How many batches before you bought a wort chiller?

I've brewed 6 batches or so, and am hoping to brew a few more before the end of the year. Chilling has been a big problem for me, but I've not bought a wort chiller because of funds and because my kitchen faucet is a bit weird. How long did it take most folks before they bit the bullet and bought a chiller?

a couple of batches....i have a ribcage that drops the temp quick but I don't like it.... I want to make a counterflow.

1 or 2 I basically built a Jamil Immersion chiller but did not add the pump until recently (after about 20 batches)

I bought mine the same time I bought my starter kit and 5 gallon kettle.

Zero. Bought it with my first starter kit. I don't even like waiting for ice baths with starter wort. Hmmm...I wonder if anyone makes a tiny little immersion chiller.

ICWiener said:

Zero. Bought it with my first starter kit. I don't even like waiting for ice baths with starter wort. Hmmm...I wonder if anyone makes a tiny little immersion chiller.

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hmmmmm sounds like a project

I have a 50 foot 1/2" immersion chiller. When my tap water is cool (like now), I run tap water for maybe 5 minutes then switch to ice water with a pump. Once the output from the chiller becomes cooler that tap water, I recirculate the ice water instead of using it 'one-shot'. It takes maybe 15 minutes to cool a 5-gal batch down to pitching temps.

0. I bought one off of ebay while I was waiting for my first kit to be shipped.

Counter flow wort chiller is the way to go. I build a 50 ft counter flow wort chiller and I'm able to take 10 gallons of wort from 212 F to 60 F in 10 minutes. I used the DYI section and YouTube in order to build the device. Best way to cool wort I've found to date.

0.. one of the best things you will ever buy

I currently don't use any chiller at all.

I chilled the first couple with ice baths in my sink. Since then, I have pretty much just let mine cool on the back deck.

... maybe about twenty plus batches.

Zero, like a few others. I made mine before I made my first batch. 20ft of 3/8" copper. With stirring, it'll take a 5 gal batch down to 68-70F in 8 minutes, give or take.

Never bought one, used a keg tub with ice, water and salt. That dropped 5.5gal from boiling to 70 in about 10 minutes with stirring. Recently moved to 1 gal batches and do the same thing in the kitchen sink now. They are nice, but there are other methods, just never saw it as a necessity.

I'm 20+ batches in and I still don't use a chiller. Ive done no chill or ice bathes with full boils and have not had a problem with clarity or off favors. You can see straight through most of my beers with time and Irish moss.

I've brewed on and off for 20 years and don't have a chiller. If/when I try all grain I suspect I'll need one.

My immersion chiller cold water in hose blew a hole the other day. Turned my back while chilling for 5 mins, came back to find water spraying everywhere. Thought for sure the batch was ruined, luckily I had the cover on the kettle just enough, and the hose blow out was spraying the water down away from the kettle. I've had to tighten the hose clamps before to stop very small leaks, but never thought the hose would rupture.

2 partial boils moved to full boils and built a chiller.

I probably did half dozen batches before I got chiller.
I was going to make one and the price of copper was so high that I just bought one.
It saves a TON of time on brewing day. I brew after my daughter goes to bed so it was either a very late night, or I pitched the yeast in the morning before work.

Bought my IC after brewing my first batch. Worth every penny, IMO.

I made the first IC, and that took way to long to cool 12gal. Now I have a plate chiller and it takes less 10min to cool 12 gal and I get a great cold break!!

I made two batches before making my own 20' chiller. I've only used it once, but it definitely made chilling easier.

mikescooling said:

I made the first IC, and that took way to long to cool 12gal. Now I have a plate chiller and it takes less 10min to cool 12 gal and I get a great cold break!!

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Do you recirculate the wort back into the kettle? I've always wondered how cold break works with a plate or counter flow chiller.

And to stay on topic. Zero. Used an IC on my first batch and then built a CF chiller, it clogged to often and I went back to the IC.

1st batch was partial boil then ice bath in the sink.

From 2+ Therminator and pond pump in ice bath

I've tried immersion, counterflow, and no chill. All have their pros and cons.

Therminator has cleaning and clogging issues, but are easily overcome.

Counterflow seems to be the best overall, but does not perform as efficiently as the Therminator.

Immersion is pretty slow due to high ground water temps

No chill affected late hop schedule and started to notice cracks around the bottom edge of ferm buckets.

