How long can cooled wort sit?

[BrooZer]

If I cool my wort after boil immediately and leave the pot covered how long can I leave it that way before putting it into my primary and pitching the yeast.

I ask because on the batch im making this thurs I may need help straining it when I am ready to pitch but I will be the only one home for a few hours.

 

[Iordz]

I would pitch the yeast ASAP. With that said, as long as the pot is covered, you should be good for a couple of hours. You should buy a cheese cloth, plaqce it over the bucket and pour the wort, the fine mesh will strain all the junk out.

 

[Professor Frink]

It's really best to pitch right away, as that's your best chance at infection at that point. If you do have to wait, definitely leave it covered in a clean area.

 

[Glibbidy]

I'd only wait until it's cool enough to pitch your yeast.
Any longer and you may be risking an infection.

 

[Kaiser]

It all depends on the temperature that you cool it down to and if its covered or not. I once kept a batch of wort covered at near freezing temps unpitched for about 24 hrs since I had trouble growing yeast in time.

But if the wort is going to be in the mid 60's or warmer, I'd pitch within at least and hour. If straining is your problem, look into whirlpooling for seperating the trub from the wort.

Kai

 

[Kevin Dean]

I personally would rather pitch "cruddy" wort than leave boiled wort sit for longer than it takes to transfer to my fermenter. How long it can actually go before getting infected depends entirely on your environment and practices but the resounding answer you'll get here is "ASAP".

If it'll be an extended period of time, perhaps you should consider adding a little bit more water and boiling your wort and re-chilling to kill anything that might have taken up residence in the meantime.

 

[Skins_Brew]

Question for the senior people,

During one of these big brew days where people gather and cook up beer, do they pitch the yeast at the site and then transport the beer, or vice versa?

 

[eddie]

If you transfer your cooled wort to a properly sanitized fermenter then you can let it set for as much as three or four days without pitching yeast. I wouldn't recommend it because you'll have some issues with oxidation but it won't totally destroy your beer.

A better alternative would be to hold off and brew when you have the time to do it right.

 

[Kaiser]

If you transfer your cooled wort to a properly sanitized fermenter then you can let it set for as much as three or four days without pitching yeast. I wouldn't recommend it because you'll have some issues with oxidation but it won't totally destroy your beer

I wouldn't do that. If it is not refrigerated you will get bacteria and yeast growth in there since you never sterilized the wort and never followed sterile procedures in handling it.

Kai

 

[Glibbidy]

Question for the senior people,

During one of these big brew days where people gather and cook up beer, do they pitch the yeast at the site and then transport the beer, or vice versa?

Pitch and transport. This will help provide aeration while enroute back to your abode.

 

[eddie]

I wouldn't do that. If it is not refrigerated you will get bacteria and yeast growth in there since you never sterilized the wort and never followed sterile procedures in handling it.

Kai

Have you ever had a beer fail to take off after pitching then waited three days and pitched a pack of dry and let it ferment out? It's the same thing. The wort is sanitized in the boil and if he follows proper sanitizing procedures then he shouldn't have a problem. I'm not recommending he leave it in the pot or anything, that would be a very bad idea.

 

[Kaiser]

Have you ever had a beer fail to take off after pitching then waited three days and pitched a pack of dry and let it ferment out? It's the same thing. The wort is sanitized in the boil and if he follows proper sanitizing procedures then he shouldn't have a problem. I'm not recommending he leave it in the pot or anything, that would be a very bad idea.

Has not happened to me, but I used to do sanitation tests that require keeping a sample of the wort in a covered and sanitized vessel w/o pitching it. The guidelines were that if it doesn't ferement after 3 days your wort was sanitary enough for brewing. Mine would usually start fermenting after 3 - 4 days depending on room temp, while this was good for brewing, it showed that the wort would have started fermenting on its own in only a few days.

When you pitch yeast and it doesn't take off, its usually not completely dead. It's just slow. While you don't see anything it may already be lowering the pH of the beer which in turn inhibits some of the infections you might otherwise see.

Kai