breisspastor

Recipes 

I know, I am too cheap for my own good, but I can not get myself to buy a copper or stainless steal wort chiller and I am not skilled enough to make one. What are some other options that I can use? is there nothing else that works like a wort chiller ? Or should just pony up and buy one..... oh and happy Easter...

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breisspastor

Jonnio

Recipes 

How much wort are you trying to cool? I do pretty well filling my 5gal pot (which has 3.5 - 4 gal of wort in it) with cold water and doing an ice bath.

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breisspastor

Recipes 

About 2-4 gallons....What if you don't have ice around....Is there anthing that I can Fill and freeze and that I can submerge in the wort? What can take the heat of freshly boiling wort?

Are you suggesting that I put water into the wort itself to cool it down? I have never thought about that... I have always put it in the Primary...Hmm.

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breisspastor

beerbuddy

Recipes 

In the winter I fill up a yard bucket with snow and water. The slush mixture will cool down 5 gallons in about 20 minutes. But I know I'm going to have to pony up and get a chiller soon.

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chefmike

Recipes 

I will build a wort chiller eventually, but until then I put my brew pot in the sink. I have a double sink, so I plug one side and fill it with cold water and run a small stream, letting the excess (and heat) overflow into thesecond sink and drain. Stir every few minutes. I do a split pot boil and have the whole thing done in 45 minutes, usually 20 per pot 212 to 75 degrees. Tap water running about 65 here in north Geargia.

Just make sure the pot is pinned so that thin stream of water running does not go into your wort! It is not perfect, but it is working and buys me some time to save some money for a wort chiller later!

I hope this helps. Criticism is welcome, but I do a thousand things that would horrify some on here, and I am still drinking good beer.

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Yooper

Recipes 

What I always did when I did smaller boils was put cold water in the sink, adding ice from the freezer to the ice bath. Then, when it was less than 100 degrees (and it only took about 15 minutes, if your stir the ice bath and add cold water as needed while draining the warmer water or sticking it in the other sink if you have a double and running more cold water into that sink), I added to my bucket with cold tap water. Gave me a perfect 70 degrees in about 20-25 minutes.

Some people boil and cool two gallons of water (like in sanitized ice cream pails) and then freeze that and use that as their top off water in the bucket. I've never tried that- but if you do, try to ensure the wort doesn't get too cold.

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Big "A"

Recipes 

If you have the freezer space you could try one of these: http://www.hospitalitysupplyonline.com/store/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=60&osCsid=cf14696ce97b9394dde0 395b2def55fe

Great little things I don't have space for it but it can be sanitzed and reused over and over. If you have two I am sure you could cool wort down He((a fast!!!

Hoppy Brewing!

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chemist308

Recipes 

Having made my first wort chiller today, I have to disagree with the idea that any skill level is required to make one. All you need is 25 or 30 feet of rolled copper and gallon paint can for a guide as to minimum diameter. What I did with mine was unroll it, then roll it to the diameter required, being careful not to kink it. Then I used a compression fitting which basically screwed right on. Then I screwed a garden hose attachment to the compression fitting. The end.

Here's a tip. A good local hardware store--not Lowes, but a smaller shop like a True Value--will take the time to help you get every piece you need. Just tell them what your looking to attach the copper tubing to--ie: attach to a sink, attach to a garden hose or attach to some vinyl hose to be gravity fed by an ice bath. A good shop will even show you briefly how it goes together. Mine did. But here's something I found on the web before I decided to make it:

http://www.allaboutbeer.com/homebrew/equip/chiller.html

Edit: By the way, what I made does not look as pretty as the stuff for sale in my LHBS shop, and the diameter isn't 100% consistent throughout the roll, but I'm sure it will cool my wort. My total bill was about $10 since I already had the rolled copper laying around.

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breisspastor

Recipes 

TRapi-Kool™ Quick Chill Freezable Containers -These things look awesome! I wonder if they cool quicker then a Metal chiller? Don't need a water source! Sanitize and stir! sweet... Thanks.

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breisspastor

Brewpastor

Recipes 

Copper is expensive, so buy carefully, but none-the-less, I would say get/build a copper chiller. You will love it, show it off to your friends, and post pictures of the DIY build. In short there is no good reason not to. You will spend the cost in cheap beer in no time.

Yes, happy Easter.

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