Wort Chilling

[ProfX]

1.) I just stepped up to 5 gallon batches from 1 Gallon. I'm concerned about cooling the wort on bigger batches. Guys at the LHBS said since i'm still doing extract brews i can add ice cold (clean) water post boil to top it off and cool it as well, along with the ice bath. I've also read that the closer you get to full boil the better the hop utilization. I have the capability for full boils already. I'm wondering where the happy medium is. Obviously the smaller the boil, the more water needed to top off therefore helping cool my wort quicker but that means less hop utilization. Do you guys put more stock on hop utilization or cooling the wort?

2.) Related to 1, I know we want to get the wort down to pitching temps a quickly as possible. Is that so that we can pitch and help prevent infection, or is it to keep it out of the "infection susceptible" zone. If it's the latter, is it OK if we take a while after we get it under 80 to keep dropping the temp to around 65? Or should I pitch as soon as I get down to around 73, even though I will be fermenting around 63 in my ferm chamber?


I just built me a ferm chamber, next investment will definitely be a wort chiller, but every time i go with the intention of buying one I end up getting more brewing ingredients instead.

 

[SeeMont]

Sorry I can't answer about adding the water post boil, never have donw that. As for a wort chiller, This is a real easy, easy build. Get soft copper tubing, I have 25 feet of 3/8" ( would like to have 50 feet) plastic tubing, hose clamps, connector to hose line. Wrap tubing around a keg and there you have it. I did mine for about $30.00 Good luck

 

[DonH]

Buy a duda diesel plate chiller.... can easily be done using gravity $70!

 

[BigFloyd]

1.) I just stepped up to 5 gallon batches from 1 Gallon. I'm concerned about cooling the wort on bigger batches. Guys at the LHBS said since i'm still doing extract brews i can add ice cold (clean) water post boil to top it off and cool it as well, along with the ice bath. I've also read that the closer you get to full boil the better the hop utilization. I have the capability for full boils already. I'm wondering where the happy medium is. Obviously the smaller the boil, the more water needed to top off therefore helping cool my wort quicker but that means less hop utilization. Do you guys put more stock on hop utilization or cooling the wort?

If you don't yet have an effective chiller, I think you're better off doing a partial boil, chilling that to about 85-90*F in an ice bath and topping off with a couple gallons of chilled (just above freezing) water to arrive at a final temp around 60-62*F for pitching.

2.) Related to 1, I know we want to get the wort down to pitching temps a quickly as possible. Is that so that we can pitch and help prevent infection, or is it to keep it out of the "infection susceptible" zone. If it's the latter, is it OK if we take a while after we get it under 80 to keep dropping the temp to around 65? Or should I pitch as soon as I get down to around 73, even though I will be fermenting around 63 in my ferm chamber?

If you want a cleaner tasting beer, chilling the wort to a few degrees below the lowest optimal temp for the yeast being used and then letting it come up during the first 12 hours or so of fermentation is the better practice even if it takes some additional time to get there.

 

[Sbarnard80]

I would think you can pitch at 73. The yeast should not care if it keeps drifting down to 63.

Again, I would think you could even go down to 2.5 gallons after boil and top off another 2.5. Will just have to try it with the hops and see if the flavor comes through, maybe slightly less but not by much. As I recall, when I was doing extracts, that was my practice and I always had plenty of hoppy goodness.

 

[chocotaco]

1) You can add cold water (or clean ice) post-boil to get the temp down quickly. But that means you have to do a partial boil. People have long thought that partial boils are bad for various reasons. One is hop utilization, but some heavy hitters (heard a podcast recently from some reputable folks, forgot whom exactly) recently did a reasonably well controlled experiment with a full boil and partial boil and sent the resulting beers off to a lab for IBU analysis - no significant difference. Another reason is over-caramelization of extract in a concentrated boil (but if you add extract near flameout this wouldn't be an issue). I would give it a try, and if you like the results then go with it. We aren't doing rocket science or brain surgery (at least I hope we aren't with the amount of beer most of us drink)

2. There are several commonly cited reasons for getting down to pitching temps as quickly as possible. One is DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide) production, which supposedly continues down to 160-ish degrees F but can't be boiled off below, well, boiling temps. If you're using LME this won't be a problem as all DMS and its precursors were already boiled off. If you're doing a 90-minute boil or longer, with no pilsner malt or 6-row, it also won't be a problem. The jury is still out on the rest. Lots of people (particularly in Australia) don't bother to chill at all, and just let it cool on its own time. They don't report any ill effects, so if you trust the Australian palate then apparently DMS is a myth with a long enough boil.

Another reason to cool down quickly is that it reportedly helps with beer clarity. Again, if you trust the Australian no-chill crowd, this might be a myth as well.

Finally, the idea that the sooner you pitch, the less likely you are to get an infection. I think there is no debate about this one. Unless you are taking special measures to protect your wort from "wild" innoculation by something, then pitching sooner will always be better for preventing infection.

Personally, I think it's fine to put the wort in the fermenter once it's down to 80 and maybe even pitch the yeast. But that is because right after that I put it in a cold water bath which will get the temp down to 62 in less than an hour and hold it there. YMMV if you pitch several hours before you can get it down to "conventional" pitching temp.