Cooling the wort.

[mrcondor001]

I heard its best to cool the wort as quick as possible. Is this true? I usually use a tub filled with ice but i was looking at purchasing a wort chiller.

 

[NewJersey]

i do 5 gallon batches and actually timed how long it took me to get down to 75*
about 11 minutes. then i transfer to my ol' bucket and aerate for 10minutes. pitch yeast and call it a day.
by this time of the day im getting eager to be finished, so just for that alone i feel the chiller is worth it.
i use a premade copper coil i immerse in the wort. i stir often.

 

[Brew-Jay]

I believe it is best to cool the wort as quickly as possible, though there are those who swear by their no-chill method (I think that just means sealing the carboy and letting the wort cool naturally over a long period of time). For me, one of my favorite moments on brew day is watching boiling wort enter my 20' counterflow chiller and empty into the carboy at 68* seconds later. I want to pitch the yeast right away and not wait an hour or a day, or longer.

A tub with ice is perfectly fine, but you have to purchase the ice. That adds up. A chiller will probably only set you back $60 or so. Cheaper if you make it. It's up to you, but I have not regretted making my chiller (~$50 in parts).

 

[tre9er]

It's better to cool quickly, yes, so if you can afford a chiller, get one. As mentioned, stir often, in the opposite direction of the flow (counter flow). This helps dramatically. Don't forget to drop the chiller into the boil for the last 10 minutes to sanitize it. Also, after the brew, rinse it thoroughly but don't clean it, per se, just make sure there is no debris on it.

 

[JehovahsWitnessProtection]

Build your own immersion chiller. I used this plan, but there are many out there. The copper tubing is the biggest cost, but it can be done for around $30-40 in materials. I used 20' of 5/8" copper. It takes 5 gallons from boiling to below 80F in 12-14 minutes.

 

[tre9er]

Really, just get 25 or 50 feet of copper coil (1/2 OD is best) and wrap it around a paint can, coffee can, anything that's about 2-4" less in diameter than your kettle. When it's done, carefully work the bottom end up through the coil, then attach vinyl hose with hose clamps. You can get a hose barb from the hardware store for a few bucks, too. Super easy.

 

[cluckk]

A quick cool helps with cold break. I've wondered about the clarity of no chill.

 

[Nunner]

I am still new to this and I don't know for a fact if cooling the wort quickly really does make a huge difference, but for about $35, and ten minutes, building my own chiller was one of the best investments i've made so far just in time saved. It was taking me 45-60min to cool my wort, now its takes MAYBE 15, I'd go for it.