Cooling in Kettle vs. cooling in fermenter

[Painter]

I have been doing extract brews using a 5 gallon kettle, so my boil is usually 2 1/2 gallons. For the past year I have cooled my wort by transferring it into my fermentation bucket that already has 2+ gallons of chilled water in it, sitting in a big tub of ice water. I stir both the wort and the ice water pretty constantly
(using different utensils, of course) and it takes around 40 minutes to cool. I have been wondering, though, whether it would be faster just to put the brew kettle directly into the tub of ice water to cool it before I put it into the fermenter with the top-off water. I suspect that the heat transfer would be better through the kettle, but adding the wort to the cooled water cools it down quite a bit right from the start.

During the winter I put the top-off water outside the night before I brew and it gets down close to freezing, so it cools off the hot wort real fast.

 

[BigFloyd]

With a partial boil like you're doing, using an ice bath for your kettle to get it down into the 80's and then combining with really cold top-off water to achieve a final result around 60*F is a good practice.

 

[Bobby_M]

Of course you will get faster cooling while in a metal vessel.

 

[Painter]

I guess that I have to try it both ways and time it both ways to see which is faster.

I'll post my results when I have them.

 

[jbaysurfer]

With a partial boil like you're doing, using an ice bath for your kettle to get it down into the 80's and then combining with really cold top-off water to achieve a final result around 60*F is a good practice.

This is your answer. (although I think you can transfer it at 100F not 80F). Speed things by sanitizing a container (large tupperware works) an putting half of your sanitized top-up water in it and freeze it. Then just cool the kettle with a cool tap water bath to 110f and as soon as you transfer it and melt the top up water/ice, you'll be ready to pitch.

 

[Hello]

I guess that I have to try it both ways and time it both ways to see which is faster.

I'll post my results when I have them.

Why? Both said cool in kettle. The other guy just elaborated and said the top off water will get you to 60F easy. I cool in kettle to 80F and top off with cold water. I am at 55-60F easy.

 

[Bobby_M]

You can try it, but the logic is sound. Not only does metal conduct better (not even close) but chilling speed is also mostly affected by the temp delta. Boiling wort will be cooled much faster because 212F and 32F icewater is a huge delta. If you want to go even faster, freeze your top up water in sanitized Chinese soup containers and pour your 120F wort right onto them in the fermenter.

 

[unionrdr]

I chill 2-3 gallon jugs of local spring water in the fridge a day or two before brew day. Chill the kettle of hot wort in an ice bath in the kitchen sink down to 75F or so. Then strain it into secondary which not only gets the excess gunk out,but also aerates it. Then top off to recipe volume with the cold jugs of spring water to recipe volume. This usually gets it down to about 64F. Good pitch temp for the average ale yeast.

 

[wilserbrewer]

...chilling speed is also mostly affected by the temp delta. Boiling wort will be cooled much faster because 212F and 32F icewater is a huge delta.

This!

 

[Painter]

With a partial boil like you're doing, using an ice bath for your kettle to get it down into the 80's and then combining with really cold top-off water to achieve a final result around 60*F is a good practice.

I misread, sorry.

Next brew I will be chilling in the kettle.

 

[Painter]

Just a follow up.

Today I chilled my wort in the kettle, putting it into my sink with ice water, changing the ice water so that it stayed as cold as possible, while circulating both the wort and the ice water (though because of the relatively small size of my sink, circulating the cooling water wasn't easy). Anyhow, it took a little over 30 minutes to fully chill the wort to pitching temperature.

I then looked at my notes from last winter's brewing sessions (I can't brew during the summer months because of an annual change in living situation). Pouring the hot wort into chilled water in the primary fermenter, then putting that into a tub with an ice bath...the wort was chilled to pitching temperature in a little over 30 minutes.

It might go a bit faster if I put the kettle into the tub instead of the sink because the tub is larger. I'll try that next time.

 

[h22lude]

Just a follow up.

Today I chilled my wort in the kettle, putting it into my sink with ice water, changing the ice water so that it stayed as cold as possible, while circulating both the wort and the ice water (though because of the relatively small size of my sink, circulating the cooling water wasn't easy). Anyhow, it took a little over 30 minutes to fully chill the wort to pitching temperature.

I then looked at my notes from last winter's brewing sessions (I can't brew during the summer months because of an annual change in living situation). Pouring the hot wort into chilled water in the primary fermenter, then putting that into a tub with an ice bath...the wort was chilled to pitching temperature in a little over 30 minutes.

It might go a bit faster if I put the kettle into the tub instead of the sink because the tub is larger. I'll try that next time.

A tub will have more cold water to extract the heat but it will take a lot more ice to cool the water in the tub.