Chiller Recommendations

[Wfu1bunn]

I’m considering a new chiller. I brew 5 gallon batches. I’d love to hear some recommendations. Thanks.

 

[RM-MN]

How fast do you want the wort chilled and how much money do you want to spend doing that?
1. Cheapest is to use recipes with no late hops and do a no chill. That takes a long time but it is free.
2. With any late addition hops, the longer the wort is over about 170F, the more bittering is created. One can immerse the pot into cold water and fairly quickly reduce the wort temp to below 170 but to get to pitching temp takes a while, especially for those in the warm climates where the water temp is too high.
3. Immersion chillers are common. Put them in the boil pot just before the end of the boil and start running cool water through them as soon as the heat is turned off. Stirring the wort so more of it contacts the chiller speeds this up. These chillers are more expensive than a tub to set the pot into as mentioned in #2.
4. Plate chillers can be faster but cost more and take more time to clean to ensure you don't infect the next batch.

 

[LostHopper]

JaDed Brewing immersion chiller. They have different models, well built, all fast.
I'm not sure of the model I use but I don't think they make it any longer. Maybe the best equipment purchase I've made for improving my brew day.

 

[kh54s10]

I have thought about a plate chiller or a counterflow chiller. The thought of having gunk trapped inside either has kept me from pursuing the idea. A counterflow may be it the cards some day but a plate chiller getting clogged.. it doesn't seem worth the headache.

I made a 2 section, 20ft each, immersion chiller. In cooler weather I put both sections in the BK. In warmer weather I start with both in the BK and when chilled about as far as the tap water will take it I put the smaller section in a bucket of ice.

Stirring the wort will speed the process by taking the chilled wort from around the chiller and mixing it with the hot wort not next to the tubing.

 

[Homergah]

My vote is for a good immersion chiller. I can go from boiling to 170f in 4 minutes with my simple homemade IC. It requires a pump to circulate ice water through the chiller once wort temp reaches 120f. I don't use a second chiller immersed in the ice water. That is a huge limiting factor.

 

[kh54s10]

My vote is for a good immersion chiller. I can go from boiling to 170f in 4 minutes with my simple homemade IC. It requires a pump to circulate ice water through the chiller once wort temp reaches 120f. I don't use a second chiller immersed in the ice water. That is a huge limiting factor.

I do that because I have not yet set up for running chilled water through the chiller. It wasn't so needed when I lived in Rhode Island. The tap water was in the 40s in the winter and only up to the 70s in the hottest part of the summer.

Now in Florida the coolest tap water I ever get is in the 70s. Mid to upper 80s in the summer. I have recently gotten a pump to circulate cold water but haven't gotten it plumbed in yet.

I don't know what your chiller is, but it takes at least 10 minutes for my 40ft of chiller to take boiling town to 170, maybe longer. I gave up long ago trying to get from 80 to 68 where I want to pitch, it just takes too long and too much water. Maybe with the pump and cold water.

 

[Nagorg]

+1 for an immersion chiller. I'd have to consider the JaDed Brewing "Hydra" based on many different reviews of it. I cant speak to them personally but many folks say they cool much faster than your basic coil IC.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

Spend the money on a Jaded Hydra or King Cobra. I finally did, after messing around with a DIY immersion chiller that was ultimately lacking. Used it for the first time this weekend - 11g batch from boiling to 60° in 11 minutes, and it his 140° in less than 3 minutes. Granted, my ground water is currently 41°, but still - it is at least 3x faster than my previous efforts, and the build quality is outstanding. The price tag is rough, but this is one buy-once-cry-once situation I support.

 

[lump42]

I do that because I have not yet set up for running chilled water through the chiller. It wasn't so needed when I lived in Rhode Island. The tap water was in the 40s in the winter and only up to the 70s in the hottest part of the summer.

Now in Florida the coolest tap water I ever get is in the 70s. Mid to upper 80s in the summer. I have recently gotten a pump to circulate cold water but haven't gotten it plumbed in yet.

I don't know what your chiller is, but it takes at least 10 minutes for my 40ft of chiller to take boiling town to 170, maybe longer. I gave up long ago trying to get from 80 to 68 where I want to pitch, it just takes too long and too much water. Maybe with the pump and cold water.

I just use a cooler of ice and a couple gal of water. Hook up the chiller tubing to the barb fittings on a harbor freight pond pump. If I stir the wort constantly, I can chill down below 170F in less than 5 min with my homemade 40-ft chiller. My old brewing space didn't have access to running water so it was my work around, now its my summer option when groundwater temps are 75F.

