keggle wort chiller

[kjones]

I will be brewing a batch tommorrow using my 50' 1/2" immersion chiller in my keggle for the first time, I noticed that with 5 gallons of water in my keggle like more than half of the chiller is above the level of the water, is this gonna be a cooling and sanitation problem?

 

[Desert_Sky]

I have a 50' 1/2" just like yours and it takes about 10-15 minutes to get it to pitching temps

 

[k1v1116]

standard practice is to put the IC in the wort 15 minutes before the end of boil, the heat / steam should kill all the bad stuff

 

[Desert_Sky]

standard practice is to put the IC in the wort 15 minutes before the end of boil, the heat / steam should kill all the bad stuff

15 minutes to sanitize is the norm yes

 

[kjones]

standard practice is to put the IC in the wort 15 minutes before the end of boil, the heat / steam should kill all the bad stuff

Yeah, i know that, I was just wondering, bc as I stated above more than have of the chiller is out of the liquid. But, yeah I guess that the steam should take care of that portion.

 

[sigmund]

With half the chiller out of the wort, the cooling rates will be affected.

 

[EvilTOJ]

The cooling rates won't be affected at all. The cold water will warm up only slightly in the tube before it hits the tubing submersed in the boiling hot wort.

 

[bigben]

You'll be fine

You could brew a 6 gallon batch so you have an extra gallon of beer, and you can feel better about your IC being submersed.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

So far I can't even quite get my entire 25' chiller submerged in my keggle on 5g batches, so don't feel bad!

 

[sigmund]

The cooling rates won't be affected at all. The cold water will warm up only slightly in the tube before it hits the tubing submersed in the boiling hot wort.

Usually, when refering to the cooling rate, it refers to the cooling rate of the wort, not the water in the chiller. The less chiller in the wort, the lower the cooling rate for the wort.

 

[kjones]

thanks for all the replies,

What preboil volume do you guys usually start with ( I know, I know, yal are gonnna tell me to do it in beersmith, promash, etc... but, those programs confuse the hell out of me), usually i end up loosing more than i think, i was gonna aimfor like 7 gallon preboil this time and that should help with covering up my wort chiller if i come out with an amount closer to 5 gallons.

and also BG is for the preboil gravity and OG is gravity after with boil right?

 

[Jared311]

I would think that the steam would sanitize the portion of the chiller that is above the water level. However if you are worried then you can always sanitize it ahead of time or even right before.

 

[k1v1116]

the preboil volume is really hard to calculate because it depends on boil time and the power of your burner, a less powerful burner will cause less water to evaporate per hour and would require either a longer boil or lower volume. what i usually do is collect 6.5 to 7 gallons and boil down to 6 or just under before I start the timer on my 60 minute boil / hop additions. however a longer boil increase the formation of caramel and other color / flavor compounds so you should keep that in mind before collecting 10 gallons and boiling it down in the hopes of getting a higher gravity beer.

 

[sigmund]

6.5 gallons is a good number to shoot for in a pre-boil. You'll just have to track it for the next time and adjust according to your own techniques.

 

[Bobby_M]

I also shoot for about 1.5 gallons over my finished batch size so that's like 12.5 for an 11 gallon batch assuming a 60 minute boil.

 

[kjones]

is it cool if after you get done chilling and you dont get down cool enought just to go ahead and put it in the fermentor and put it in the freezer to cool it down to pitching temp even if it takes a few hrs. bc i was thinking after all as long as you get it below 90 with the chiller its ok right or not

 

[talleymonster]

I have this same problem. The brew kettle I'm looking at is huge. A 50' IC will be sticking out of the wort by more than half I'm afraid. My solution is to shape it around a much wider cylinder, making it short and stout.

 

[kjones]

I have this same problem. The brew kettle I'm looking at is huge. A 50' IC will be sticking out of the wort by more than half I'm afraid. My solution is to shape it around a much wider cylinder, making it short and stout.

i know even mega pots are fat and short i wish they would make a pot taller and slimmer

 

[ScubaSteve]

I have this same problem. The brew kettle I'm looking at is huge. A 50' IC will be sticking out of the wort by more than half I'm afraid. My solution is to shape it around a much wider cylinder, making it short and stout.

Or, just brew more beer to cover the chiller

 

[thePudwhack]

I'm not so sure the steam sterilizes the chiller, but I do remember getting a nice little burn the last time I touched mine after a couple minutes in the boil. Just because some of the IC is sticking out of the wort, this doesn't mean it isn't hot enough to be sterilized.

I've been using a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer, and I just got a shiny new 62 qt, SS Bayou Classic this week. I was focused on 11 gallon batches when I purchased it, and this issue never crossed my mind. I'm glad you brought it up.