Amount of ice required to cool boiling wort.

[Naked_Eskimo]

I'm going to be brewing my first batch this weekend, and just wanted to ask on average how many bags of ice would it take to cool 2.5 gallons of wort to pitching temp. I have no idea whether one large bag from the gas station would be enough, or whether I'd need 2-3 or more. Plan on cooling in the kitchen sink with water and ice.

Any left over ice would go into the swamp cooler.

Recommendations?

 

[Justibone]

That relatively small amount of wort will cool much more quickly than the larger batches.

Your question depends on the size of the bags of ice. I'd say that the last time I used ice to help chill my wort down it took about one 5 lb bag, and I could have used a bit more. Also, last time I bought ice I got it from McDonald's -- in my area they sell it cheap, and you can get a Happy Meal to go while you're there! (Happy Meal + Beer = Really Happy Meal!)

If you want to cool faster, could you do a slightly smaller boil, and add refrigerated top-off water?

 

[JJL]

I can save you the trouble of the ice. Buy 3 gallons of spring water. They are usually less than $1 each. Put them in the freezer when you start brewing to get them as close to freezing temps as possible without actually freezing them. Pour 2 gals into your fermenter. Pour your wort into the fermenter. Top off to 5 gals with the 3rd gal. It will get your wort down to pitch temps fast.

 

[Naked_Eskimo]

JJL...that wont work. I'm doing 2.5 gallon batches, full boil. So there wont be any water to add into the fermenter. My entire fermentation volume is in the pot.

Justibone, thanks for the tip. Maybe going with two bags of ice would be a safe way to try the process out, and I can tailor the amount of ice I need in subsequent batches.

 

[JJL]

JJL...that wont work. I'm doing 2.5 gallon batches, full boil. So there wont be any water to add into the fermenter. My entire fermentation volume is in the pot.

Justibone, thanks for the tip. Maybe going with two bags of ice would be a safe way to try the process out, and I can tailor the amount of ice I need in subsequent batches.

Ahh...assumed it was 5 gal. In this forum, you usually get questions from people doing 5 gal partial boil extract batches.

 

[tenchu_11]

I just fill up my sink with cold water and ice and place the pot inside. Keep replacing cold water and ice as you see fitt, it usually brings my wort from boiling to 80F in 20 mins. I do minimal stirring with a sanatized brewing spoon (..stirrer what ever just a long plastic spoon) since I plan on putting more water for a 5 gallon batch usually brings my wort down anothter 15 degrees. With a 2.5 batch I wouldn't say much more than one bag of ice I usually fill a 2 quart water pitcher full of ice 1 1/2 times and does it for me, i use my fridge ice maker. Usually my boil size is anyways 2.5g boil and 2.5g water. I've never had an issue.

 

[Justibone]

If you make an immersion chiller, you will:

1) probably enjoy the process
2) probably enjoy brew days more

I'm speaking from experience. Just take the nozzle from your kitchen sink to Lowe's/Home Depot and ask for help. Tell them what you want and they will do the rest. The copper tubing already comes coiled -- all you have to do is bend the ends up by hand to stick out of the wort. Easy peasy. Costs $35-40.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Here you go...

View attachment Closed_Circuit_Cooling.zip

 

[KYB]

One would be fine. The amount will depend on how fast you want it cooled. I used to fill the tub and throw a large bag of ice. Took about an hour to cool down, which was fine by me (large bathtub, 5gal of wort in a 8gal aluminum pot). Then I got smart and started filling plastic gallon milk jugs with water and freezing them then tossing them in the water instead of buying ice every time. Then I finally got the money to build a wort chiller. Love it. Soo much easier and faster.

 

[tenchu_11]

Then I got smart and started filling plastic gallon milk jugs with water and freezing them then tossing them in the water instead of buying ice every time. .

I planned on doing that with a water bottled (that was sanatized) after the wort cooled down enough not do anything to the plastic and vise versa. Guessing since you do quite often you've had nothing but good results with it. My main concern was chance of infection by throwing the plastic bottle to chill the wort.

 

[kpr121]

One tip to minimize the amount of ice is to simply use cool tap water, or refridgerated water to bring the temp down to about 150ish. What I like to do is put the kettle in a somewhat shallow but large pan, and run hose water through it for about 15 minutes. The water overflows over the pan, but doesn't get above the brewpot. Then I add ice, and cut the flow of the hose. Swirl the ice around the pot until it starts to melt, then replace with more ice.

I can get it down to pitching temps within 1/2 hr like this. Using about 6 lbs of ice.

After reading all that I just typed, my next project is a wort chiller!

 

[floyd242]

Luckily I have one of those self serve ice kiosks next to my house that dispenses 16lbs for $1.25. I easily use the whole bag...

 

[Noodle]

Last time I used ice I had 14lbs and felt like I should've bought the 20lb bag. Buy more than you think you need. If you have any left over you can just save it for the next time you brew.

 

[Justibone]

My $.02... don't put a water bottle in the wort. Just put the pot in a water bath (sink or tub is fine), and put the bottle in the water bath next to the pot.

*shudder* PET bottles in wort.... *shudder*

 

[Justibone]

After reading all that I just typed, my next project is a wort chiller!

You won't regret it!!

 

[aMillionDreams]

I'm amazed people are cooling 2.5g of wort in 20 minutes with a 5lb bag of ice. I always buy a 22lb bag of ice and supplement that with ice from my frig's ice maker.

With a wort chiller do you use ice water or just "cold" tap water? The cold water out of my tap is about 75f, I don't see how that's going to cool my wort quicker than 30lbs of ice.

 

[Justibone]

I'm amazed people are cooling 2.5g of wort in 20 minutes with a 5lb bag of ice. I always buy a 22lb bag of ice and supplement that with ice from my frig's ice maker.

The key to using less ice is using it when it helps the most. Cooling from 212F down to about 160F goes really fast even with tap water -- you just need a lot of flow.

After you get below about 160F then you use the ice.

With a wort chiller do you use ice water or just "cold" tap water? The cold water out of my tap is about 75f, I don't see how that's going to cool my wort quicker than 30lbs of ice.

People do both. From experience I can tell you that the last degrees, from 110F down to about 80F takes the longest. I've got the parts to build a pre-chiller for my IC now, so I'm going to run what is basically a second IC through an ice-salt-water bath in the second sink, then run that through the wort. I haven't tried the pre-chiller yet, but I imagine it will make my IC much more efficient at the lower temps (below 100F).

 

[kpr121]

I would say using the tap water for the first 10-15 minutes is not quicker than 30 lbs of ice, but it may be more efficient. Remember, heat transfer is largely dependent on the temperature difference. Hence, the difference between 212 and 75 is not that much worse that 212 and 32. But as the wort temp goes down, the ratios tilt in favor of using the ice (difference between 130/75 is worse than 130/32.) Of course using enough ice to sink the titanic will cool your qort quicky,i simply don't like spending 10 bucks on it just to save me 20 minutes in cooling time. To each their own. I'd love to get 16 lbs for 1.25 though!

 

[Justibone]

One other thing that makes a bigger difference than anything else, I think, is whether you cool your wort covered or uncovered. If you do it covered it will take a LOT longer.

 

[kpr121]

One other thing that makes a bigger difference than anything else, I think, is whether you cool your wort covered or uncovered. If you do it covered it will take a LOT longer.

Right!

And gentle stirs FTW