Cooling wort in cold temps

[WBB]

So I bought grains and some wyeast 1318 for a brew day last week, but timing didn’t work out and now I’ve got colder temps ahead, daytime temps in mid 20’s and nights in single digits. I’ve shut off my outside faucets, so I can’t use my immersion chiller.

Now I can probably heat up enough water for mash water and lautering indoors and then just boil outside, but how to chill the wort to pitching temp, ~70-75?

With the cold temps, could I just spray the lid down with star San after the boil is done, cover it, and leave it on the porch till it cools down, which could be what, a couple hours in mid 20 temps? I don’t have a sink big enough to hold my 15g kettle for an ice bath.

Or what about giving the wort 30 min or so after flameout outside in the kettle in the mid 20’s and then just transfer to glass carboy at whatever temp it’s at, and then put in the basement where temps are high 60’s and let it go for 24 hours and then pitch the yeast. When I transfer to carboy, I would spray the top with star San and the also star San some Saran Wrap and cover the opening/neck of the carboy.

 

[philly224]

We just turn the outside faucet on for a bit to run the chiller then then it back off again. Is there a reason you can't do that?

 

[WBB]

Yeah, the thought is there, but I have to uncoil 50’ and 75’ hoses to use. I run the short one to the chiller input and then the long one on the output which drains at the end of the driveway so the water doesn’t pool up on the lawn. I monitored the last wort chill and it was about 15 gallons used and took about 25 minutes. And with the cold temps it’s gonna be a ***** to recoil and put away the hoses.

 

[Horseflesh]

Buy one of those expandable hoses. Use it, then stow it in the garage until next time. They are light as a feather and drain really easily.

Edit to add:

This is the one I have. It is 100' when pressurized, when dry it's really small and easy to manage. It also has a valve on the output end which is really handy, because the hose does not reach its full length until under pressure. Probably any similar hose will be just as good, they are available all over.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N22YIQ8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

While we are talking hoses, these quick disconnects are awesome. They are inexpensive, made from brass, and don't leak. I have them on all hoses and accessories now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M0UJQAI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[RM-MN]

So I bought grains and some wyeast 1318 for a brew day last week, but timing didn’t work out and now I’ve got colder temps ahead, daytime temps in mid 20’s and nights in single digits. I’ve shut off my outside faucets, so I can’t use my immersion chiller.

Now I can probably heat up enough water for mash water and lautering indoors and then just boil outside, but how to chill the wort to pitching temp, ~70-75?

With the cold temps, could I just spray the lid down with star San after the boil is done, cover it, and leave it on the porch till it cools down, which could be what, a couple hours in mid 20 temps? I don’t have a sink big enough to hold my 15g kettle for an ice bath.

I've left my boiled wort outside to cool but the temperature was in the minus 10 degree range and it still took about 4 hours to get to pitching temp.

Or what about giving the wort 30 min or so after flameout outside in the kettle in the mid 20’s and then just transfer to glass carboy at whatever temp it’s at, and then put in the basement where temps are high 60’s and let it go for 24 hours and then pitch the yeast. When I transfer to carboy, I would spray the top with star San and the also star San some Saran Wrap and cover the opening/neck of the carboy.

Check to see if you have "frostproof faucets". If you do you don't have to shut them off. If you don't, get them changed out to frostproof ones. My outside faucets are never shut off and still don't freeze, even when it gets -50. The faucet must have nothing attached to it so it can drain out. If you leave a hose attached to it the faucet will freeze and break. The actual valve for these faucets is way inside the house.

If your outside temp is in the 20's, expect to wait 4 to 6 hours for your wort to cool to pitching temps. Don't put it in a carboy until it is very near pitching temps because the thermal shock will probably break the carboy. Better yet, don't put it in a carboy ever. Being heavy, brittle, and slippery, carboys are a disaster waiting to happen. Get yourself a couple plastic bucket fermenters. They will handle boiling wort, have a nice big opening to pour the wort into, have convenient handles built in for carrying, and can be dropped without shattering.

 

[TurnipGreen]

You can definitely leave your kettle out on the porch to chill. I’ve done it plenty of time before I had a chiller. I used to just throw the pot in a snow bank until it was cooled.

You biggest rist is time and exposure to infection before you pitch.

I think there are some threads in here about a “no chill method “ too you might want to look up.

