SixFoFalcon
Well-Known Member
When I purchased all my brewing equipment, I was feeling a little spendy, and I thought about opting for a wort chiller right off the bat. But then something inside me said, "No, don't go too far yet... just get some practice and then upgrade when you think it's necessary" so I decided not to get a chiller just yet.
When it came time to cool the wort, I took the ice pan out of my freezer (the icemaker been going for a few days, so it was full--probably about 5 lbs of ice) and dumped it in one of those cube-shaped Igloo coolers.
I didn't add any water. Then I gently nested my brew kettle (20-qt All-clad stock pot) down into the ice and went about finishing the sanitation of the fermentation equipment.
All I can say is it seemed like the cooler was invented just for this purpose. It couldn't have fit any better... the pot had a few inches on each side, so it was enough to let the pot settle into the ice for efficient chilling, but not so much that I had to worry about the pot tipping over if the ice shifted or melted unevenly. I didn't time the cooling process, but it went quicker than I expected. By the time I finished sanitizing, the wort had hit 70 degrees, and there was still plenty of ice left. I actually pulled the kettle out of the ice because I wanted to let the carboy drip-dry a little longer but I didn't want to chill the wort too much.
Anyway, everything worked better than I could have imagined, so I thought I'd share. Also, aside from being a great all-around cooler, it has a recessed area in the bottom on one side so you can add a spigot. That may come in handy down the road when/if I go the all-grain route.
I think instead of rushing out to buy a wort chiller, I'll just stick with this method and spend the money on more carboys and bottles.
When it came time to cool the wort, I took the ice pan out of my freezer (the icemaker been going for a few days, so it was full--probably about 5 lbs of ice) and dumped it in one of those cube-shaped Igloo coolers.
I didn't add any water. Then I gently nested my brew kettle (20-qt All-clad stock pot) down into the ice and went about finishing the sanitation of the fermentation equipment.
All I can say is it seemed like the cooler was invented just for this purpose. It couldn't have fit any better... the pot had a few inches on each side, so it was enough to let the pot settle into the ice for efficient chilling, but not so much that I had to worry about the pot tipping over if the ice shifted or melted unevenly. I didn't time the cooling process, but it went quicker than I expected. By the time I finished sanitizing, the wort had hit 70 degrees, and there was still plenty of ice left. I actually pulled the kettle out of the ice because I wanted to let the carboy drip-dry a little longer but I didn't want to chill the wort too much.
Anyway, everything worked better than I could have imagined, so I thought I'd share. Also, aside from being a great all-around cooler, it has a recessed area in the bottom on one side so you can add a spigot. That may come in handy down the road when/if I go the all-grain route.
I think instead of rushing out to buy a wort chiller, I'll just stick with this method and spend the money on more carboys and bottles. 
