Alternative to a wort chiller

I recall several months ago someone was asking about alternatives to a standard copper wort chiller and someone posted a link for some sort of plastic container that was designed for cooling soups and other boiling foods quickly. Sadly I cannot find that link on the board. Everything I've searched on just comes up with hundreds of posts about normal wort chillers.

This particular device, if I remember correctly, basically looked like a funky blue (I think) paddle. The idea behind it was that you fill it with water and freeze it or fill it with ice water, sanitize it (probably using something like star san), and then put it into the pot and stir with it (has a handle).

Anyone happen to know what device I'm talking about? Anyone remember the link for a company that might make this? Or perhaps...anyone have a good idea on what to search on to find this device that wont just lead me to thousands of normal wort chiller links?

No I've never seen it , but I have heard of taking a 2 liter bottle freezing, then sanitize briefly and use it to stir the wort down ,.... thereby cooling it. I guess you could just throw it in and stir with the mash paddle.

What you are talking about is a chill paddle, commonly used in commercial kitchens to take food out of the 'danger zone'. Restaurant supply companies will have what you are looking for.

Cost vs. efficiency, I'd be inclined to think that a DIY IC would be a better choice.

Jason

You can pick these things up at any resturant supply. I dont know how well that they would work though.

flyangler18 said:

What you are talking about is a chill paddle, commonly used in commercial kitchens to take food out of the 'danger zone'. Restaurant supply companies will have what you are looking for.

Cost vs. efficiency, I'd be inclined to think that a DIY IC would be a better choice.

Jason

Click to expand...

Yep, the rapid kool is the one I was thinking of. Thanks

A friend sat in during brewing one evening and mentioned these things. He used to work in a kitchen where he used them and he thought it would work better than my ice baths in the sink. I told him that I didn't know because wort is so thick but he countered by saying pasta sauces are thick and this quickly brought the temps down.

I'd be tempted to give it a go if I had one laying around but probably won't buy one to test.

fezzman said:

A friend sat in during brewing one evening and mentioned these things. He used to work in a kitchen where he used them and he thought it would work better than my ice baths in the sink. I told him that I didn't know because wort is so thick but he countered by saying pasta sauces are thick and this quickly brought the temps down.

I'd be tempted to give it a go if I had one laying around but probably won't buy one to test.

Click to expand...

I would do as posted above... get (2)- 2 liter bottles, fill, freeze, then sanitize and drop in. Same concept, except your spending <$2.

Runyank said:

I would do as posted above... get (2)- 2 liter bottles, fill, freeze, then sanitize and drop in. Same concept, except your spending <$2.

Click to expand...

Can the plastic used for 2-liter bottles handle near boiling temps? I mean I'd assume those rapi kool things would be made for that type of heat. But 2-liter bottles?

Eves said:

Can the plastic used for 2-liter bottles handle near boiling temps? I mean I'd assume those rapi kool things would be made for that type of heat. But 2-liter bottles?

Click to expand...

Well when I used it, it didnt melt, burst, or give me any off flavors. Actually when I took them out, the ice was only melted about 1 1/2" deep around, but the plastic was still cool to the touch.

I'd rather leave the wort to cool overnight than use frozen PET bottles, you are going to gain nothing by chilling with them. A proper chiller brings the wort down to pitching temperature in ~30 minutes, chucking bottles of frozen water in may reduce the chilling time but will give nothing like the cold break you'll get with a proper chiller and apart from being a totally pointless exercise you risk adding infection to the brew.

Don't bother. Many people report great results just leaving the wort to cool overnight, either chill it properly or leave it overnight and forget the idea of chucking frozen bottles of water in as at best all they will do is reduce the cooling time to several hours, at worst you'll end up infecting your wort and all your hard work has gone up in smoke.

Parva said:

I'd rather leave the wort to cool overnight than use frozen PET bottles, you are going to gain nothing by chilling with them. A proper chiller brings the wort down to pitching temperature in ~30 minutes, chucking bottles of frozen water in may reduce the chilling time but will give nothing like the cold break you'll get with a proper chiller and apart from being a totally pointless exercise you risk adding infection to the brew.

