Cooling my wort in the snow?

[estricklin]

Ok here in Arkansas it usually doesn't get this cold, for this long. My water hose has been frozen solid for a couple of weeks now, and I'm tired of waiting to brew. I can do everything else inside, and boil outside, but not sure about air cooling, or trying to cool my wort in the snow. I think the high today is about 40F, but it's below 20F now and should be below 30F when I finish my boil. Will it take too long to cool off if I pack snow around the pot?

 

[jrfehon]

It takes about an hour for a 5 gallon batch if you sit the pot in a cold water bath and keep adding snow.

 

[estricklin]

It takes about an hour for a 5 gallon batch.

No kiddin, that's not bad, I only need to get it below 100F or so anyway, my ferm chamber can tackle the rest after I transfer it to primary fermetner.

Thanks.

 

[jrfehon]

I had to edit my post - if you sit the pot in a cold water bath and keep adding snow.

I've tried just sitting my brew pot in a pile of snow. That doesn't work very well. I use a plastic bin to make a cold water bath, then I keep adding snow as it melts.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I cooled a small batch in snow, one concern with it is if you just stick it in and leave it it basically acts like an insulator. i used a bucket with snow in it and long story short, it took longer than my flowing bathtub method. I think putting some water in a bucket then adding snow is the better way to go but I haven't tested it.

 

[JohnK93]

Snow is mostly air, so you're better off filling your sink or a large bucket with water and using the snow to bring down the water temp, then stirring the wort and ice bath to keep things moving. This is how I was doing it last winter and it worked pretty well.

John


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[RM-MN]

It takes about an hour for a 5 gallon batch if you sit the pot in a cold water bath and keep adding snow.

The key is tub of cold water and snow added to keep it cold. The closer to the height of the wort in the pot that you can keep the water in the tub, the faster it will cool. Make sure you add snow regularly so that there is always snow in the tub. That way you are removing as much heat from the pot as you can. I do it often since it is always to cold when I brew to have a hose hooked up plus I don't want a skating rink in my lawn. If your tub is big and tall you can chill that wort to 60 degrees in about 20 minutes if you stir the wort occasionally so it doesn't become stratified.

 

[ericbw]

I cooled a small batch in snow, one concern with it is if you just stick it in and leave it it basically acts like an insulator. i used a bucket with snow in it and long story short, it took longer than my flowing bathtub method. I think putting some water in a bucket then adding snow is the better way to go but I haven't tested it.

That's funny because I've had little success with snow cooling. That must be why!


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[Clankenbrew]

I cooled a 3 gallon boil in a snow pile in ten minutes. I stirred while my batch boy packed snow against the pot. Worked great... You might want to unscrew your hose and bring it into the basement to defrost before it pops.

 

[boscobeans]

I cooled a 3 gallon boil in a snow pile in ten minutes. I stirred while my batch boy packed snow against the pot. Worked great... You might want to unscrew your hose and bring it into the basement to defrost before it pops.

Put it in a tub filled with snow, a little water an a few pounds of salt. This will go way below freezing temp (like in an ice cream churn) and the time will be greatly reduced if you keep the wort moving.

bosco

 

[nvious23]

Do u have a wort chiller? If so there are adapters to hook up to a kitchen sink.

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[jrfehon]

I got one of those adapters recently and it broke in the threads of my faucet. Not sure if it's something I did or just a bad adaptor. Now I have to get a new faucet. Oh well...

 

[cheezydemon3]

Like an ice bath, it is not very efficient.

I am freezing 1 gallon of water right now for brewing later.

If you thought the snow was sanitrary and unpolluted, it would be fun to top off with snow.

As it is I boil down to 3.75 gallons and pitch that onto ice. It chills in no time.

 

[JonM]

Got an immersion chiller and pump? Fill your HLT with ice water and run the ice water through the IC using the pump. That's what I do in the winter up here in 'da frozen north.

 

[estricklin]

Got an immersion chiller and pump? Fill your HLT with ice water and run the ice water through the IC using the pump. That's what I do in the winter up here in 'da frozen north.

I have a pretty good wort chiller, and a way to hook it up in the house, but the 100 ft of water hose, is all froze. So is the wort chiller also, I left it laying outside like I always do, it usually doesn't get below freezing like this here. I guess I could try to thaw the house out somehow but I don't mind waiting a bit.

I actually have a large rubbermaid tub, and about 30 lbs of ice blocks in my freezer so maybe that would b easier than dicking with the snow.

 

[Bobby_M]

Even though I take care to put my garden hoses into the shed with the water blown out of them, I still hate the idea of using them and blasting a bunch of water onto the lawn in 20f temps. In my opinion, the best indoor solution with no garden hose supply needed is to get a pond pump from Harbor Freight and drop it in a bucket full of water. When there's snow and ice piled up outside, I do add that to drop the temp of the water down to near freezing. I pump that water through my plate chiller though you can use an immersion or CFC as well. It's possible to just recirculate the coolant water back into the bucket, but I like to collect the output water into my HLT for cleanup later. It also keeps from warming up your coolant. Just keep adding more snow to the bucket.

 

[nvious23]

I got one of those adapters recently and it broke in the threads of my faucet. Not sure if it's something I did or just a bad adaptor. Now I have to get a new faucet. Oh well...

Oh man that sucks easy to do with the delicate faucet threads.

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[hehawbrew]

Yeah- I brewed the other day and thought snow would work. Nope! Took longer!


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[MikeDizzle95]

I second the snow cooling sucks. Takes longer. Plenty of good suggestions on this thread that should help ya out.


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[ShadyBrewer]

Why not just bring the hose in the house and let it melt? Maybe put it in a warm bath or something? Seems like an easy solution


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[estricklin]

It took about 40 minutes in the tub with ice, snow and water mix, to bring it down to 87F. No stirring.

 

[nvious23]

I hooked up my chiller to kitchen faucet today dropped it to 65 degrees in approx. 25 min.

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[muels]

I put an ice and water bath in my kitchen sink and it takes me about 20 minutes to get to 67?? I start in one side and when the ice melts I move it to the other side. I keep hearing all the hour long time stuff, I must have a magic sink!! It's gives me just enough time to sanitize and get ready.


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[estricklin]

How many gallons you doing?

 

[muels]

5 gallon.