Jaded Hydra chiller users

[brad2157]

I’m in the market for a better immersion chiller to use in my new Speidel Braumeister 20L. I have a built in pump to recirculate the wort as it chills in the unit. I’m not looking to get a counter flow chiller, even though many people love them and recommend them.

I would like to know from anyone that has used the Jaded Hydra immersion chiller if you are happy with it for the price cost ($185 for me with shipping)? I know everything is subject to opinion and how much “disposable” money you are willing to spend on brewing equipment. I am looking for honest opinions on if you were 100% happy with it for the cost or would you have preferred to have saved the extra cost and just bought/used a regular chiller. I’m trying to decide if it is really worth the extra cost for the Jaded Hydra versus buying a regular 50’ copper immersion chiller.

 

[myndflyte]

I just bought a Hydra with some Christmas money and got to use it 2 weeks ago. It's awesome. The quality of it is so much higher than the crappy chiller I had before. Plus it brought my down from boiling to pitch temp in under 10 mins. I'm in WI so the ground water is quite cold and if you stir, or in your case recirculate, while it's chilling, you can just watch the needle drop on the temp. I highly recommend it and wish I would have bought it sooner.

 

[enkamania]

I'm a satisfied customer. It works a lot faster than my old chiller

 

[Brewsncrabs]

I have had mine for over a year. One of the few items I have found that works exactly as advertised if your water is 50 degrees and you follow the directions to stir. Even In the Summer time, I get to pitch temp in under 10 minutes using ice in a slop sink. My friend uses the ice bucket method and is very satisfied with his Cobra. Another one built a stir machine using a hand mixer and an old mash paddle and saves wear and tear on his arm. Buy it!

 

[str1p3s]

I made one. It is admittedly much uglier, but it works great.

 

[Oldskewl]

I like mine. Cools my wort in a 1/4 the time my old DIY immersion chiller did.

 

[Moriaty32]

Love mine. Particularly with this cold ground water.

 

[Murphys_Law]

I love my Hyrda. I also got the recirculating arm so I pump my hot wort from the ball valve through the arm to keep a good flow around the chiller. I got the pump for around $20 plus the power supply off Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWORE6E/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[brad2157]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I see nothing but good comments about it. I’m going to get one ordered. I read another post in regards to ordering a custom one with raised “feet” to sit it up above the heating element. I would like to have mine like that, as the Braumeister has an exposed heating element at the bottom.

 

[myndflyte]

You may just want to shoot them an email before you order and ask that they would be able to do that for you. I'm sure they'd be willing to work with you.

 

[brad2157]

You may just want to shoot them an email before you order and ask that they would be able to do that for you. I'm sure they'd be willing to work with you.

I’ll definitely do that! They seem like they are great to deal with from the comments I’ve read on other threads.

 

[philly224]

Used the jaded king cobra for first time last weekend. It was like 30 degrees outside but it took the wort down to 68 in about 3 mins. Water running through it was probably in the 40s though.

It's an amazing product!

 

[enormous13]

@brad2157 I'm also currently working on a custom order with them. They're very accommodating and helpful, but good lord their response time to emails is infuriating. It's a good week before I get a response from my last email to them, and I've had to send a few follow up emails to get a response.

The premium price and the response time issue kind of has me on the fence, but the performance of their product is undeniable.

 

[brad2157]

@brad2157 I'm also currently working on a custom order with them. They're very accommodating and helpful, but good lord their response time to emails is infuriating. It's a good week before I get a response from my last email to them, and I've had to send a few follow up emails to get a response.

The premium price and the response time issue kind of has me on the fence, but the performance of their product is undeniable.

It was two days for them to respond to my first message. I’m always impatient when it comes to buying stuff though. Once I make that decision to buy, I’m ready to get it! Lol. I did a custom order yesterday with the heating element coil width, so they could make sure my chiller will fit inside my element. I’m glad to know that the internal pump design of the Braumeister will work out perfect for using the chiller with. The in/out ports are both on the bottom of the kettle. All I’ll have to do is turn the pump on while chilling and let it recirculate, so that I’m not having to move the chiller around. I’m looking forward to getting it so I can use it when I get to brew again!

 

[brad2157]

I received my hydra in the mail a few days ago. They custom made it to fit inside the heating coils of my Braumeister. I haven’t been able to test it out, but it seems really well made!

 

[mongoose33]

For a 5-gallon batch, I've done boiling to 70 degrees in 4 minutes.

I'm not kidding.

It used to be 10-15 minutes with my old immersion chiller. This is so fast that it's almost ridiculous. It's a little slower late summer and early fall when the ground water warms, but generally, stupendously fast.

Is it worth the cost? That's always dependent on one's values and what one values. If saving time matters, it matters. For me, it was not only the time savings but especially in the summer, I wanted to get that wort cooled down pronto before some foreign invader decided to sample the wort and infect it for me. The sooner I get it cooled and the kettle covered, the better.

A few observations:

1. You have to run the water as fast as it will go. The Hydra has a LOT of surface area, and keeping it cooled requires fast water movement.

