Make 2 batches of wort today .. boil Tuesday?

[plankbr]

I am just curious of what the implications of mashing 2 batches of wort today, storing them in their respective 6.5 gallon buckets until Tuesday and then boiling both batches Tuesday, cooling each and pitching yeast. Would this be any different that doing a double batch in the same day?

For sanitation purposes, wouldn't the boil on Tuesday clear any issues that may crop up? Just thinking out loud as I am not sure I will have the time to perform a double brew on Tuesday. Thought please?

Thanks!

 

[Brewenstein]

The only thing I can think of is that they might sour between now and then. Grain has lactobacillus on it, and unless you heat it at least enough to kill it, you run that risk. I know that spent grain sitting for around for a day or more can get pretty rank.

 

[WissaBrewGuy]

You will probably end up with a sour beer. Even if you have a fridge big enough for the two batches, I don't think it'll stop lacto developement completely; as Brewenstein has said, you need to boil to eliminate lacto. Just to clarify, lacto exists no matter what in grain so no level of sanitation in the fermenter will prevent this from happening.

 

[ResumeMan]

Now, if you could run the mash into your kettle, heat the wort up to like 180-190, and then put it into a heat-tolerant container, you would probably be ok. The issue is that grain is loaded with lactobacillus, and that'll carry into the wort and will stay there till it's killed by heat.

 

[plankbr]

I guess I have misunderstood then. So making the wort and separating it from the grain is the same as leaving the mash going for more than a day?

 

[hnycrk]

I wouldn't do it. That's just me...

 

[apalke]

You should read previous posts about botulism and mash/wort that is left around for extended periods of time:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/sour-mashing-botulism-danger-155113/

From what I gather even if the botulinum toxin is produced in your wort which you left in your fridge, it would be destroyed when you boil it... just don't go sampling the wort before you boil it in case the botulinum bacteria happened to flourish in your wort.

Of course, fermented beer is fine as the pH is lower and the alcohol and hops inhibit bacterial growth.

 

[ResumeMan]

Yeah, it really isn't botulism that's an issue here, it's the lacto, wild yeast and other assorted nasties that would ruin the quality of the beer, not make it dangerous. Bottom line is, wort that comes off a mash needs to be pasteurized somehow in pretty short order to make a good beer.

 

[WissaBrewGuy]

By the way ResumeMan, I love your Linux Penguin!

 

[wi_brewer]

Why not brew one batch today and one on Tuesday?

You said that the reason you are contemplating this is because you don't know if you will have time to do 2 batches on Tuesday. Instead of brewing half of 2 batches on Friday and half of 2 batches on Tuesday, brew one batch Friday and one batch Tuesday.

 

[plankbr]

Why not brew one batch today and one on Tuesday?

You said that the reason you are contemplating this is because you don't know if you will have time to do 2 batches on Tuesday. Instead of brewing half of 2 batches on Friday and half of 2 batches on Tuesday, brew one batch Friday and one batch Tuesday.

Actually that is what I'm going to do. Front porch brew this evening. I wasn't aware of lactobacillus (I thought it was something you added to beer to sour it). Rookie me!

 

[apalke]

Yeah, it really isn't botulism that's an issue here, it's the lacto, wild yeast and other assorted nasties that would ruin the quality of the beer, not make it dangerous. Bottom line is, wort that comes off a mash needs to be pasteurized somehow in pretty short order to make a good beer.

Not to run this thread off on another tangent (especially since the OP has stated he has changed his mind about his plans), but botulism would potentially be an issue. This is especially true as even if you pasteurize the wort for lacto and other bacteria/yeast, you're not going to kill the botulism bacteria unless you pressure can the wort.

This is not to say that the botulism bacteria would sour the wort. The reason the botulin toxin is actually so dangerous is that it doesn't smell or taste. I'm only saying, if you were to do this, don't taste the wort until after you boil it.

 

[ResumeMan]

Not to run this thread off on another tangent (especially since the OP has stated he has changed his mind about his plans), but botulism would potentially be an issue. This is especially true as even if you pasteurize the wort for lacto and other bacteria/yeast, you're not going to kill the botulism bacteria unless you pressure can the wort.

This is not to say that the botulism bacteria would sour the wort. The reason the botulin toxin is actually so dangerous is that it doesn't smell or taste. I'm only saying, if you were to do this, don't taste the wort until after you boil it.

Yes, that's true, that the wort could be potentially dangerous *until it was boiled.* The standard boil, as I understand it, would eliminate the danger, but you're right that if the wort was sitting around awhile it could potentially be dangerous till it was boiled.