who needs a wort chiller??

[n00bBrew3r]

i got my 5 gallon batch down to 76 degrees from boiling in 10 minutes by A: refrigerated water and B: ice. used 3 gallons of really cold distilled water and and some ice and cold water from the sink, took no time at all 15 minutes maximum...seriously. now it's sitting downstairs where it's around 68 degrees.

 

[NTXBrauer]

I agree that this will work, and have done the same in the past. It becomes difficult to chill with ice and water when you brew with 10+ gallon kettles. I have chilled in a swimming pool in the winter, when the water was in the low 40s, but otherwise I find an IC to work best. You can cut your time in half with an immersion chiller and should achieve a better cold break using one.

 

[roccobrews]

An ice bath can get the job done but at what cost? I remember I was spending 6-10 bucks on bags of ice plus whatever my fridge produced to get to decent pitching temp. Depending on how much you brew will determine if a wort chiller will pay dividends.

 

[jfk69]

I just bought a wort chiller and would say, other than my larger brew kettle, it is the best investment I've made. It saves me $4-6 in ice each time, and took my wort from boiling to 65 degrees in less than 10 minutes. I wonder why I waited so long to get one. At the price of ice, it will take 12 batches to break even on it. Well worth it.

 

[brew_ny]

i got my 5 gallon batch down to 76 degrees from boiling in 10 minutes by A: refrigerated water and B: ice. used 3 gallons of really cold distilled water and and some ice and cold water from the sink, took no time at all 15 minutes maximum...seriously. now it's sitting downstairs where it's around 68 degrees.

did you pitch your yeast at the 76 or 68 ? what yeast ?

you might find that to be a bit warm for ale yeasts

all the best

S_M

 

[jrgtr42]

I'm going to ask what the volume cooled was? And was the refrigerated water used as top-off or just a bath?
When I was doing partial boils, I would do that. I would end up with roughly 3 gallons post boil, I would ice bath it down around 100 or 120, depending on how patient I was that day. I would have a couple gallon jugs water in my freezer, getting as cold as it could without being fully solid. I didn't even mind some slush / ice crystals in there. Pour 1 gallon into the fermenter, add the lukewarm wort, then top off with the second. It would usually end up somewhere around 70degrees.
Since I went to full boil, this is not an option. I would spend a couple hours minimum cooling it down, several changes of water etc.
I built a wort chiller this fall, and get things to 60 - 65 degrees in 15 minutes.
You tell me which is better. short time, not as much water used, or spending all that time chilling.

 

[Bobby_M]

who needs a wort chiller??.

Famous last words. Before you know it you'll be doing full boil extracts and then all grain where cold water topup isn't possible and ice baths aren't practical.

 

[n00bBrew3r]

I remember I was spending 6-10 bucks on bags of ice plus whatever my fridge produced to get to decent pitching temp.

i just used some of the ice in my freezer with the refrigerated water.

 

[poptarts]

Famous last words. Before you know it you'll be doing full boil extracts and then all grain where cold water topup isn't possible and ice baths aren't practical.

this

 

[RM-MN]

Yes, I'm to the point of doing full volume boil and chilling it in a tub of ice water was taking a long time so I've graduated to no-chill. Sanitize the fermenter bucket and lid, dump the boiling wort in, pop the lid on and put a minimal amount of Starsan in the airlock so it can't be sucked into the fermenter and set it in a cool room. 36 hours later I open the lid and pitch the yeast, fill up the airlock and let it ferment.

 

[Queequeg]

76 F isn't cool enough imo. Pitch colder than the ferm temp and them warm it to ferm temp. The batch I did last week was with my new plate chiller. My pitch temp was 60F and the yeast was pitched from a starter I had crashed in the fridge.

For me the ice bath method dosn't work (even when I used to do partial mash batches) the bath just ends up hot. Even when I had the cooling coil as well it would take 30 mins.

Its seems to me people make serious exagerated claims about how good there cooling is. The fact is their pitch temp is too high. As temp differential lessens the rate of cooling decreases. Going from 212F to 104F might take 5 mins but getting to 68 is going to take expotentially longer. Getting to 60 or thereabouts even more so.

 

[Queequeg]

Yes, I'm to the point of doing full volume boil and chilling it in a tub of ice water was taking a long time so I've graduated to no-chill. Sanitize the fermenter bucket and lid, dump the boiling wort in, pop the lid on and put a minimal amount of Starsan in the airlock so it can't be sucked into the fermenter and set it in a cool room. 36 hours later I open the lid and pitch the yeast, fill up the airlock and let it ferment.

Do you get any DMS flavours?

 

[RM-MN]

Do you get any DMS flavours?