IMHO nothing touches plate chiller + pump in ice bath + recirculation as far as performance, time, separation of cold break, and water usage.

But you can't go wrong with counterflow, and they are pretty easy to build.

Dan said:

Do you recirculate the wort back into the kettle? I've always wondered how cold break works with a plate or counter flow chiller.

And to stay on topic. Zero. Used an IC on my first batch and then built a CF chiller, it clogged to often and I went back to the IC.

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I have pumped pre&post boil wart through the plate chiller, and Whirlpooled the BK; I just don't turn the cold water on. But it's so much work setting that up and to clean, I gravity feed the plate chiller now and still get a great cold break. We have 55F water all year. Thread jack over sorry, my bad.

Went maybe four batches before I made my first IC. Went through a couple of versions before getting my first plate chiller (Rebel Brewer ChillHog 4000). Upgraded to a larger Duda Diesel 40 plate chiller maybe a year ago. Pumps do make it easier with a plate chiller. I recirculate to sanitize the chiller and then to get the wort to a good point for its final run into primary. Using a hop spider makes keeping crud out of the chiller easy.

again. Sorry.

Mike, when you talk about cold break using a gravity system, does that break land in the fermenter?

Yes, it is amazing how much stuff ends up in the ferementer, it's big and fluffy looking, then the yeast comes and shreds it.

I did 4 before getting a chiller and just did my first one with the chiller. What a difference. Time and stress saved from ice baths is awesome. I have recenlty been reading about people leaving their wort overnight to cool though. Apparently the "cold break" isn't as important as some people seem to think. Or so I've read.

Either way, my immersion chiller and pump have already made up their cost to me in time saved.

I made my IC after probably around 10 batches. It makes for a much smoother and relaxing brew day, but I don't even bother using it during the warmer months, where the groundwater here in NC is pretty warm. Well worth the time and cost to build or buy one IMO.

I did one batch without a chiller. That was enough to know I needed to buy one.

No need for those clumsy copper rolls just pour the hot wort into a no chill cube and let nature take it course.

I'm making my IC this weekend. 50 feet. 1/2 diameter. I'm so tired of the ice bath thing.

Built mine while my first kit was in the mail. I also repurposed an old Hayden 457 oil cooler as a pre-chiller since our tap water can get pretty warm during the summer.

My current IC is 50' of 3/8" copper, I'm thinking of modifying it with another 50', connecting them together in parallel with 1/2" hose ends. I plan to go to partial 10 gallon brews, but since I haven't started that yet, I'll probably wait until next spring for that project.

Good luck!

13-14 batches for me, only because I'm frugal. Finally bought one from ny brew supply a few months back and I'm now wondering why I waited so long. They are so convenient.

Ok, so I brew on my kitchen stove, and am unable to fit my 10 gallon pot into my kitchen sink to chill. More than anything, this is what makes me want to get a wort chiller.

But I don't know if my faucet will work with an IC or a PC. It's a pull out kitchen faucet with a sprayer (this one: http://www.moen.com/salora/chrome-one-handle-low-arc-pullout-kitchen-faucet/_/R-CONSUMER:7570C )

Anyone know which attachment works w one of these? Thanks.

I did 20+ batches just chilling in a ice bath. In the sink at first when I was still brewing with extract then on to a huge tub I could fill with water and ice and stick my larger boil pot in when I moved to all grain. Both worked well and would get down fairly fast. Since building an immersion chiller I am kicking myself for not building one sooner. I am down to around 70 in 10 minutes or less with a 50ft 3/8 coil using my ultra cold well water.

1 batch. I built a 50ft' 1/2 immersion chiller. From 210 to 70 in 15 minutes, easy. Shortened brewing time and its fun to watch. Definitely a good investment.

Once I started doing full boils, I made my own 50' copper immersion chiller. Bought the copper from Home Depot, along with a spring style pipe bender for use with flexible piping. Used a corny as the guide, has worked great for many years now.

After my first ice bath, I had an IC on the way. Wasn't about to do that again...spent $8.00 on ice and it still took 30 minutes. Plus, I didn't care for the idea of hauling near boiling liquid over to the ice bath. I'm a fan of IC's personally...I capture the excess water and use it for cleaning.

I've made 3 batches with ice baths now (lucky to have a large kitchen sink), but it's a PITA. I'm updating some equipment and a wort chiller is on the list for sure. I think some issues I had with the batches were due to an less-effective cold break.