 

[mscroggi]

My $.02.

I have an immersion chiller, and I think it is probably the best compromise between ease of use, cost, cleaning etc.. I had a chance at a used plate chiller recently.. but after discussing it with my home brew club, I was convinced it isn't worth it. I live in the deep south in the US where it is very warm and using a straight immersion chiller probably doesn't yield the same performance that other brewers are getting with much cooler tap water.

I was reading about a no-chill method (hot cubing) that is popular with the Aussies. I bought a 5 gal hedpak container and cap for $18 shipped.. For that amount, it's certainly worth trying.. The biggest difference is you have to shift your hop schedules, since the hops are in contact with the hot wort for so much longer. I have my first no-chill batch in the keg right now.. I sampled it yesterday, and it seems like it is going to work out great. I recommend at least trying it.. You are only risking $18, so if you don't like it, at worst case, you have a nice container to haul water around. It is a big perk to me to trim off about 1.5 hours from my brew day.

Just a thought.

 

[Murphys_Law]

Gotta throw in another vote for the Jaded Hyrda. It's a great product and worth the cost IMO.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

I have a 50' x 3/8" stainless steel immersion chiller. I bought it on amazon, but the vendor is NY Brew Supply. I used it yesterday and it took about 12 minutes to get from boiling to about 70 degrees. It's a little quicker in January, but I was more than ok with 12 minutes.

In the summer, in North Carolina, it struggles to get lower than 90 degrees. I suppose I can get a smaller secondary chiller, put that in a cooler of ice water, and that would do the trick - but I haven't tried doing it yet. I usually just put the ~90 degree wort in the bottling bucket that I use to ferment, put that in the chest freezer, and check back in a couple hours. That does the trick.

 

[lump42]

I have a 50' x 3/8" stainless steel immersion chiller. I bought it on amazon, but the vendor is NY Brew Supply. I used it yesterday and it took about 12 minutes to get from boiling to about 70 degrees. It's a little quicker in January, but I was more than ok with 12 minutes.

In the summer, in North Carolina, it struggles to get lower than 90 degrees. I suppose I can get a smaller secondary chiller, put that in a cooler of ice water, and that would do the trick - but I haven't tried doing it yet. I usually just put the ~90 degree wort in the bottling bucket that I use to ferment, put that in the chest freezer, and check back in a couple hours. That does the trick.

Just grab a cheap pond pump and recirculate the ice water through the chiller. Much cheaper.

 

[Homergah]

@kh54s10 Running with the second chiller is definitely better than not doing it. I had that nice cold well water when I lived in Connecticut. It was so nice not having to buy ice. I actually have two pumps now. I constantly recirc to whirlpool with one pump and circulate ice water with the other. My second pump was basically free. I do water well service work occasionally and that pump was a trade-in from a customer. It's overkill sure, but it was free.

 

[seatazzz]

Yes, plate chillers can clog; but if you take care of them, and are careful to backflush them EVERY brewday, in my opinion (having used all the methods mentioned above) they are the best option. I'm lucky enough to live in the PNW where the ground water is, even in the deep summer, cool enough to get my wort to pitching temp within less than 15 minutes. Unfortunately they are cost prohibitive; you need a decent pump to get the wort through them, with all the hoses, connectors, means to filter out gunk, etc. Mine has clogged up only once, and a bake in the oven with a good flush afterwards fixed that issue. However, mine cost less than the Jaded Hydra mentioned above. It's all about where you want to go with this hobby, and how much you can spend.

 

[dx250]

I built my immersion chiller, it is 75' 3/8'' in 3 circuits and with 51 degree water and my pump circulating the wort it takes 7 minutes from boil to pitching temp. It's almost too fast but then again I rarely do whirlpool hops.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

Just grab a cheap pond pump and recirculate the ice water through the chiller. Much cheaper.

Good idea! I bought a 265 GPH pump last week in order to clean the beer line in my keezer, so I can see if that's strong enough for my immersion chiller.

I'd still use water from the hose to get it down under 100 degrees - I hook it up to my sprinkler and water my lawn with it, so it's not 100% waste. But once it stalls, I could put the pump in a bucket with ice water and run that for a few minutes. It only costs a few bucks for a short 1/2" ID garden hose, so it should be easy to attach to the pump.

