Plate chiller for 5 gal batches?

I've read many posts on HBT that suggest that IC's might be best for 5 gal batches but that a plate chiller is more for 10+gal batches. Why wouldn't a plate chiller be good for 5 gal batches. I used an IC for about a year and didn't love it's performance. My last few batches I've borrowed my friend's CFC with a pump and can't imagine ever going back to the IC. I want to get my own either IC or plate chiller and am trying to figure out which one I should go with. By far most of my batches are 5 gal. I guess I'd also consider the Jamil-o-chiller, I suppose, but have really fallen in love with one pass chilling.
What would you all suggest?

thanks

From what I understand about the science of late hop additions, you want to cool as fast as you can. If you are chilling the whole batch (using an IC) vs. cooling part of the batch at once (a plate chiller), you will stop the isomerization of the alpha acids quicker. In practice, it really doesn't matter THAT much, unless you are doing a lot of beers with late hop additions.

It is always better to chill the entire wort volume at once, but when you're chilling 20+ gallons it becomes very expensive and cumbersome to build an IC that will chill effectively vs. using a plate chiller.

I don't know why people always talk about chilling 'part of the batch' with a plate chiller like it's something that will kill a kitten and give your neighbor a black eye.
I chill 5 gallon batches through my 30 plate duda-diesel chiller. 70 degrees, aerated, and in the fermentation vessel in ~5 min. I spend longer cleaning up...

wolfman_48442 said:

I don't know why people always talk about chilling 'part of the batch' with a plate chiller like it's something that will kill a kitten and give your neighbor a black eye.
I chill 5 gallon batches through my 30 plate duda-diesel chiller. 70 degrees, aerated, and in the fermentation vessel in ~5 min. I spend longer cleaning up...

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If your plate chiller can't kill a kitten, then what is it good for?

I have used immersion chillers for almost 10 years and loved it until I got a plate chiller. I have had it for about 6 months and just can't believe what I have been missing. I mainly do 5 gallon batches with this chiller and a few 10. Chill 5 gallons in 3-4 minutes by gravity draining and only using about 8 gallons of water is simply amazing. I have noticed absolutely no difference in my final beer taste using a plate chiller to an immersion chiller.

In a brewery, they pump the hot wort into another kettle to whirlpool everything out before they cool it with a plate chiller. This takes a lot of time and the wort sits at a high temp. ( I think I will stop right here before the DMS police chime in!) Now that I have the plate chiller, I whirlpool hot and let it sit for 20 minutes leaving a nice cone of hops in the middle of the kettle. Next, I drain it into my fermenter using my plate chiller in 2-3 minutes. Again, I notice no difference at all in my beers compared to my old immersion chiller method.

Pensacola,

Which plate chiller do you have?

thanks

wolfman_48442 said:

I chill 5 gallon batches through my 30 plate duda-diesel chiller...

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Wolfman, tell me more about these duda-diesel chillers. Where can I find them?

thanks

Beavdowg said:

Pensacola,

Which plate chiller do you have?

thanks

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I have the Blichmann, but at the time I did not know about the Duda Diesel until a few weeks after I have ordered it. I would have defiantly taken that one for 100 dollars cheaper. I also like the option of having all NPT threads on the Duda.

http://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=+beer++wort++chiller