it takes a kettle to go from 212F to 85F while cooling naturally. I'm going to leave the wort in the kettle I think for my first test.

If you use beersmith for no chill, what is your value?

If you know because of 'math' how long it would take to get to 80F, lemme'know!

Please this is not a debate about No Chill vs Quick Chill.

Word,
Al

One of the factors in no chill brewing is the continued isomerization of the hop oils while the wort is still hot resulting in beer that is more bitter than expected or wanted. This isomerization continues until the wort is approximately 170F with the rate of isomerization decreasing with the lower temperatures. While your goal it no chill, why not consider minimal chill instead where you cool quickly to 170 to 180F which is not hard and then let the wort cool to pitching temps on its own. Madscientist451 suggested a tub of cool water. This works well. Adding a bit of ice to the water increases the speed of cooling too.

 

[redwing_al]

One of the factors in no chill brewing is the continued isomerization of the hop oils while the wort is still hot resulting in beer that is more bitter than expected or wanted. This isomerization continues until the wort is approximately 170F with the rate of isomerization decreasing with the lower temperatures. While your goal it no chill, why not consider minimal chill instead where you cool quickly to 170 to 180F which is not hard and then let the wort cool to pitching temps on its own. Madscientist451 suggested a tub of cool water. This works well. Adding a bit of ice to the water increases the speed of cooling too.

This is EXACTlY what I was wondering and exactly what I'll do.. I'll use my IC to get to 180 and call it good... Rack to cube, and use the hot water that I collected to clean up. PERFECT.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I put a little fan blowing on the side of the uncovered kettle and find the temp drop to 170 happens quickly, guessing 60-90 minutes. I then add late hop additions and cover the kettle. The following morning the kettle is still around 90.

I keep several 2 liter soda bottles filled with frozen water.
I dunk the frozen bottles in star SAN and place them in the kettle to finish chilling to pitch temps.

Yes ghetto for sure, but it's very easy and works well for me. In the warm weather, my tap water is fairly warm, so adding ice to the process is needed, so I addd the ice directly to the kettle sealed in plastic bottles

 

[Lefou]

I've utilized snowbanks and sanitized gallon water jugs to cool wort. The large thermal mass of a water jug drops wort temps quickly and once the ice is melted, the water can be used to further dilute and chill the wort .... then off to the snowbank.
I don't use a copper immersion chiller and this is the quickest way for me to get under 170F in the wintertime.

 

[DanMan]

I no chill into a sanke keg with the spear removed. The hot wort will sanitize the inside if the keg including the headspace . Once full, I cap the hot keg with a tri-clover clamp and place the keg into a large tub of tap water. The water only goes about half way up the outside of the keg but chills it to under 170 in 10 minutes or so.

I leave the keg in the water overnight then normally pitch in a day or 7.

When I am ready to pitch, I have to use a hammer to get the cap off the opening of the keg because the cooling created such a strong vacuum inside the keg.

 

[dendron8]

I use no chill, but I set up my wort so that all I have to do is aerate and pitch when it's cool.

My technique is to let the hot wort sit after flame off (lid on) in the kettle for 30 minutes.. Then it gets poured into the fermenter, sealed and airlock. Then I tape the inkbird probe to the side of the bucket and put the whole thing into the chest freezer. The next day it is cool, and I aerate and pitch.

It sits for a day without yeast, but is protected and I don't have to wait and waste water on brew day.