Cooling question

[brandona33]

I read that Aluminum pots are better conductors...problem is my 5 gal aluminum is too tall to fit under the fan hood at my new house. So I will have to do a 2.5 G boil in a 3G stainless steel pot I have. Question is, to cool wort faster, at the end of the boil can I pour the wort into the aluminum pot, fill with cool water (2+ G should hasten cooling time) and ice bath? What sterilization steps do y'all forsee me needing to take to be clean?

 

[GRHunter]

Sterilize everything that touches your wort. My biggest concern would be oxidation while transferring the hot wort to the aluminum pot. Well that, and burning the crap out of myself in the process.

 

[Captain Damage]

1) Boiling 2.5 gallons in a 3 gallon pot is risky. Foam control drops are a must! And even then the rolling action of the boil could get messy (a rolling boil is necessary). I generally do 2 gallon boils in a 5 gallon pot without foam control and have to watch for foam-overs.

2) I'm not sure transferring from the 3g to the 5g pot is worth the risk of spilling, but it's up to you. While aluminum does conduct heat better than stainless, I think the difference in time-to-pitching-temp will probably be very small, but give it a try and see how much of a difference it makes. It'd be an interesting experiment. As long as your wort is above about 180F you shouldn't have to take any extra special sterilizing steps on the 5g pot. Just make sure it's clean. Spray it with sanitizer if you want to be extra sure, but the hot wort will sanitize it pretty well when you transfer it.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I've put up several fan hoods and am perplexed that your pot is too tall to go under it. Very strange.

 

[brandona33]

I've put up several fan hoods and am perplexed that your pot is too tall to go under it. Very strange.

Ya, its annoying. The landlord put a cupbord over the fan hood, and there is very little clearance. To be clear, I does fit under the hood, but not square over the front burners, so risky because it could tip

 

[brandona33]

I dropped the water to 2 G, and will cool in the boiling pot, if its not going to cool considerable faster, I'm not going to go thru all the extra sanitation and cleaning. Thanks for the quick replies

 

[Bubba_Mustafa]

footenote: A good SS pot will be clad with a copper substrate. (at least on the bottom)