Hi All,
Lately I've been thinking about reworking my end of boil/ cooling process and was hoping to get some opinions on the different options I'm considering (I'm sure there are plenty of you all out there that use one of the two methods I'm thinking of). The two options I'm considering are as follows:
1) Jamil-style immersion chiller with recirc arm (whirlpool).
I'm sure most of you are familiar with this method, it's been well documented, but it essentially uses a pump to pull the hot wort from the bottom of the kettle and pumps it through an extra tube on the immersion chiller across the cooling coil, which produces a whirlpool and (when you turn the chill water on) will cool at a more rapid pace than an immersion chiller on it's own.
2) Hopback and plate chiller
Since I have a great deal of respect for Blichmann, I would probably go from the kettle, to pump, to Hoprocket to Therminator. I don't have much experience with plate chillers on a homebrew scale, but I've heard mixed reviews about using one.
I assume both of these methods would chill well enough, but I'm also curious about any differences in hop character each method adds to the beer.
I'm sure very few of you have experience using both methods, but I'd love to hear input if you use one of these methods... how you feel about it and the pros and cons in your opinion. And, if you have used both methods, I'd love to hear how you feel about one vs the other.
Thanks a bunch!!
Lately I've been thinking about reworking my end of boil/ cooling process and was hoping to get some opinions on the different options I'm considering (I'm sure there are plenty of you all out there that use one of the two methods I'm thinking of). The two options I'm considering are as follows:
1) Jamil-style immersion chiller with recirc arm (whirlpool).
I'm sure most of you are familiar with this method, it's been well documented, but it essentially uses a pump to pull the hot wort from the bottom of the kettle and pumps it through an extra tube on the immersion chiller across the cooling coil, which produces a whirlpool and (when you turn the chill water on) will cool at a more rapid pace than an immersion chiller on it's own.
2) Hopback and plate chiller
Since I have a great deal of respect for Blichmann, I would probably go from the kettle, to pump, to Hoprocket to Therminator. I don't have much experience with plate chillers on a homebrew scale, but I've heard mixed reviews about using one.
I assume both of these methods would chill well enough, but I'm also curious about any differences in hop character each method adds to the beer.
I'm sure very few of you have experience using both methods, but I'd love to hear input if you use one of these methods... how you feel about it and the pros and cons in your opinion. And, if you have used both methods, I'd love to hear how you feel about one vs the other.
Thanks a bunch!!