chiller = cold break during boil

Im brewing now,
everytime I put the IC in the boil for the last 15 minutes I get an immediate cold break.By the time I get back to boil the 60 min is up.So my last few hop additions are not boiling.What to do? I like the idea of boiling the IC for sanitation

 

It takes you 15 minutes to recover your boil after adding the chiller? Am I reading that right? My experience is more like 30 seconds.

You're not running water thru the chiller when you put it in, are you?

 

Wait until the end of the boil to add your chiller. At that temperature pasteurization occurs in seconds.

 

Its a large chiller,120 ft.No water.and its 65 deg winter room temp copper.It takes forever to get back up to a boil.I boil at 75% power.If I crank it up to 100% a few minutes before I add the chiller is there any chance of scorching wort? Ill add the chiller just before the end of boil and see what happens

 

I don't know about scorching. I agree with RM-MN that adding it at the end of boil would be fine.

 

120ft?? Wow.

Maybe don't stick it in all at once? I know it's hard once you get the first part in, but just try to hold back. Your act of control will be rewarded.

Once you get it all heated up your good to go.

Or have you thought about getting it ready ahead of time? Maybe running some HOT water through it? I have no idea what your setup is like or if that's even possible. I use the Kitchen faucet in the winter and sometimes run hot water through mine if I need to use the faucet while the CFC is still sanitizing.

 

You could add it at the beginning, before you get to the boil

 

I have always added mine with 15 min left in boil then crank up heat to get back to full boil. Usually takes just a few seconds

 

Stick it in at flame out, and just wait a few minutes before you start running it. Assuming it's clean going it, the temp will be plenty hot enough to sanitize.

Oh, and

That's what she said...

 

My understanding was that even at boiling pasteurization took a few minutes (my understanding may not be correct). I usually add mine around the 30 minute mark since it's kind a no-mans land.

+1 on running hot water through it first. That way I'm back up to boiling within a few seconds.

 

You could also just let it sit in a bucket of StarSan until you need it.

 

That's true, but you don't need to completely sterilize the chiller, only sanitize. Leaving it in 200+ degree wort for a few minutes is plenty of time, at least in my experience. It's especially useful if you're doing a hop stand.

 

Boiling never sterilizes, only sanitizes. Sterilization requires higher heat (pressure cooker/autoclave).

Question is just how effective the kill rate is at that temperature for that time. I know the CDC recommends boiling suspect drinking water for at least 1 minute, or at least 3 minutes at higher elevations. Now, that's for harmful bacteria which wouldn't be able to survive in beer anyway so it's apples to oranges, but point is 200F wort for a few minutes won't be as high of a kill rate as boiling. Question is just whether or not its enough, and if you guys have no problems resulting then it's probably enough. But if there's a door to microbial contamination I can easily close, I'm going to close it.

Just my 2c.