If you use an HDPE jerry can (AKA “cube”) you will be fine. You can dunk it into a bin full of water to cool it. Make sure the cap is on tight. I have used plate chillers and immersion chillers and I have now settled on this approach. The wort will be sterile in the sealed container. Just wait till it is at pitching temp, then pitch. I have done dozens of batches like this now with results as good as if not better than using a wort chiller. Save yourself water and time, keep it simple.
cheers
steve
Not to nitpick, but boiled wort isn’t sterile. Boiling temps are not high enough to kill Clostridium botulinum (aka, botulism) spores. I’m not discounting that many brewers use no-chill and I have yet to hear of any reports of botulism, but if we’re talking no-chill then I think that point needs to be made so everyone can decide for themselves if they are willing to accept that level of risk.
I second this approach to chiling. Saves time and water and something else to clean. Ive never had a problem just keep the cube clean and i keep around a gallon of starsan in there when not in use give the can a shake on brew day and dump and away you go. This and the BIAB method allows me to keep my brew days in the 3 to 4 hour range easily.
There is very little risk of botulism, if any, using no-chill as long as you pitch active yeast the next day or as soon as your wort reaches pitching temp. The bacteria can create enough botulinum toxin to make you sick (or kill you) in three days. As long as the PH of the wort drops below 4.6, which happens when yeast does its thing, the bacteria will become dormant and will not release the toxin.
I really appreciate everyone offering advice on chilling! So much nicer than reading random websites and getting more confused. I just brewed yesterday and I did use the wort chiller. I could only get the temp down to 80. I loaded to the carboy and then ice bath to 66. It was after midnight before I could pitch. I made a 5 gallon batch of Dunkleweizen. I missed the OG by .06 (1.044 was supposed to be 1.05 to 1.055) but I’ll post that problem on a different thread.
Thanks again fellas and it really is a lot of fun making the most expensive free beer I’ve every had!
I don’t disagree with any of that. I have heard of no-chill brewers holding their wort for weeks or even months before pitching, and that scares the bejeebus out of me. Like you said, there is very little risk in the short term, but boiled wort isn’t inherently sterile and shouldn’t leave anyone with a false sense of security for extended warm storage.
I have a stainless steel coil chiller that I use to bring the wort below 26C. Then I splash it into the fermentation vessel and pitch the yeast. Works for me!
Takes fifteen minutes and I have to clean the chiller, but IMO it beats an infected batch or – worse, as others have pointed out – an exploding glass carboy.