Question about cooling the wort

I know I've asked a lot of questions over the past week or so and I really appreciate everyone's help. I'm pretty clear on all of the steps at this point, and there's just one area that I haven't totally figured out.

I don't have a wort chiller (it's the next thing on my list), and my kitchen sink is quite small. I've read up on different strategies for cooling the wort and I found this in another thread:

Basically, I boil up to 3 gals of water and use only half the malt for the 45-60 min boil, remove the pot from the flame and add the remaining malt and hops as required by the recipe and let it sit for 15 mins.

I also place 3-4 gals of filtered tap water in the freezer for 4-5 hours prior to brewing to use as top off water (5.25 to 5.5 gals) in the primary bucket. This addition usually cools the wort down in the 60s in the time it takes to pour and stir in.

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This appeals to me since I am also doing a partial boil / late extract edition. I have a chest freezer in the basement and several one gallon plastic containers that I can use to chill the filtered top-off water.

However, my question is this. In Palmer's How to Brew, he says to NEVER pour hot wort into a carboy. I realize that in the above scenario I'd be pouring the hot wort into a carboy with chilled water in it, but wouldn't there still be a risk of oxidation?

Or, if I finish the boil with @3 gallons, should I just add 2 gallons of the chilled water to the boil kettle (5-gallon) to immediately cool it before I add that to the carboy?

I'd stay away from pouring hot wort directly into a carboy.... Risk a shattered sticky mess for sure. I'd add the 2 gallons to the kettle. Just make sure your containers are sanitized...or do what I used to do when I did extract... Buy some springwater and put the jugs in the freezer an hour before you brew.... Also...remember.... Getting oxygen into your wort before fermentation is a GOOD thing.... You want to dump your wort into the carboy and have it splashing around....more agitation...more oxygen for the yeasties... After fermentation has started...oxygen is bad.....

Right. So the steps might be:

1. After the boil, add 2 gallons of chilled water to the kettle. Check temp.
2. If still above 80F, put in sink with ice bath.
3. Once wort is at @75, pour into carboy vigorously (to aerate).
4. Pour some of the wort into a sanitized container (like a bottling bucket), and then back into the carboy to further aerate. (This is what John Palmer recommends in How To Brew - not sure if it's necessary).
5. Pitch the yeast.

I used to get the wort down to around 100-110 in the sink. Pour the cold water into the carboy and dump the wort in after it.... usually came out close to 70 degrees.... Of course I had a small wort chiller.... sans that I'd go ahead and try your method with a step 6....after pitching the yeast, put a plug in the carboy and shake the tar outta it again. You'll ensure the yeast is mixed in good and oxygenate a little more to boot...Piece of cake eh?....Cheers!!!

switters said:

Right. So the steps might be:

1. After the boil, add 2 gallons of chilled water to the kettle. Check temp.
2. If still above 80F, put in sink with ice bath.
3. Once wort is at @75, pour into carboy vigorously (to aerate).
4. Pour some of the wort into a sanitized container (like a bottling bucket), and then back into the carboy to further aerate. (This is what John Palmer recommends in How To Brew - not sure if it's necessary).
5. Pitch the yeast.

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From what I noticed my first time doing the ice bath in the sink I'm going to suggest to start the ice bath before using the chilled water. Temp came down very fast from boiling to about 110 or so but past that seemed to really drag on so if you add that later it should have more effect.

switters said:

Right. So the steps might be:

1. After the boil, add 2 gallons of chilled water to the kettle. Check temp.
2. If still above 80F, put in sink with ice bath.
3. Once wort is at @75, pour into carboy vigorously (to aerate).
4. Pour some of the wort into a sanitized container (like a bottling bucket), and then back into the carboy to further aerate. (This is what John Palmer recommends in How To Brew - not sure if it's necessary).
5. Pitch the yeast.

Click to expand...

If you have a bottling bucket pour the cold water in that and add you wort mix it up well and then put it in the carboy . Sanitation is key though. You will get sufficient aeration during the mixing and the pours .. Also the spring water since its not boiled will have O2 in it.