Wort cooling question

"Please note it is important to have run off the wort via a BRUPAKS HOP STRAINER before using this wort chiller otherwise you will put all the proteins, coagulated during the "hot break", back into solution. "

I have always cooled my wort in the boiler then run off to aerate how important is the above advice given with the Brupak wort chiller

What type of boiler do you have and does it have a filter fitted to the outlet?

I have a Burco 5gal modified with a filter which leaves all hops behind

The filter and the hops should strain as much of the hot break as a strainer and it'll get some of the cold break as well.

I think you'll find most people cool directly in the boiler.

I cool in the boil kettle with an immersion chiller and then pour the 5.5 gallons through a large strainer directly into my plastic bucket fermenter. It strains out the hops & break and aerates at the same time. You should see the bubbles.

I do the same. I do not have a chiller of any sort so I revert to using the following method.

I take the boil kettle and place it in an ice bath. I add 1 gallon (or the equivelent of water needed to make 5.5 gals of fermentable wort) of super cold water to my fermenter. I then take an 8" strainer and pour the semi cooled wort (cold enough to handle) into the strainer on top of the cold H2O into my fermenter. I can establish a nice bed of hops (if I use plugs or whole) and create a good strain to remove the protien etc. It also works if you don't use plugs or whole hops. The strainer will capture most of the hot break. What it doesn't will fall to the trub.

I am able to get a pitchable wort in about 20 minutes, and have had no issues with haze or contamination (57 batches).

I am in the process of going all grain. I am building a Herms tiered system so I won't have to do this anymore. But Since this has worked so well for me - I have to recommend this method as tried and true.

Good luck!

- WW

Ok, thanks for all replies, I will continue to cool in the boiler as I've done previously. I have a home made cooler, just small bore copper heating pipe wound round a former & some pipe fittings on each end, works a treat

I too cool in the kettle using a imersion chiller and with my water tempertures currently in my taps can get down to 50f in half an hour. I siphon from my kettle to my fermenter until I see break material getting into my siphon hose. I stop the siphoning then.

I find this leaves much in my kettle and the last stout I made I stuck the auto siphon to the bottom and used the whole hops as a filter. Worked perfect.

Gloworm said:

" otherwise you will put all the proteins, coagulated during the "hot break", back into solution. "

Click to expand...

To my knowledge the hot break will not go back into solution, especially not when chilling the wort.

Kai