I haven't yet but I haven't done many that way either. I've been a bit cautious about wasting my beers. The Aussies pioneered no-chill due to the lack of water but they store them in airtight containers for long periods of time instead of just letting the wort slow chill and piyching when cool.

 

[JINKS]

I didn't have a wort chiller at that particular time. Worked ok took about 3 hours to cool down to pitching temps. No Infection.

 

[wtfDean]

+1 to all the individuals pointing out that cold water top up is not possible when brewing all grain. When you graduate to the harder stuff you might find yourself wishing you had that immersion chiller.

 

[petrolSpice]

I chill the top off water also, it gets down to about 40F in the fridge. I then chill the 2-2.5 gal of wort down to around 100F, and then adding the cooled water gets it into the 60's before pitching.

 

[Jupapabear]

Wort chiller brings me to 68° in 15-20 minutes. That's clean up time. I couldn't stand planning on my ice baths. They usually took me 30-45 minutes. And I can to stand near by to stir every once and awhile, where now I have free time.

Jupapabear

 

[RM-MN]

I didn't have a wort chiller at that particular time. Worked ok took about 3 hours to cool down to pitching temps. No Infection.

It would have cooled down much quicker if you hadn't wrapped it in all that white insulation. Now if you had put it in a tub of water and put the white insulation stuff in the water it would have cooled in about 30 minutes provided you kept adding the white stuff as it melted away.

 

[Hello]

Who needs one? I do. Ice baths were a PITA and no way could I cool to below 100 on the time you claim when I did partial boils. Try cooling 6 gallons even 10 gallons like that. I could not in any decent amount of time. My pot doesn't even fit in a sink nor will I drag it upstairs to a bathtub.

 

[JINKS]

It would have cooled down much quicker if you hadn't wrapped it in all that white insulation. Now if you had put it in a tub of water and put the white insulation stuff in the water it would have cooled in about 30 minutes provided you kept adding the white stuff as it melted away.

I think the old lady would have been upset with me running through the house with shovelfuls of dirty snow.

 

[KingBubbaTruck]

Even with Extract brewing, I find a full volume boil and wort chiller to yield better results.

Not a fan of topping off. For whatever reason, I always found topping off led to off flavors. Could have been just my water, etc, YMMV.

With full boils and a wort chiller, I use the outflow from the wort chiller to water my trees. I live in the desert and they need the water anyway, so might as well use it twice.

 

[RM-MN]

I think the old lady would have been upset with me running through the house with shovelfuls of dirty snow.

I have a cheap plastic tub that I take out to where the snow is instead of bringing the snow inside. It really works well when the outside temperature is -30.:rockin:

 

[soccerdad]

Wort chiller is very nice to have, but just might not be THE most important thing beginning brewer needs. The no chill brewers have pretty much proven (or at least clearly demonstrated) that NC does not increase DMS concerns, has no negative impact on flavor, still allows cold break material to develop, and saves water. Getting water profiles right and controlling ferm temps - IMHO - is more important than quick chilling

 

[brew_ny]

controlling ferm temps

this is huge, I have done about 8 brews(all grain) so far no chill and they have been great

getting ready to do 2 more this week

all the best

S_M

 

[fuelish]

...oops...wrong thread....nevermind

 

[JINKS]

I have a cheap plastic tub that I take out to where the snow is instead of bringing the snow inside. It really works well when the outside temperature is -30.:rockin:

Thats a good idea, don't have one of those either. Although since my original post I have acquired a wort chiller.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Wort chiller is very nice to have, but just might not be THE most important thing beginning brewer needs. The no chill brewers have pretty much proven (or at least clearly demonstrated) that NC does not increase DMS concerns, has no negative impact on flavor, still allows cold break material to develop, and saves water. Getting water profiles right and controlling ferm temps - IMHO - is more important than quick chilling

For extract beer, I'd disagree about water with the exception of removing chlorine/chloramine. Scrub those out, use yeast nutrient, and you're good to go.

Ferm temps, yes. However, my first couple batches I always got impatient with slow chilling and pitched way too hot.

And yeah, everyone here is right. Once you go past partial boils and topping off, and start doing full boils or bigger batches, your ice trick no longer works. With my ~50ft IC, I can chill 5+ gallons from boiling down into the 50s in 10-15 minutes easily, and more like 5 minutes if I babysit it stirring the chiller and use my recirculating pump w/ ice water instead of just cold tap water.

 

[wtfDean]

I have a cheap plastic tub that I take out to where the snow is instead of bringing the snow inside. It really works well when the outside temperature is -30.:rockin:

Incorrect. Nothing works well when the temperature is -30 outside. Nothing.

 

[poptarts]

Making ice beer does