Best Way to Chill Wort for Lager Beer?

[MDBrew69]

I've been brewing for about 8 months now and am planning to do my first all-grain lager (an Oktoberfest/Marzen) this weekend. I've been reading all of the arguments for and against cooling the wort down to the initial fermentation temperature (between 50F and 60F) before pitching the yeast. However, with my trusty immersion chiller and garden hose, I've only been able to get my wort temperature down to about 70F. So, what is the best way to cool the wort further? I do have a small chest freezer with a temperature controller, so should I just cover the wort and chill it in there? What do other folks normally do?

I have also considered the method of pitching at normal temperatures (70F to 75F) and then slowly lowering the temperature over the next few days. If I do this, will I need to do a diacetyl rest before dropping it down to the final lagering temperature? I searched for this topic before posting, so I apologize if this has been addressed previously. Thanks!

 

[reinstone]

I've been brewing for about 8 months now and am planning to do my first all-grain lager (an Oktoberfest/Marzen) this weekend. I've been reading all of the arguments for and against cooling the wort down to the initial fermentation temperature (between 50F and 60F) before pitching the yeast. However, with my trusty immersion chiller and garden hose, I've only been able to get my wort temperature down to about 70F. So, what is the best way to cool the wort further? I do have a small chest freezer with a temperature controller, so should I just cover the wort and chill it in there? What do other folks normally do?

I have also considered the method of pitching at normal temperatures (70F to 75F) and then slowly lowering the temperature over the next few days. If I do this, will I need to do a diacetyl rest before dropping it down to the final lagering temperature? I searched for this topic before posting, so I apologize if this has been addressed previously. Thanks!

Get a garbage can and a cheap sump pump. Recirculate ice water from the garbage can through the chiller and back to the garbage can. I have found a pound of ice per gallon or a little more is a good approximation. Don't put too much water in the garbage can just enough to cover the top of the pump. Remember to recirculate the used cold water back into the garbage can.

 

[paraordnance]

Just leave wort overnight in temp controlled freezer, set controller to 45F and voila, your wort is 46F by next morning, ready to be pitched.

 

[StoneHands]

Just leave wort overnight in temp controlled freezer, set controller to 45F and voila, your wort is 46F by next morning, ready to be pitched.

I second this advice. Don't pitch into (relatively) warm wort, wait until it's at fermentation temps before pitching. You won't get the off flavors that you would by pitching at 70F.

Good luck!

 

[Yooper]

I second this advice. Don't pitch into (relatively) warm wort, wait until it's at fermentation temps before pitching. You won't get the off flavors that you would by pitching at 70F.

Good luck!

Agreed. Chill the wort to 45 degrees in your fermentation chamber, and pitch 40-42 degree yeast (out of the fridge and the spent wort decanted) into it and let it rise up to 50 (or whatever your fermentation temperature will be).

 

[Flipadelphia]

Chilling the wort to 50ish would take a couple hours in my ferment chamber. Wouldn't I get an increased chance of infection letting wort sit around with no yeast?

 

[k_mcarthur]

Chilling the wort to 50ish would take a couple hours in my ferment chamber. Wouldn't I get an increased chance of infection letting wort sit around with no yeast?

Yes, if your sanitation practices are not sound. I've always done it this way, brew then chill down as far I can get it, then leave wort in sanitized fermenter in chamber overnight before I pitch. Remember to get the yeast down to temp first also, I put my starter in chamber also overnight. Always had good fermentation start with no infections.

 

[MDBrew69]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I'm going to try leaving it over night in my freezer (covered of course) and then pitch in the am.
I also like reinstone's suggestion. I've actually thought about getting a second immersion chiller to put in a cooler full of ice in front of my main chiller. The sump pump and trash can is another good idea.

 

[pjj2ba]

In the summer, I can only chill down to the mid 60's so after I'm down to that it goes into the carboy and into my ferm. chamber set a 50F. I find with the occasional swirl, that the wort is at 50 F in about 4 hrs. Then I pitch.

 

[sok454]

I did what was descirbed by these people but only didn't have a temp controller on my chest freezer.... after I got it down to about 85 w my IC I put it in the freezer for about 6 hours.... came out to look at it and had nice layer of ice on it!!!

Same thing happened when I used my fridge to lager it in... My thermometer is off by about 6-10 degrees and I had a this layer of ice on the top of it... guess my fridge was a bit cooler than 38 that would register. I will be bottling the Okt. in probably a week or so... it'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

 

[reinstone]

I would worry about getting a good cold break by cooling slowly in the fridge. Maybe that's not a legit worry though.

 

[paraordnance]

I would worry about getting a good cold break by cooling slowly in the fridge. Maybe that's not a legit worry though.

You have to chill wort fast down to 70 F, and only then it goes in freezer overnight.

 

[ajdelange]

The standard protocol is to chill to 42 °F, pitch and let the temperature rise to 48 maintaining 48 until the AE is within a couple of ° of terminal and then drift the temperature down to near freezing at the rate of a ° or 2 per day. Wort comes out of my chiller at about 55 - 57 °F and, as I pitch and oxygenate in line that is the temperature at which it gets inoculated. I set the controller for 48 °F and the beer is at that temperature within a couple of hours. I fell I am 'getting away' with this as the beers are clean. I could pump into the fermenter w/o O2 and yeast, chill for a couple of hours and then pump over to the other fermenter with oxygen and yeast but this would mean sterilizing and cleaning 2 fermenters instead of just one. I suppose I should try it to see if the beer is improved but I'm too lazy.