Cooling Wort the Michigan way

so i forgot the ice... so what would any good Michigander do?
why he would stick his brew pot in a snow bank!...

took about 1/2 hour, wich isnt my fastest time...but still...for 11 degrees and a snow bank its not bad!heh

BTW it's a bold series russian stout that i am very stoked about getting in the bottle and trying one in a few months! patience for the win!

Joel

WarlokJoel said:

so i forgot the ice... so what would any good Michigander do?
why he would stick his brew pot in a snow bank!...

took about 1/2 hour, wich isnt my fastest time...but still...for 11 degrees and a snow bank its not bad!heh

BTW it's a bold series russian stout that i am very stoked about getting in the bottle and trying one in a few months! patience for the win!

Joel

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Usually setting it in a snowbank wouldn't be enough,,,,the snow would melt around the hot pot and no longer make contact with it,and continue to cool it (an ice bath would be better)...but this week.....



(just don't touch your tongue to the pot...ok?)

Revvy said:

Usually setting it in a snowbank wouldn't be enough,,,,the snow would melt around the hot pot and no longer make contact with it,and continue to cool it (an ice bath would be better)...but this week.....



(just don't touch your tongue to the pot...ok?)

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It would be that way Rev if the windchill around here wasnt in the freeking negitive teens, the cold wind would pull heat away from a hot steal pot (aluminium even more so) so fast you wouldnt know what hit you... I plan on useing this method this weekend when i brew.

Cheers

I just got done brewing and my fingers partially stuck to the propane tank when I brought it in...

Dec 31st I brewed at brewstir's place, and when both burners hit flameout the temp dropped rapidly and the sanitzer bucket and stuff in it got iced glazed...and that was nowhere near as cold as we have it now...

Be careful brewing outdoors this weekend michibrewers....

Revvy said:

Dec 31st I brewed at brewstir's place, and when both burners hit flameout the temp dropped rapidly and the sanitzer bucket and stuff in it got iced glazed...and that was nowhere near as cold as we have it now...

Be careful brewing outdoors this weekend michibrewers....

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Im useing the kitchen... Thank god for DeathBrewer and his Easy Stove Top Thread... i have been wanting to try it and now i get to and i dont have to freeze my ass off

Cheers

i am definitely using a snow bank on my next brew

What about us AZ brewers? It's going to be 80F this weekend.
We're stuck using icebaths and ICs I guess.

Wait! Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm on your side.

skadalajara said:

What about us AZ brewers? It's going to be 80F this weekend.
We're stuck using icebaths and ICs I guess.

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Oh you're right, We feel so sorry you. Get outta here!!

With windchill isn't it like -25 today?

you could dump your wort into your carboy and it'll freeze on the way in. Well maybe not.

-40 with windchill here, -20 F without.

yep -20 static temp..... It's so cold I wore a coat today.

I have found that the snowbank technique is actually pretty slow if it the pot is allowed to melt down into the snow.

The snow even if you keep packing it in against the pot, actually INSULATES the pot and keeps the heat in. Especially if the lid is on.

It works better but still slow if it is exposed to the air and allowed to have the wind blow on it. Also stirring of course helps because you are moving the hot wort around so that is does not cool on the outer edge and stay hot in the center.

Just my 2 cents. I use my IC oustide as it is much faster. Though I won't be brewing today...

Ocalla Florida, where my old cottage mate from min school has his church is ALSO under a windchill warning today...with a base temp of 39 degrees...

When I lived in Florida people would whine that 59 was cold....

Of course who here wouldn't LOVE it to be a balmy 39 today?

Hmm I wonder if it isn't windy if you just drain your kettle into your bucket fermenter from 6ft up how cold the wort would be once it gets in the fermenter, don't drain too quick...

Zymurgrafi said:

I have found that the snowbank technique is actually pretty slow if it the pot is allowed to melt down into the snow.

The snow even if you keep packing it in against the pot, actually INSULATES the pot and keeps the heat in. Especially if the lid is on.

It works better but still slow if it is exposed to the air and allowed to have the wind blow on it. Also stirring of course helps because you are moving the hot wort around so that is does not cool on the outer edge and stay hot in the center.

Just my 2 cents. I use my IC oustide as it is much faster. Though I won't be brewing today...

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+1, snow IS 32 degrees. Wind...different story but ice water is best. So throw the snow in your sink full of water with your brew kettle.

It does help to drop the temp some when transffering outdoors. Depending on the temp. I brewed last month and chilled my beer to the high seventies and after transfer to the chilled carboy (from being outside) it was in the low sixties by the time it was full. The temp was in the single digits. So I imagine below 0 temps would give you a bigger drop.

