Is fast cooling wort necessary?

[MB331]

The reason I ask is I have seen 2 different extract recipes that calls for adding a lot of hops or a few ounces of coarse ground coffee at flameout. The recipes then call for a 30 minute steeping with the kettle lid on -------before an ice path. Yet I will read of home brewers bragging of bringing their wort's temperature down to pitching temperature within 15 minutes using an immersion chiller. Is the need to cool wort quickly exaggerated?

 

[flars]

Additions at flameout for a certain amount of time, with the lid on, is keeping the wort hot. To hot for bacteria to survive. After the steeping time you would want to cool the wort as fast as possible.

 

[Calichusetts]

Yes, it is. Are there benefits to a fast chill, absolutely. But many have great experiences with no-chill and steeping. There are risks but if it works for you, go for it.

I'd say try it, if anything appears detrimental to your normal outcome, ditch it. That is the beauty of experimenting and why the world of homebrewing is changing so fast lately.

Considering it takes most brewers (depending on batch size and equipment) 10-20 minutes to chill to pitching temps, you are technically steeping anything at flameout. Tempterature could be an issue but something to consider

 

[TheBrewingBear]

It's not 100% necessary. I understand Aussies have come up with some no chill methods due to water restrictions.

Chilling quickly will help form cold break which promotes clarity. It also helps to keep your wort out of the danger zone of 140 to 90 degrees which bacteria can multiply. There might be some other benefits as well.

 

[Queequeg]

It preserves hop aroma, promotes cold break formation and prevents the reformation of DMS.

It also limits the chance of bacterial infection although I think that this is over stressed. It is importantly massively more convenient after a long 5 hour all grain brew day.

 

[boydster]

Basic Brewing did a podcast comparing no-chilled beers to beers made using an IC and plate chiller. The extra time the wort spends above 180° results in a little more hop utilization, but if I recall DMS and infection were both non-issues. My experience is the same. I do no-chill either in my kettle or a plastic bucket, and I adjust hop additions to account for the extra utilization. Late boil hops go in at flameout. Flameout/whirlpool hops go in when the temp gets below 180. After that, the wort is sealed while temps are still well above pasteurization temperature, so it remains in a sanitized container until it is time to pitch yeast. Chill haze hasn't been an issue for me, but I cold crash so that likely takes care of any potential issues there.

So yes, I think the "need" to chill quickly is greatly exaggerated.

 

[krenshaw]

as said above.. it is not entirely necessary, you can make great beer by covering and letting chill until the next day then pitching your yeast, its really all about your own setup and limitations.. that being said my typical brewday is 3-4 all grain batches so i need to chill very quickly in order to get my next batch from the mash to the BK

 

[BigFloyd]

As a side note (since you mentioned a recipe adding coffee at flameout), a coffee addition gives a much nicer and more mellow flavor if you cold brew the coarse ground coffee overnight (on the kitchen counter), strain out the grounds and add the liquid at bottling/kegging time. 4-6 ounces of coarsely ground dark roast beans for 5 gallons is a good place to start.

 

[s1rGr1nG0]

As a side note (since you mentioned a recipe adding coffee at flameout), a coffee addition gives a much nicer and more mellow flavor if you cold brew the coarse ground coffee overnight (on the kitchen counter), strain out the grounds and add the liquid at bottling/kegging time. 4-6 ounces of coarsely ground dark roast beans for 5 gallons is a good place to start.

Damn, that sounds delicious!