dubicus360
Active Member
Just looking for a few more opinions in regards to wort chillers. Possible off flavors, durability of the material, etc...? What do you guys know?
In the end, just decide if the money is worth a shiny piece of equipment. If not, get the copper.
If you're concerned about a dirty IC, dip it in some warm vinegar before your beer (rinse of course)
Copper is a much better conductor of heat than stainless steel. 28.6 times better, in fact. The only metal that beats copper is silver, and it doesn't beat copper by much.
Copper is an excellent brewery metal. It's also mildly germicidal. You shouldn't fear it.
Sorry to threadjack, but what about aluminum. Better heat transfer than stainless. But i'm not sure about the price.
The quality of the beer pr0n is a very important factor.I think copper is sexier though......
50 feet of 1/2" stainless at Mcmaster is $70 which is only about 50% more than the copper. It's listed as "bend with bending tool" and not by hand so I wonder if I could possibly muscle it around a corny.
Stainless is just so "laboratory like". Nothing screams "my neighbor is a moon-shiner" louder that that gleaming massive copper IC hanging off your sculpture waiting to go in while brewing with the garage door up!
No, a copper IC in plain view screams.."Scrap metal thieves come and rob me!"
I try to hide my copper items (and SS to a lesser degree) out of plain sight. These days, people are desperate enough to rip off an IC for the $50 they'd get at the recycling center. Likewise with kegs.
SS actually has some real benefits if you don't mind waiting longer to chill. It's sturdier, cleans up great, and is less of an invitation to get robbed.
I'm not sure any of us are arguing that stainless is a bad choice, but I would argue it is still the more expensive choice....which is the major driver in any of my purchases
Well there you go....stainless it is!!!!!!
It really is pathetic that stainless is cheaper than copper these days....
OK, I will give you that but I am fortunate enough to live in a cul-de-sac in a very low-crime neighborhood. None of my neighbors need the funds from scrap and we don't see people cruising by because there is no exit.
Here is the only thing I think needs to be mentioned about the ease of keeping copper from ruining the beer.
Never let water or anything (wort) stay in the copper coil for long periods of time. It will corrode and make a blue powder which can make beer taste bad. I always flush mine with hot water just after use and drain it. I have an air compressor which I use for this as it is hard to get it all out of the tubing. If you do forget and it gets crusty then brush its interior with a brush and hot PBW and rinse with very hot water.
Cul-de-sacs are nice if you're cool with your neighbors.
I live in CA and you can't trust anyone out here. You can live in a nice neighborhood, but 3 streets over you're on the wrong side of the tracks. I guess that's what happens when you try to jam everyone together.
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