Oh you all with immersion chillers, don't forget to blow them out with compressed air, or just bring inside to dry out.

You don't want them to freeze up and possibly crack, like decojuicer posted last week. Where he ended up dumping (actually flinging across the yard) a 10 gallon batch of swartzbeer, that suddenly became 15 gallons due to a leak in it from simply leaving it in his garage like he normally would.

If you don't have a compresser, you could maybe try to get a can of compressed air (like to blow off your computers) or even try to *ahem* blow your chiller yourself. I blew mine last week.

But even just bringing it indoors would probably be a good idea.

I'm thinking of getting some good waterproof insulated gloves. Last time I brewed it was 32F. It was still enough to freeze my fingers off.

Detro Metro is having an unusually harsh winter. I was visiting my family around Xmas and it was awful. It saddens me that roads no longer get plowed. .

Revvy said:

or even try to *ahem* blow your chiller yourself. I blew mine last week.

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You must have one heck of a Chiropractor.

(just don't touch your tongue to the pot...ok?)

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Triple Dog Dare Ya

What about us AZ brewers? It's going to be 80F this weekend.

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He is exagerating, the high is only going to be 76.

*ducks* so the snowballs fly overhead and runs

My native Pittsburgh is -3 if that makes anyone feel better.

If you are planning on using a snow bank to chill with, you need to have enough area and snow to repeatedly move it to a new pile, pack arround and stir the brew to move the arround equilizing the chilling.

I did this on my first batch. Moved it 6 times and repeatedly packed the snow arround to contact the surface while stirring to circulate the fluid and enhance the energy transfer.

5.5 gal cooled from 212 to 70 deg in 28 min. I'd say that's a reasonable time for chilling in the snow.

Granted I can't wait to try my new IC that came in the mail this weekend!
2nd batch will be a Heff as I need a quick beer in 3 weeks to serve with the first at the first Brew party... (I'm introducing the neighbors to brewing) They have expressed interest and want to sample some while learning... I figure what a better time than that to brew some... Drink some... and have some great fresh home made Pizza (former job way back in HS)

Revvy said:

Usually setting it in a snowbank wouldn't be enough,,,,the snow would melt around the hot pot and no longer make contact with it,and continue to cool it (an ice bath would be better)...but this week.....



(just don't touch your tongue to the pot...ok?)

Click to expand...

As usual you are correct....i did have to move the pot 3 times to get a nice pack on it... but with the wind chill last nite it was pretty awesome how fast it went! ... just had to be careful not to get snow in the pot, didnt wanna infect it trying to be cheap!heh

jeol

Zenman said:

He is exagerating, the high is only going to be 76.

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In my defense, I am a New England native. Camped in NH in late fall/early winter. X-country skiied to work when I lived in Boston. Plus, I was homeless for 3+ years in Boston. Spt in a park under a snowdrift more than once.
I'll never go back to cold.
Of course, I can't brew here 8 months out of the year cos nowhere in my house drops below 90F during the day from March to November.

I just cooled my 3 gallon partial boil from 210F to 75F in 11 minutes using the snow bank method. I was quite happy with the cold temps and fresh snow today.

+1 to this thread.

I brewed yesterday and halfway through the boil realized all the hoses I use for my chiller were frozen solid.

10 degrees and a lot of snow in upstate NY, it was a foregone conclusion to MacGuyver it in a snowbank.

Took about 20 mins to go from 212 to 96, I probably could have stirred it more for faster results but I was on a timetable.

Cool another local guy!

I just bottled my Bold Series Russian Imperial Stout the other day. Its been in the primary for 5 weeks. I am going to let it sit for a few weeks before I crack the first bottle to test it.

You guys are a brave sort up there in the great North. -20,-40 w/ windchill. hell I don't think I would even bother moving it around in a snowbank, I'd just set it conveniently a few feet outside the door and let nature do it's thing...yea I'm lazy but it would be fine. Temps like those I'd be concerned about overchilling and getting a slow start to the yeast. lol

Even though it was in the 80s in LA a week ago, I was able to cool down 6 gallons in my 55-degree swimming pool (put it on an upside down pot on the second step and was able to get the temp down to 65 degrees in under a half hour...lots of stirring).

You would probably be better off just setting it on the concrete than in a snow mound. The snow will probably insulate the pot, keeping the heat inside. If you set it on the concrete the wind and ambient air is going to cool it much quicker.