 

[McKnuckle]

We are having a major cold snap here in the NE USA. I have a spare cat litter box that is jumbo sized and fairly deep. I put it outside, filled it with cold water, then set my covered pot in there. It went from 200º to 70º in just a couple of hours. The water will fight between the hot pot and the much larger, very cold air mass around it. The air mass eventually wins.

 

[mongoose33]

Check to see if you have "frostproof faucets". If you do you don't have to shut them off. If you don't, get them changed out to frostproof ones. My outside faucets are never shut off and still don't freeze, even when it gets -50. The faucet must have nothing attached to it so it can drain out. If you leave a hose attached to it the faucet will freeze and break. The actual valve for these faucets is way inside the house.

If your outside temp is in the 20's, expect to wait 4 to 6 hours for your wort to cool to pitching temps. Don't put it in a carboy until it is very near pitching temps because the thermal shock will probably break the carboy. Better yet, don't put it in a carboy ever. Being heavy, brittle, and slippery, carboys are a disaster waiting to happen. Get yourself a couple plastic bucket fermenters. They will handle boiling wort, have a nice big opening to pour the wort into, have convenient handles built in for carrying, and can be dropped without shattering.

Mine have a backflow preventer on them, and they'll drain even if a hose is attached.

My problem is the hose, which is rubber and still attached. It's a solid coiled block of ice. I may bring it into the garage and see if I can get it to thaw, but that'll probably take days. Too darned cold to brew here, but next weekend we're having a heat wave--temps in the TWENTIES!--so maybe then.

 

[RM-MN]

Mine have a backflow preventer on them, and they'll drain even if a hose is attached.

My problem is the hose, which is rubber and still attached. It's a solid coiled block of ice. I may bring it into the garage and see if I can get it to thaw, but that'll probably take days. Too darned cold to brew here, but next weekend we're having a heat wave--temps in the TWENTIES!--so maybe then.

Yesterday was the perfect day to brew here but I don't brew when the wife is home so I passed on it. Maybe next week it will cool down to the -30 range again and I can make another batch. Wort cools pretty well when the temperature is -30.

 

[Dcpcooks]

-30 dang dude. You should be making ice cream not beer! [emoji300]️

 

[Horseflesh]

I edited my reply above with a couple of product links--expandable hose that works well for me, plus brass quick disconnects.

 

[WBB]

My outside spigot is I think 12” or so long. It definitely comes into the basement wall before it attaches to the copper pipe in the house.

The collapsible hose looks intriguing, even in the warmer months so I don’t have lug around the hoses. Thanks Horseflesh!! I’ll have to look into it.

I might try the slow route and let the cold do it’s thing for a couple hours and then bring it inside. I’ll just star San the crap out the lid and around the top of the kettle.

 

[ancientmariner52]

Here's a crazy idea. Sanitize the inside of your immersion chiller. Put it in a container of water than can survive being frozen solid. Let it freeze. Then pump or gravity feed your wort through the chiller and into the fermenter. Or would the wort freeze solid before it reached the outlet? Well, I did say it was crazy. Anyway, there's got to be some way to make your weather work for you instead of against you. Bucket of snow, maybe?

 

[aprichman]

Just leave the kettle out - if you put the lid on as soon as your boil is finished, the steam will sanitize the lid. There wont be any bugs out when it's this cold and the risk of infection is minimal.

 

[RM-MN]

My outside spigot is I think 12” or so long. It definitely comes into the basement wall before it attaches to the copper pipe in the house.

The collapsible hose looks intriguing, even in the warmer months so I don’t have lug around the hoses. Thanks Horseflesh!! I’ll have to look into it.

I might try the slow route and let the cold do it’s thing for a couple hours and then bring it inside. I’ll just star San the crap out the lid and around the top of the kettle.

The down side of slow chilling is if you have a late addition hop. The idea of a late addition hop is to give flavor and aroma to the beer but that presumes that the beer is chilled quickly. Slow chilling lets the late addition hops continue to add bitterness just as if they were added at the beginning of the boil. My rule is if the beer only contains 60 minute hops I can slow chill. If it contains hop additions at 20 minutes or less it has to be quick chilled to below 170F to preserve that hop flavor and aroma. If I have to set it up to chill that much, I feel that I might as well chill it the rest of the way to pitching temp.

A suggestion for your hose outlet. Turn it on with no hose attached for full flow, then turn it off. If the flow stops immediately, you don't have a frostproof outlet. If it continues to drain for a few seconds before stopping it is draining the line from the shutoff inside the house.