How do I cool runnings for taking SG?

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eviljafar

eviljafar

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Hi all.

I'm getting close to doing my first AG but I still have a couple of things to work out.

One of those things is how do people cool a sample of runnings to take a SG reading? Maybe you don't cool it at all and just adjust for temp?

Thanks, Jaf.
 
I just fill up a small cup and put it in a cold water bath. As long as the sample volume is small, then it should cool within 5 minutes.
 
I just throw mine in the freezer for a few minutes while I get the boil going. I plan to get a refractometer soon to avoid that whole situation but for now the freezer works fine for me.
 
Mythbusters on Discovery Channel did an episode on the fastest method to cool a sixpack. The coldest/fastest was ice, water, and salt. It got down to about 25 deg. F. Maybe a mason jar in an ice/water/salt bath. Haven't tried this so take it with a grain of salt. LOL.

ridebadger
 
It only takes about 10 minutes in the freezer but the salty icewater bath would do it nicely as well. Give the wort a little stir with the hydrometer every minute for 3 minutes and it should be 70F.
 
bradsul said:
I just throw mine in the freezer for a few minutes while I get the boil going...
Click to expand...
Did that once...forgot it.

Wort popsicle.

I toss my samply into my stainless steel pot I used throughout the brew process and drop it into my shop sink with cold tap water. Nice and shallow in the pot so it cools quick.
 
I used to use software to adjust for temp here. Now I use a refractometer. Bought it off ebay for $35. Figure I save a couple of pints just by not taking some much out for a sample.
 
I have always 1/4 filled a measuring cylinder with wort, then top up to 4/4 with water I've put in the fridge before I start brewing, then multiply reading by 4 (although this way you potentially lose some accuracy due to inability to read to 1/4 degree sg) - it seems i'm alone in doing this though
 
ridebadger said:
Mythbusters on Discovery Channel did an episode on the fastest method to cool a sixpack. The coldest/fastest was ice, water, and salt. It got down to about 25 deg. F. Maybe a mason jar in an ice/water/salt bath. Haven't tried this so take it with a grain of salt. LOL.
Click to expand...
Actually, the fastest method was the crazy fire extinguisher trick, but that's way impractical and beside the point.

I've used an ice + saltwater bath many times to quickly chill a few beers. It works very well.
 
if you have a ss cocktail shaker put the wort in there and then put the bottom into an ice/salt/water bath. I make iced coffee at work that way all the time.
 
I put in the sample jar and place in a jug and run cool tap water into it.
I don't always wait till it hits 20°C to check it. if I'm waiting and its <30°C then I'll adjust for temp in beersmith.
 
Madtown Brew said:
I just fill up a small cup and put it in a cold water bath. As long as the sample volume is small, then it should cool within 5 minutes.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I scoop out 3/4 cup with a small Pyrex measuring cup (that's what it takes to fill the test jar). Set that cup in a 2 qt. measuring cup - add some cold tap water - stir the wort a couple of times and it cools to 70 or so in 5 minutes.
 
Pretty close to what we do here.
Use a small aluminum pot, put in just enouh wort to fill your hydrometer vessel,
set in cold water (or on cold wet garage floor) for about 30 seconds while swirling and you are good to go.
Use this for quick check as the running are starting to get thin. If you are waiting for the wort to cool in a slow responding container, you may drop into the dreaded less then 1.00? area. Time is of the essense.
Use your bare wrist to judge temp quickly.
r
 
Oh come on, I can think of lots of ways of cooling beer faster...If more impractically :D...

Dry ice in ethanol comes to mind.

Liquid nitrogen does as well.

Sorry if they tried those two :p. But something tells me that they'll remove heat a little bit faster. And nowadays you can buy dry ice by the pound in your favorite big box store, so it is a plausible method ;).
 
aa8jzdial said:
Pretty close to what we do here.
Use a small aluminum pot, put in just enouh wort to fill your hydrometer vessel,
set in cold water (or on cold wet garage floor) for about 30 seconds while swirling and you are good to go.
Use this for quick check as the running are starting to get thin. If you are waiting for the wort to cool in a slow responding container, you may drop into the dreaded less then 1.00? area. Time is of the essense.
Use your bare wrist to judge temp quickly.
r
Click to expand...

Thanks aa8jzdial, this sounds just like what I'm after. I don't only want to check "just for the record", I want to stop sparging at or before 1.010.

I was concerned waiting for a few minutes for my sample to cool might give me a bunch of <1.010 wort in my kettle.

Or do people just close the spigot while they wait for their sample to cool? Or is close enough to 1.010 good enough for most people?
 
Is there a reason to hurry up and cool the runnings vs. just letting the sample sit and cool to room temp while you are busy brewing?
 
LouT said:
Is there a reason to hurry up and cool the runnings vs. just letting the sample sit and cool to room temp while you are busy brewing?
Click to expand...
If you're taking the sample for the purpose of knowing when to halt your runnings you need to know immediately. That's the reason I'm going to be getting a refractometer, instant readings and you only need a drop or two of wort. If you're batch sparging it's really not an issue at all. Just run out to your boil amount and be done. Your sparge water isn't in contact with the grains long enough to extract tannins.
 
orfy said:
If you miss your target gravity you may want to adjust or sparge more
Click to expand...

yep if im high I start hop additions early so I have more beer, if im low I boil it down more and have less beer.
 
fondue_coolrunnings_narrowweb__300x423,0.jpg


Ok, continue the intelligent discussion...
 
Now I understand. Figured you just adjust at end of boil and cooling like w/extract brews.
 

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