How long will unboiled wort keep?

[drummerguy]

I'm hoping to take part in an upcoming competition where a local brewery provides the wort, and I have to do the rest (boil, hops, yeast, etc.). My issue, however, is that I will be out of town when the wort is supposed to be picked up. I'm hoping to have a friend pick it up on a Saturday, with me returning to town the following Monday. I'm thinking I can do everything on Monday, but will the wort last that long? What are some of the effects I may experience waiting this long?

 

[BigFloppy]

they're probably supplying the equivalent of LME where you add everything else.. get your friend to refrigerate it, should be viable for when you're ready for it

 

[CorporateHippie]

I would keep it refrigerated for that time and you should be fine. If left at room temp then mold or other "things" could begin to grow. Think of it as fruit juice. Would you store an open bottle on the counter top for the weekend or in a fridge?

 

[cjgenever]

Not boiled... You'll start to get souring in twelve hours unless it is crashed or boiled for a few minutes. It is full of lacto that will devour unfermentables and crap lactic acid.

 

[drummerguy]

Thanks for the reponses. I will do my best to have it refrigerated. It may have to be kept outside over night, as it is being provided in a bucket (with a lid). If nothing else, I get a 6.5 gallon bucket with a lid for $10.

they're probably supplying the equivalent of LME where you add everything else.. get your friend to refrigerate it, should be viable for when you're ready for it

The website says it will be 6+ gallons of wort in a 6.5 gallon bucket. Would that be considered the equivalent of LME?

 

[Braufessor]

That is not LME - it is wort.

You could always make a Berliner Weisse if it does start to sour....

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

I would think that if a brewery was doing this as a promotion/contest, they would be well aware of the lacto issue and would presumably raise the temp post mash to at least 180, if not a full boil before handing out.

Unless it's a Berlinnerwiesse competition. Which would just be strangen

 

[Barley_Bob]

Depending on how awesome your friend is, you can get away with it. The wort they give you is going to be riddled with wild yeast, bacteria, and mold spores (as others have noted), and that's what you're fighting. Here's what I would do in order of preference, and each step downward increases the likelihood of infection:

1. Have your friend boil the wort for 10 minutes, clean and sanitize the bucket and lid, seal the wort inside the bucket, and then put the whole thing in a chest freezer. If he does this for you, I would say you have almost 0 chance of an infection, and you'll be 100% good to go.

2. Do all of the same, but leave the bucket in a cold place outside. Looking at the forecast for Richmond, it doesn't like it's going to be as cold as one would like. If the daytime high was in the 20s or even low 30s, I'd say this is a perfectly viable option. Still, the boil and sanitizing will go a long way. Your friend could also put the bucket in a cooler packed with ice, which may just do the trick.

3. Stick the bucket in a chest freezer with no boil. Obviously, this isn't as desirable as having a boil first, but it's probably going to be perfectly fine this way. My chest freezer can drop the temp of 6 gallons of wort 10F/hr, which will get it at a safe temp pretty darn quickly.

4. Just set the bucket outside. Given the relatively high temps in Richmond, and the lack of a boil, this is the most risky option by far. But there are things that can be done to help... Packing in ice still may do the trick and you could also have your friend toss in 8+ IBUs of first wort hops. The hops won't kill everything, but it'll help.

The one thing I wouldn't do is not try it. $10 is not much to lose, and it sounds like a fun contest. If you're proactive, and do as much as you can to fight infection, then everything should turn out fine. Even if you do get a little souring, it may not be the end of the world. You could make a style where a little sour is suitable or maybe even cover it up. With a little luck, and a little effort, I think you'll open the wort Monday and make beer without issue.

 

[drummerguy]

Thanks again, everyone. I guess I will just register and see what happens. I like the idea of entering the competition, but I also like that I'm getting a bucket to use when it's over. Would the bucket be ruined for future batches if the wort sours a bit before I can get it out?

Depending on how awesome your friend is, you can get away with it. The wort they give you is going to be riddled with wild yeast, bacteria, and mold spores (as others have noted), and that's what you're fighting. Here's what I would do in order of preference, and each step downward increases the likelihood of infection:

1. Have your friend boil the wort for 10 minutes, clean and sanitize the bucket and lid, seal the wort inside the bucket, and then put the whole thing in a chest freezer. If he does this for you, I would say you have almost 0 chance of an infection, and you'll be 100% good to go.

2. Do all of the same, but leave the bucket in a cold place outside. Looking at the forecast for Richmond, it doesn't like it's going to be as cold as one would like. If the daytime high was in the 20s or even low 30s, I'd say this is a perfectly viable option. Still, the boil and sanitizing will go a long way. Your friend could also put the bucket in a cooler packed with ice, which may just do the trick.

3. Stick the bucket in a chest freezer with no boil. Obviously, this isn't as desirable as having a boil first, but it's probably going to be perfectly fine this way. My chest freezer can drop the temp of 6 gallons of wort 10F/hr, which will get it at a safe temp pretty darn quickly.

4. Just set the bucket outside. Given the relatively high temps in Richmond, and the lack of a boil, this is the most risky option by far. But there are things that can be done to help... Packing in ice still may do the trick and you could also have your friend toss in 8+ IBUs of first wort hops. The hops won't kill everything, but it'll help.

The one thing I wouldn't do is not try it. $10 is not much to lose, and it sounds like a fun contest. If you're proactive, and do as much as you can to fight infection, then everything should turn out fine. Even if you do get a little souring, it may not be the end of the world. You could make a style where a little sour is suitable or maybe even cover it up. With a little luck, and a little effort, I think you'll open the wort Monday and make beer without issue.

Sadly, I may have to go with option 4. I'm not sure what kind of storage she can provide other than just setting it outside. Since the date for getting the wort is later in January, I'm kind of hoping the temperature drops a little by then. Of course, that will have me brewing out in the cold, too. But, like you said, it's $10 and should be fun to try.

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

Not sure what it would do to beer, maybe someone else could chime in but how about crushing one campden per gallon of wort (or kmeta) and mixing it in. Like how winemakers sanitize their must.

Again, not sure how that'd work with wort. Hopefully someone else knows more.

 

[cjgenever]

Camden tablets don't sanitize but they do prevent microbes from reproducing further. Sounds like a good idea to me. Just crush it into the wort, put the lid on and it will mix during transport.

 

[IslandLizard]

Find out whether the wort will be boiled or at least pasteurized (165°F) before distribution. It makes all the difference. Fresh sweet wort from the mash tun is infected already. It only takes hours before it starts souring/fermenting.

 

[Barley_Bob]

I have no experience with this, but, reading around, it looks like a good idea. Apparently, a few folks have done it and report good success. It should inhibit the growth of wild yeast and bacteria in the wort. It looks like wine makers use 1 tablet/gallon, and the sulfites will dissipate with time. If memory serves, they will also boil out. What you wouldn't want to do is add campden after the boil, because it will inhibit the growth of your ale or lager yeast.

Bottom line - it looks like it can only help and that it's safe.

I would pre-crush and dissolve some in water to have your friend dump in as soon as she picks up the bucket of wort.