2. You also need to agitate the water somehow. Either use a stainless spoon to swish the wort back and forth in the emiddle of the hydra, or use a whirlpool attachment, or do something to keep the wort moving past the coils.

3. I've found that it's easiest to clean if I run it to the sink as soon as I pull it from the kettle. I'll take a 5-gallon-bucket lid and put a little paper towel on it to absorb drips, pull the Hydra and put it on the lid, cover the kettle, then take the Hydra immediately to the sink to spray it off. If you let stuff dry on there, it's 5 times as long to clean. About 60 seconds of spraying and a little rubbing on the vertical part where it comes in contact w/ the top of the wort, and I'm good to go.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Just scored a King Cobra shipped for $120!!! Cannot freaking wait to join the ranks. I already sold my plate chiller to a club member and now my old IC can be a pre-chiller if needed. Woooooohooooooo!!! [emoji482]

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I upgraded to a Hydra and it was a great move. I haven't seen the obscene chill times that mongoose gets, but it chills very fast. I put a valve on the inlet side because I wanted to chill to 170 and WP a NEIPA. The first time it went way lower in the time it took me to go shut off the hose.

Unless I go to batches too big for an immersion chiller, I've bought my last chiller.

 

[brad2157]

I used my new Jaded Hydra chiller last weekend. I went from boiling to 75 in 5 minutes and 47 seconds. I am IMPRESSED! I even used 50’ long garden hoses for each of the in and out because my 25’ ones would not reach into the garage. I did buy the larger size 5/8” garden hoses from Lowes. Our ground water was colder than normal, although I forgot to get the temp of it.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I used my new Jaded Hydra chiller last weekend. I went from boiling to 75 in 5 minutes and 47 seconds. I am IMPRESSED! I even used 50’ long garden hoses for each of the in and out because my 25’ ones would not reach into the garage. I did buy the larger size 5/8” garden hoses from Lowes. Our ground water was colder than normal, although I forgot to get the temp of it.

That's awesome! I have a mop sink with hose bibs right by my brew station. Time to make a couple of short 5/8 or 3/4 hoses. My King Cobra should be delivered tomorrow, I haven't been this excited for a new piece of brew gear since I got my 20gal Kegco kettle!

 

[casualbrewer]

I posted a quick review of mine a while back. The Hydra is a beast. I just got to test it out Saturday with my much colder water temp and it took it from boiling to lager pitching temp very quickly.

 

[brad2157]

That's awesome! I have a mop sink with hose bibs right by my brew station. Time to make a couple of short 5/8 or 3/4 hoses. My King Cobra should be delivered tomorrow, I haven't been this excited for a new piece of brew gear since I got my 20gal Kegco kettle!

I wish I had a mop / utility sink close to my brew table. We are renting this house, otherwise I would already have one. I couldn’t resist asking permission from the landlord to install additional electrical circuits near my brew table though. I added some 20A 120V for exhaust fan and misc. and one 30A 240v circuit for my Braumeister. I’m not so sure they would let me modify the plumbing though.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I wish I had a mop / utility sink close to my brew table. We are renting this house, otherwise I would already have one. I couldn’t resist asking permission from the landlord to install additional electrical circuits near my brew table though. I added some 20A 120V for exhaust fan and misc. and one 30A 240v circuit for my Braumeister. I’m not so sure they would let me modify the plumbing though.

If you have the room you can just wye off the washing machine connections for a mop sink. I got lucky and rented a place with an old school heavy duty mop sink already installed next to the washer and dryer. I just use the 240v from the dryer for my induction cooktop.

 

[norsk]

I was very skeptical of the fast chill times that people have reported using the Jaded chillers. This summer was so hot it set numerous records of temps north of 100 for close to a month, and water temperature of 90 degrees, so the plate chiller just wasn't cutting it and I grew weary of the ice in the tub routine, so I bit the bullet and bought the King Cobra. It brings 6 gal from boiling to 93-94 in about 4 minutes, then I hook up the pump to the other kettle which is filled with 5 gal of chilled water that I put in the fridge the night before, and connect the hose to the chiller. 2-3 minutes later it's at 68 degrees and I'm a happy camper. Uses much less water than I did before. Very impressed. Looking forward to when water temps drop and I can bypass the chilled water routine. The only downside is that the big spruce in the front yard really enjoyed getting all of that water from using the plate chiller... Good product, wish I would have jumped on board sooner...

 

[hawkbox]

My wife got me a Hydra for my birthday in August. Without any real effort it cut my chilling time down to 1/3 of my previous IC. If I can get actual cold water through it I think it will go like a hot damn.

Only real issue so far is that I used whole leaf hops loose in the kettle and I'm still getting them out of the damned Hydra 2 weeks later.

 

[Sujeto]

Has anyone tried the Hydra chiller with 10 gallon batches?

 

[hawkbox]

I've primarily used it for 10 gallon batches. Works really well, except my water source can't keep up easily.

 

[bendog15]

I have a hydra I use for 10 gal batches. With 80 degree groundwater it gets it down to around 81-82 degrees in about 7 minutes. Amazing. Probably one of my favorite pieces of equipment. Absolutely love it.