 

[lump42]

Good idea! I bought a 265 GPH pump last week in order to clean the beer line in my keezer, so I can see if that's strong enough for my immersion chiller.

I'd still use water from the hose to get it down under 100 degrees - I hook it up to my sprinkler and water my lawn with it, so it's not 100% waste. But once it stalls, I could put the pump in a bucket with ice water and run that for a few minutes. It only costs a few bucks for a short 1/2" ID garden hose, so it should be easy to attach to the pump.

I started with a pump about that size because I had salvaged it from a fountain. When it went out I went with a ~500gph harbor frieght pump, just a bit faster. Just be sure to stir or recirc the wort while chilling if you are really trying to cut time down.

I fill my rinsed out mash tun with the discharge water for cleaning, then I switch over to the pump, usually by then its between 100-120F.

 

[Alex4mula]

In MI I love my 18” plate chiller. Boil to 65F for 5gal in 3-4 min. Cleaning is not too hard. Everyone will have their preferences. Get what you feel comfortable with.

 

[AlDogWV]

I'll pile on - the Jaded Hydra is probably the best homebrew purchase I've made, like, ever. No ****, it is awesome.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

I'm curious - what does the Jaded Hydra do that other immersion chillers don't do? Is it just wider tubing, or do they have something else going on that makes it bring down to groundwater temperature so quickly?

 

[geoffm33]

It's all about the surface area of the coils. There are three strands of copper so more contact with the wort. I can't find any specs on what the total length of the copper tubing is. Here is a review here: http://brulosophy.com/2014/09/23/the-hydra-immersion-chiller-by-jaded-brewing-a-review/

 

[Alex4mula]

I'm curious - what does the Jaded Hydra do that other immersion chillers don't do? Is it just wider tubing, or do they have something else going on that makes it bring down to groundwater temperature so quickly?

I looked at pictures and seems to have double pipes running.

 

[kh54s10]

I don't own one but by looking at it. There are three coils so cold water goes into each one, where most coils cold water would go in one end, absorb as much heat as it could, then exit. So three shorter ? coils should each work as efficiently as the one.

Think I may re tube my 2 section coil so it works somewhat the same.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I don't own one but by looking at it. There are three coils so cold water goes into each one, where most coils cold water would go in one end, absorb as much heat as it could, then exit. So three shorter ? coils should each work as efficiently as the one. Think I may re tube my 2 section coil so it works somewhat the same.

The Hydra splits the in-flowing water into three sets of coils, which distributes the cooler water more evenly throughout the wort being chilled.

I love the **** thing. No fuss, no muss, just chilling 11g to 60° in ~10 minutes. Granted, by groundwater is 41° right now, but compared to my DIY chiller, it is at least three times as fast, and significantly more sturdy, even with my 3/4" heavy duty garden hoses hanging off it.

 

[schematix]

The Jaded Hydra is great. Simple. Effective. Easy to clean. It's the best IC design around and it's reasonably priced.

A plate chiller is unquestionably faster due to its vast surface area, but unless you are chilling large batches that are impractical for an IC (>10G), then the IC is still your most effective method when you consider cleaning. Breweries that use plate chillers CIP them constantly with harsh acids and bases. You don't have that in a home brewery. One should also consider what's 'fast enough'. Does it matter if you chill in 20 minutes vs 15 minutes, if you have to spent an additional 20 minutes cleaning?

 

[fendersrule]

Are you brewing inside? I prefer a counter flow chiller when I'm brewing inside and am limited to vertical space on my stove.

I brew outside, and an immersion chiller makes the most sense to me. It's as straight forward as it get and easy to clean. I just went to my local brew store and got the larger immersion chiller I could...I paid around $50. It's copper. I can cool 10 gallons of wort with it in 15 minutes....

 

[LittleRiver]

I get great results recirculating through a "ribcage" immersion chiller I made.

 

[pantherburn]

Another vote for Jaded Hydra. It really is pretty awesome.

 

[Brewsncrabs]

Jaded Hydra. Works as advertised. Gotta stir though! Friend rigged up a kitchen hand mixer and doesn't stir anymore!

 

[Homergah]

Jaded Hydra. Works as advertised. Gotta stir though! Friend rigged up a kitchen hand mixer and doesn't stir anymore!

O M G! My head may explode! Luke warm side aeration!

 

[schematix]

O M G! My head may explode! Luke warm side aeration!

Let's keep this discussion real. This is HBT. His wort was already fully hot side aerated at least 2 hours before this already.