Click to expand...

What makes it not a "proper" chiller? It's exactly the same method of operation as other chiller styles: put something much colder than the wort in or around it to absorb heat. It should give you exactly the same kind of cold break that any other equally fast chiller would (and a much better one than letting the wort sit overnight). The best results with immersion/counterflow chillers are with ice water, and the only reason they don't go colder is because frozen ice doesn't flow too well.

And you obviously sanitize the bottles first, just as you do with a CFC or plater chiller. If anything, the risk of infection ought to be lower than letting the wort sit around overnight without pitching yeast and getting that CO2 layer on it.

i'm intrigued

i think i've stumbled upon the solution to making an IC

I feel like you can make an IC for not much more $$ than one of those blue paddles. That's pretty steep for the size almost $30... I can't imagine these working that great

Sorry to resurrect but has someone used these with any result? I ran across them a few days ago and can't kick the idea. It seems to be the same principal as a wort chiller a.k.a. throw something cold into something hot but I am still wanting to see a real world experience.

Rapi-Kool

I have the parts to make a chiller but I keep going back to the same problem of not wanting to waste a ton of water or maintain a pump/cooler. The pump/cooler is my optimal option but this seems much easier and still utilizing the same principal without the waste.... Ideas?

Nobody?

I&#8217;m a chef and I use the rapi-cool sticks in all of our sauces, stocks, soups, etc to cool them down at work. At home, I use them to cool wort. They work very well... However, they aren&#8217;t cheap. If you&#8217;re looking for a cost effective alternative, the 2 liter bottle idea is fine.

If you do decide to go with the rapi-cool, go to a restaurant supply store in your area. They will be cheaper, you can usually haggle them down on price, and if you can find a couple used ones- they'll be even cheaper. If you find a used restaurant supply joint, they are a great place to pick up pots as well. Just saying.

Kahler said:

I’m a chef and I use the rapi-cool sticks in all of our sauces, stocks, soups, etc to cool them down at work. At home, I use them to cool wort. They work very well... However, they aren’t cheap. If you’re looking for a cost effective alternative, the 2 liter bottle idea is fine.

If you do decide to go with the rapi-cool, go to a restaurant supply store in your area. They will be cheaper, you can usually haggle them down on price, and if you can find a couple used ones- they'll be even cheaper. If you find a used restaurant supply joint, they are a great place to pick up pots as well. Just saying.

Click to expand...

What size rapi-cool do you think would be the best for cooling wort, and how long does it take you to cool your wort with it?

What is your cleaning/sanitizing procedure for the paddle?

I have an IC, I just hate how it wastes so much water. If I could get similar results from one of these, I thin it would be worth it.

SumnerH said:

What makes it not a "proper" chiller? It's exactly the same method of operation as other chiller styles: put something much colder than the wort in or around it to absorb heat. It should give you exactly the same kind of cold break that any other equally fast chiller would (and a much better one than letting the wort sit overnight). The best results with immersion/counterflow chillers are with ice water, and the only reason they don't go colder is because frozen ice doesn't flow too well.

And you obviously sanitize the bottles first, just as you do with a CFC or plater chiller. If anything, the risk of infection ought to be lower than letting the wort sit around overnight without pitching yeast and getting that CO2 layer on it.

Click to expand...

Order of magnitudes of surface area.


Also, as far as contamination goes, no chill is without a doubt the most effective method. The wort is never exposed to air while at a temperature less than that of pasteurization.

I use one 1 gallon stick for each 5 gallon batch of beer, in addition to an ice bath. I can go from boil to 70F in about 20 minutes.

Sanitize it before and after you use it. Once used, I sanitize and wrap it in plastic wrap, put it in freezer and when I need it, sanitize again again just throw it in. Use the stick to stir every so often (you dont need a spoon/paddle).

I'm still extremely new to brewing, but being able to utilize techniques/equipment from the restaurant industry has helped a lot. Personally, I have never used an IC because I agree with the waste of water. This process works very well for me.