reddskinnfan
Well-Known Member
So I awoke this morning thinking that I would do my first AG batch. I started to grab "everything" I would need...
I started to fill my brew kettle with water, when it hit me... How the hell am I going to cool the wort after the boil???
See, up until now I have been doing extract w/steeped grain recipes... I had a 20 qt (5g) brewpot and a 60 qt (15g) brewpot, but never did a full boil. Needless to say, because of that fact, the 60 qt (15g) brewpot never was a thought in how I was gonna cool that beast. I usually just cooled the 20 qt (5g) in my sink, with an ice bath.
So needless to say, I didn't brew this morning.
Well, to make a long story even longer, I went to the LHBS to see what cooling methods they had for sale. Boy was I in for a shock.
$120 for an Immersion Chiller or $220 for a Chill Plate...
The Immersion Chiller was a dinky little thing, made of 3/8" copper (I think 20' worth), and the Chill Plate was a nice one, but WAY out of my budget.
I decided to go to HD (I love that place, and they love me). I found a roll of 3/8" x 50' copper tubing for the low low price of $35.99, so I picked it up. I also grabbed some reinforced vinyl tubing (20'), a 3/4" garden hose to 1/2" FIP adapter, and a 1/2" MIP to 3/8" barb.
Total cost = $60
I made my way home, and was thinking about the design of the chiller that I saw at the LHBS. I kinda looked like it would have fit perfectly around a corny keg.
My 60 qt (15g) brew kettle is much wider and shorter than a corny, so I decided to use a 5 g glass carboy as my form. I thought this might hurt the possibility of using the immersion chiller for a keggle (in the near future), but to my relief kegs are 16.5" wide, and usually the hole for a brewpot is about 12"-13", so my chiller would fit inside.
Any, now that the long story is over, I have an immersion chiller now! Hopefully I can do my first AG batch on Sunday!
I will most likely do a "First AG Batch Right Now" kind of post. Try to do it live and in living color!
I started to fill my brew kettle with water, when it hit me... How the hell am I going to cool the wort after the boil???
See, up until now I have been doing extract w/steeped grain recipes... I had a 20 qt (5g) brewpot and a 60 qt (15g) brewpot, but never did a full boil. Needless to say, because of that fact, the 60 qt (15g) brewpot never was a thought in how I was gonna cool that beast. I usually just cooled the 20 qt (5g) in my sink, with an ice bath.
So needless to say, I didn't brew this morning.
Well, to make a long story even longer, I went to the LHBS to see what cooling methods they had for sale. Boy was I in for a shock.
$120 for an Immersion Chiller or $220 for a Chill Plate...
The Immersion Chiller was a dinky little thing, made of 3/8" copper (I think 20' worth), and the Chill Plate was a nice one, but WAY out of my budget.
I decided to go to HD (I love that place, and they love me). I found a roll of 3/8" x 50' copper tubing for the low low price of $35.99, so I picked it up. I also grabbed some reinforced vinyl tubing (20'), a 3/4" garden hose to 1/2" FIP adapter, and a 1/2" MIP to 3/8" barb.
Total cost = $60
I made my way home, and was thinking about the design of the chiller that I saw at the LHBS. I kinda looked like it would have fit perfectly around a corny keg.
My 60 qt (15g) brew kettle is much wider and shorter than a corny, so I decided to use a 5 g glass carboy as my form. I thought this might hurt the possibility of using the immersion chiller for a keggle (in the near future), but to my relief kegs are 16.5" wide, and usually the hole for a brewpot is about 12"-13", so my chiller would fit inside.
Any, now that the long story is over, I have an immersion chiller now! Hopefully I can do my first AG batch on Sunday!
I will most likely do a "First AG Batch Right Now" kind of post. Try to do it live and in living color!
