Refrigerating wort

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Dominic1920

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I had too much wort left over to fit in the carboy, so I refrigerated it for three weeks while the stuff I could fit in my brew kit was fermenting. Then I took the stuff I had in the back of the fridge and fermented it. I just tried it today, its the smoothest tasting, clearest beer I've ever brewed. What did I do?
 
LOL, yeah, I made beer. It tastes so much better than the batch that I just made from the same wort that wasn't refrigerated for three weeks. I'm thinking about holding all my wort fro a few weeks before pitching.
 
So you chilled it for 3 weeks. Then pitched yearst and ran the fermentation cycle?

Everything else was the same? Weeks in fermenter, bottle conditioning?
 
So you chilled it for 3 weeks. Then pitched yearst and ran the fermentation cycle?

Everything else was the same? Weeks in fermenter, bottle conditioning?

Yes, everything else was the same. Pitched and ran three weeks in fermenter, primed with sugar and conditioned for three weeks in the bottle. The unrefrigerated batch that went straight to the fermenter was very good, but the batch that I held in the refrigerator before pitching and fermenting turned out smooth and clean tasting and much clearer.
 
Lucky you didn't get an infection! You settled out much more of the trub, but that would settle after fermentation anyway. Not sure what else it did.
 
I'm thinking you were pretty lucky that even though it was refrigerated, you didn't get some kind of spoilage organism in there. There are plenty of bacteria that don't mind it cold.
But, glad it turned out great! :mug:
 
I tried a pilsner recipe that called for fermenting in cooler temps than I can provide (48-68F) so I refrigerated it, even though my fridge is colder than 48F. I left it in for 3 months, bottled it, and just opened a bottle. Very good results.
 
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