Wort won't chill....

2 batches now, a Nut Brown & Holiday Ale, and both times it took 1 hr 15 minutes to get wort to chill to desired temp.

First time, I used an ice bath in my kitchen sink for 1 1/2 gallons but not enough ice. Second time, used big sink in my basement for 2 1/2 gallons w/ 5 bags of ice & it took the same amount of time.

For those that use ice bath, any tips or suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Kernsie

are you moving the water around so you don't get a pocket of hot water surrounding the pot? There is no way it should take that long for a partial boil.

...and since you are doing a partial, why not add cold water to help cool?

Add your top up water and it will cool it down almost immediately. I use to pitch right after adding it when I was doing extract, partial boil batches. NEver had a problem.

rdwj said:

are you moving the water around so you don't get a pocket of hot water surrounding the pot? There is no way it should take that long for a partial boil.

...and since you are doing a partial, why not add cold water to help cool?

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I move the pot clockwise but wasn't moving the ice around.

Also, I was following the directions (wort to 80 degrees then to primary then add rest of water) thinking it was a no-no to add cold water to the wort.

I read on here about freezing some of the additional water & using a ladel (sp?) over the ice but this seems like I'm opening the wort to infection.

I use an ice bath and also do only partial boils, and your cooling time does seem a bit long.

First, I would make sure that you're not just using ice, but ice water, and plenty of it. I use two large bags of ice, and mine cools fine.

Second, I'd be sure you have some circulation so you don't get a pocket of warm water around your kettle. I swirl the kettle around the sink to be sure that it's always in contact with the coldest water.

If that doesn't help, you may want to try freezing some sanitized water, and just dropping that block into your wort, in addition to your ice bath. I've never tried this method, but I've heard of others that have, and it seems to work good.

Ó Flannagáin said:

Add your top up water and it will cool it down almost immediately. I use to pitch right after adding it when I was doing extract, partial boil batches. NEver had a problem.

Click to expand...

will this lead to any off flavors? I thought I read somewhere that doing this can possibly lead to a wet cardboard-like taste.

Also, nice pic of Gordo. I figured that there must be some phans here. :rockin:

Kernsie said:

I move the pot clockwise but wasn't moving the ice around.

Click to expand...

I think that's your problem right there. Spinning the kettle isn't enough because you're just spinning it in a layer of warm water that surrounds the kettle. You need to make sure it's constantly in contact with cold water by swirling it around the sink or stirring the ice water.

Good luck!

Kernsie said:

will this lead to any off flavors? I thought I read somewhere that doing this can possibly lead to a wet cardboard-like taste.

Also, nice pic of Gordo. I figured that there must be some phans here. :rockin:

Click to expand...

I can't see why iy would. You're going to top off with water anyway.

I used to buy bags of ice from the store, then dump my hot wort on top of about 8+ pounds of ice. Don't worry about contamination: ice factories filter the water and quick-freeze it. Bacteria can't live in freezing temps.

I never had any off flavors. I don't see how this could contribute to off flavors.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'll be brewing again in 2 weeks so keep the tips coming.

FWIW: this board is great. People are friendly to newbs & seems like everyone helps others out. Glad I stumbled upon HBT.

I used to use the bathtub with 40 lbs of ice water and then stir the ice water with one hand and use my brew spoon to slowly stir the wort. Worked OK for partial boils. I'v since built an imersion chiller and I do full boils outside. Do make sure you give the wort and the icewater a stir now and again to keep the temperature differences minimal.

Cheesefood said:

Bacteria can't live in freezing temps.

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That's contrary to everything I've ever heard. They may not grow at those temperatures, but they can sure survive them.

This is what I was trying to avoid:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Oxidation

Specifically: The most significant cause of oxidation is hot-side aeration, which occurs when air is mixed into the wort at temperatures above about 80 degrees F.

So as long as I'm not splashing the cold water into the wort, I should be fine?