Newbie Anxiety - wort oxidization during cooling

Hi jumped into making my first all-grain this past weekend (easy hefe from browsing recipes on this site).

I don't have a wort chiller so I used an ice bath. My ice melted quickly and the wort was still reading about 150F.

So, without thinking about the cold-break point, I started swirling the wort in the ice bath with a sanitized spoon to cool it down. In a few more minutes (10, maybe) I was down to 120.

At that point I filled my swamp cooler with all the ice packs I had on deck and fresh cool water, put the fermenter bucket in the swamp cooler and dumped in the 120* wort splashing it around to aerate it as I have with my extract brews.

However, I realize in continuing to read and research that the "standard" cold-break point is about 80-85, not 120.

How ****ed am I? Its in the fermenting bucket now, only about 48+ hours in (very vigorous fermentation, had to put in a blow-out tube).

You're fine, it will be beer!

You ought to be fine. Hot-side oxidation seems to be one of those things that you should be aware of, and try to avoid, but you're not likely to experience. Before I had an immersion chiller I would swirl the wort while it sat in an ice bath to cool, and I never experienced any issues.

I put the BK in the sink with cold water for a couple minutes first to knock off the high side heat a little. Drain the sink,then fill to the top with ice first,then top that off with cold tap water to the top. This gives more ice than water for greater cooling ability.

unionrdr said:

I put the BK in the sink with cold water for a couple minutes first to knock off the high side heat a little. Drain the sink,then fill to the top with ice first,then top that off with cold tap water to the top. This gives more ice than water for greater cooling ability.

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agree with unionrdr here

using ice from the get-go is a waste, it will melt too fast

swirling is good. both the wort and the ice water, in opposite directions

though I have a problem doing that and chewing gum at the same time

RDWHAHB...

You are SUPPOSED TO AERATE(or oxygenate) before you pitch.

Hot side aeration is largely considered a myth. Any aeration between the end of boil and pitching yeast is a good thing. Any aeration after the yeast are done eating is what you need to avoid.

I second HSA being a myth on the home brew scale. No worries.

Xpertskir said:

RDWHAHB...

You are SUPPOSED TO AERATE(or oxygenate) before you pitch.

Hot side aeration is largely considered a myth. Any aeration between the end of boil and pitching yeast is a good thing. Any aeration after the yeast are done eating is what you need to avoid.

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I agree, but I don't know if I would go so far as to say that it is a myth, but rather unlikely to occur on the equipment and scale of a home brewer.

-- My ice melted quickly

-- Drain the sink,then fill to the top with ice first,then top that off with cold tap water to the top. This gives more ice than water for greater cooling ability.

-- using ice from the get-go is a waste, it will melt too fast

It's all a matter of concentration. The pieces of ice have air between them and air has very little substance and heats up very quickly (and will, in turn, offer very little chilling potential). Cold water between the pieces of ice is much more substantial and will have far greater chilling ability and will also serve to keep the ice colder longer.

I don't see why uniondr drains the water before adding the ice though...

I don't think it matters very much if there is more ice to water for cooling as long as the water is cold. (Although more ice will *keep* the water colder longer.) What *does* matter is that there is *more* substance of the cold stuff (ice plus water vs. ice plus air). 40 lbs of cold water will be better than 20 lbs of ice. Although 40 lbs of ice and water will be better than either.

unionrdr said:

I put the BK in the sink with cold water for a couple minutes first to knock off the high side heat a little. Drain the sink,then fill to the top with ice first,then top that off with cold tap water to the top. This gives more ice than water for greater cooling ability.

Click to expand...

Thanks, man

woozy said:

I don't think it matters very much if there is more ice to water for cooling as long as the water is cold. (Although more ice will *keep* the water colder longer.) What *does* matter is that there is *more* substance of the cold stuff (ice plus water vs. ice plus air). 40 lbs of cold water will be better than 20 lbs of ice. Although 40 lbs of ice and water will be better than either.

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thanks, good point. Hopefully I'll get a wort chiller soon and it will be moot

I'm new to this too and was wondering. Jim Koch on the Sam Adams site shows to cool the wort by pouring over ice by the ladlefull.
I built a wort chiller but still wonder why not freeze some water in the primary or pour cold water in the kettle then dump in primary. It's gonna get mixed anyway, right?
Thoughts???

bbhughey said:

I'm new to this too and was wondering. Jim Koch on the Sam Adams site shows to cool the wort by pouring over ice by the ladlefull.
I built a wort chiller but still wonder why not freeze some water in the primary or pour cold water in the kettle then dump in primary. It's gonna get mixed anyway, right?
Thoughts???

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Lots of people do just that.

That sounds a little offbeat to me. you'd have to know how much the melting ice would add to the beer. I don't think more cold water is better than more ice with less water. I put the kettle in the sink,after chilling with just water for a couple minutes to knock the high heat off,I drain the sink. Then fill it to the top with ice,then top thast off with cold water. Add ice as needed till it gets down to 75F. Then strain into fermenter & top off to recipe volume with water chilled in the fridge for a day or two. Makes it easy to get it down to 60-64F.

unionrdr said:

That sounds a little offbeat to me. you'd have to know how much the melting ice would add to the beer. I don't think more cold water is better than more ice with less water. I put the kettle in the sink,after chilling with just water for a couple minutes to knock the high heat off,I drain the sink. Then fill it to the top with ice,then top thast off with cold water. Add ice as needed till it gets down to 75F. Then strain into fermenter & top off to recipe volume with water chilled in the fridge for a day or two. Makes it easy to get it down to 60-64F.

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I am ICE only. GOD DAMN it chills so fast it makes my head spin.

Yeast and 2 gallons iof Ice cubes go IN the fermenter.

3 gallons HOT wort get poured from REAL high over the ice.

Nice and cold to start warms up to a nice, cool, easilly controlled fermentation.

I will NEVER look back.

cheezydemon3 said:

I am ICE only. GOD DAMN it chills so fast it makes my head spin.

Yeast and 2 gallons iof Ice cubes go IN the fermenter.

3 gallons HOT wort get poured from REAL high over the ice.

Nice and cold to start warms up to a nice, cool, easilly controlled fermentation.

I will NEVER look back.

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Not sure I understand this??

You are putting your yeast in the fermenter with ice? Then pouring hot wort over both? If so you have been really lucky to not kill all your yeast.

At best you are only shocking the yeast a lot, but likely you are killing a lot of your yeast, and hence, seriously underpitching.

kh54s10 said:

Not sure I understand this??

You are putting your yeast in the fermenter with ice? Then pouring hot wort over both? If so you have been really lucky to not kill all your yeast.

At best you are only shocking the yeast a lot, but likely you are killing a lot of your yeast, and hence, seriously underpitching.

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Apparently you haven't been properly introduced to Mr. Demon here.