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I don't think there is any difference. Heat is energy, and you need to transfer it regardless of the actual temperature. I read somewhere at this forum, though, that some people freeze their top water, and then just drop this block of ice into the hot wort, which is, of course, different.

That's so true! And the funny thing, it's not only me :-) I gave it to a friend to try, she tasted it, and said that it made her sleepy and relaxed - quite different from commercial beers. A few weeks later she came to visit us again, and one of the first things she asked was: Do you still have...

Luckily, I have it in my records: it was Fermentis Safale US-05 Dry Ale Yeast from the Austin HS, and I can get exactly the same yeast. Since that brew I made a fermentation chamber, and control the temperature with ice, but that beer just sat in the pantry corner. We have the approximately...

When I was thinking about brewing my first beer I decided to go as simple as possible. The beer turned out to be quite interesting (or maybe I just made myself think so because it was the first beer?), and now I would like to make it again. It was 7 lbs Amber malt extract, 2 oz of Cascade (1.5...

I would add one thing - cool the sugar after boiling down to a room temperature.

Today I bottled this beer. It was 0.007, exactly one half of the target gravity per instructions (0.14). What do you guys think contributed to such a low gravity? (The beer tasted nice, by the way).

Will brown ale (newcastle clone with dry windsor ale yeast) ferment an 60 degrees? Should I keep the beer in carboy a few days longer over two weeks because of the low temperature, or raise it to 65? What will make the beer taste better?

I am really surprised by the efficiency of this cooler. Friday afternoon I put 1.5 gallons of fresh ice, set the thermostat at 77 degrees, and left for Houston. Two days later (48 hours) I came back, and expected to see all the ice melted and the fan running with the temperature in the high 80s...

Here are some numbers. The carboy with 5.25 gallons of beer cooled down from 77 to 67 degrees in 15 hours. I had a little more than a gallon of ice in 8 small food containers, and at the beginning they melted relatively fast, in about 10 hours. At 67 degrees they last 14 hours. The best part is...

I don't think this is the problem. When I had all the wort and the water in the carboy, I aerated it with aquarium diffuser attached to a 120 psi compressor :-) Not that I do it always, but my small aquarium compressor suddenly died right when I needed it. Anyway, I adjusted the airflow, and let...

Yes, I added water. It was about 2 gals of wort after the boil, and I added cool water to make it 5.25 gals. Do you mean I had to check the gravity before adding the water? I mashed at 155 for 45 minutes, then put the bag in the strainer and poured 2 quarts of hot (170) water on it. That's what...

I brew a mini mash Newcastle Brown Ale today: 2.5 lb 2-row 6 oz Crystal 90L 3 oz Chocolate 3.5 lb Extra pale extract 1 lb Corn sugar 1 oz Fuggle (60 min) 0.25 oz Kent Golding (15 min) The instructions sheet says that the gravity should be around 1.050...

I wish I had a 55 degrees basement. Well, I wish I had any basement! Here in Texas you don't have anything deeper than a slab :-) At the same time I am finishing school, and may land in some colder state soon, so I added an extra 12v line just in case. If I need it later, I'll hook it to the...

And what is wrong with the bleach? Seems to be cheaper and more effective than anything else. I am a beginner though and may be missing something.

Well, since I already have a fridge in the kitchen and can get all the ice I need for free, this setup is better to compare with a classic car which does not have an engine, and is pulled around by your daily driver :-)

Thank you! Cannot way to see the chiller in action.

If you can make beer in it, why would you need anything else?

Yes, the ice goes in the bins. This area has its own door, so no need to open the upper door and letting lots of warm air in in order to put fresh ice. Most of the time the air circulates inside. I tried to make both doors as airtight as possible, but there might be some leaking, it is hard to...

First, it is a fun to build. Second, you get exactly what you need in terms of size, color, you name it. Third, it is nearly silent. And consumes only a fraction of electricity in comparison with a freezer. Finally, it fits in any room much better than any appliance - in fact, this chiller is...

I bought it at Home Depot. Sold normally for 14.27, it was on sale for 3.50, could not pass the deal. I don't see the brass finish online, it might be discontinued, but the satin-nickel is available (SKU # 553012). It is called Defender Security 1 in. Big Eye Door Viewer. The only minor problem...