Sat May 20, 2006 10:28 pm
Im fairly new to brewing myself, but from what I know: leaving the wort overnight just increases your chances of getting nasties (contamination) going. Let the wort cool down on it's own helps in promoting wild yeast and bacteria growth - your wort will be at a temp optimal for the bugs to grow. All this is true unless the wort is sealed in the kettle and that will create other problems, the cooling wort will create a vacuum in the kettle that will be a pain in the arse to open! Also, rapid chilling of the wort will cause a cold break causing proteins to condense and drop out of solution. These are proteins you want to leave behind...if you want better beer.
Hope that helps,
Brewbear
BEER, not just for breakfast any more!