Chilling beer

[jknapp12105]

Is there a scientific benefit to having your beer chill in a shorter period of time?

 

[HopOnHops]

The faster it goes from boiling to in your fermenter the less likely it is to pick up an infection, especially below 150F.

You could evaporate more water than intended which could mess with your gravity estimates.

The the hops could continue to isomerize, giving a higher perceived bitterness

Your late addition hops could boil away giving a diminished hop aroma

These are all technical reasons why you should chill fast. Will they have a HUGE impact on your beer? probably not. Can you still make a good beer? probably... Infection is probably the biggest drawback so practice good sanitization and everything shoulda be fine

 

[Pratzie]

It can help clear the beer, or more precisely keep it from getting a cloudy appearance. But the more threads u read on here u'll see even the most experienced brewers will just let the wort cool down overnight and then pitch the yeast as long as its sealed correctly to prohibit germies and other bad things from getting in.

 

[hercher]

It is a simple logical rule: the faster you chill your beer, the sooner you can drink it.

 

[TopherM]

You mean wort chilling, pre-fermentation, right? Not beer in the fridge, post fermentation.

Wort chilling fast - Taste wise, no big whoop. Plenty of brewers chill at room temp or in their fermentation chamber overnight.

The real benefit is cold break, where the faster you chill, the more proteins coagulate together and easily fall out of suspension, producing a clearer final beer. That's about the only major benefit.