Cooling your wort - a tip I got from a pro

[Sematary]

I do 5 gallon batches and was sitting for HOURS trying to cool it down with an ice bath.
The guy who owns the place where I buy my supplies (who used to be a professional brewer) told me to get gallon bottles of spring water and cool them in the fridge overnight before brew day then add them to cool off the wort. I tried this for the first time last month. Worked like a charm.

 

[kh54s10]

That and cool the wort some before you add the top up water. It takes less time to cool a smaller volume.

 

[Rodent]

I don't clearly understand what you are doing here - floating the water bottles in the wort, adding the cooled water to the wort, or ???

- if floating the bottles in the wort, be sure you sanitize them fist
- if adding the cold water to the wort, be sure it has first been sanitized (boiling is easiest) before adding it to sanitized bottles that will be cooled. you will also need to account for the reduction in gravity this dilution will impart

but why not simply use an immersion chiller? it is sanitized by adding it to the brew kettle during the final few minutes of your boil, and will bring the temp down from boiling to your source water temp in 15-20 minutes.

I get that finances can be a determining factor here, but they can be found on eBay or Craigslist for $25-$35 and will last you a lifetime if properly cared for

 

[NewJersey]

That and cool the wort some before you add the top up water. It takes less time to cool a smaller volume.

I've brewed at least 30 beers and see the term "top up water" on hbt now and then- what the heck is top up water?

 

[Sematary]

I don't clearly understand what you are doing here - floating the water bottles in the wort, adding the cooled water to the wort, or ???

- if floating the bottles in the wort, be sure you sanitize them fist
- if adding the cold water to the wort, be sure it has first been sanitized (boiling is easiest) before adding it to sanitized bottles that will be cooled. you will also need to account for the reduction in gravity this dilution will impart

but why not simply use an immersion chiller? it is sanitized by adding it to the brew kettle during the final few minutes of your boil, and will bring the temp down from boiling to your source water temp in 15-20 minutes.

I get that finances can be a determining factor here, but they can be found on eBay or Craigslist for $25-$35 and will last you a lifetime if properly cared for

Just pour the cooled water in as you need to bring it to 5 gallons anyway. This just cools it down much faster than putting it in an ice bath

 

[Sematary]

I don't clearly understand what you are doing here - floating the water bottles in the wort, adding the cooled water to the wort, or ???

- if floating the bottles in the wort, be sure you sanitize them fist
- if adding the cold water to the wort, be sure it has first been sanitized (boiling is easiest) before adding it to sanitized bottles that will be cooled. you will also need to account for the reduction in gravity this dilution will impart

but why not simply use an immersion chiller? it is sanitized by adding it to the brew kettle during the final few minutes of your boil, and will bring the temp down from boiling to your source water temp in 15-20 minutes.

I get that finances can be a determining factor here, but they can be found on eBay or Craigslist for $25-$35 and will last you a lifetime if properly cared for

It takes time to build up your equipment supply. $25 to $35 (plus shipping) may not sound like much but depending on your situation, it can be. i was just sharing a way to cool down your wort quickly that (for instance today) will cost me about 2 bucks.

 

[kh54s10]

I've brewed at least 30 beers and see the term "top up water" on hbt now and then- what the heck is top up water?

Most extract kits are made so that you boil the extract and add hops to about 3 gallons of water. You end up with about 2.5 gallons after the boil. Then you add water until you have the 5 gallons the kit was designed for. This added water is your "top up water"

 

[NewJersey]

Most extract kits are made so that you boil the extract and add hops to about 3 gallons of water. You end up with about 2.5 gallons after the boil. Then you add water until you have the 5 gallons the kit was designed for. This added water is your "top up water"

ahhh, i missed that it was extract, but I've also never done extract.

 

[Sematary]

Extract (or not), you end up boiling off water and losing it during the steeping process. I start all my brews with 3 gallons. By the time I'm done it is usually down to about 2 or so (whether I'm doing a full grain or extract or mixture of both).

 

[Jag75]

So it's ok to add cool bottled RO water to hot wort to get it to pitching temp? I've done tons of extract kits and never tried this . I alway cool then transfer to fermenter then add the top off water to make 5 gallons. I guess it really depends on your kettle. If you could add a gallon of cooled top off water without overflowing I could see how it could help with time . When I do extract kits I use an immersion chiller with a pump and ice water . Takes me about 25 min to get to pitching temp. However if it's ok to just add cold water it be quicker.

 

[kh54s10]

When I do extract batches, I cool to between 100 and 90 degrees, transfer to the fermenter and top up with tap water. It is usually pretty close to pitching temperature that way.

 

[Sematary]

I've tried just using cold water a couple of times and it works great. Really cut down on the cool down time

 

[chickypad]

^This. (Edit - sorry was referring to kh54s10's post) You're not going to get all the way to pitching temp just with cold water. Your immersion chiller will do the first part of chilling fast due to the greater temp difference. It's the last 30 degrees or so that takes a long time and where the cold water can help. To speed things up be sure to stir the wort while using your immersion chiller. When I do topped off all grain batches I can get get 3 gals of boiling wort to 90 degrees in about 6 minutes with a small IC and ground water, then I top up with 2.5 gals cold water to finish.

 

[jrgtr42]

Presuming you're not doing full boils, then cooling top up water is the most efficient way to go. When I did that, I'd plan for about 3 gallons after boil, do I'd put 2 gallons in jugs into the freezer, get it as cold as I could. I would do a couple rounds of ice bath in sink, then into the fermenter. If I had the kettle at around 100 degrees, the cold top off would bring it straight to the pitch temp.
If you are doing full boils, your options are more limited.
There are people who do 'no-cool' pitching, where they let the wort come down off boil for a little while, then into the sanitized fermenter. SEal it up, get into the fermentation area and let naturally come down to pitch temp, usually overnight, At that point they pitch yeast and install the airlock. You have to be spot on with sanitation in this case; anything left in there will have plenty of time to get a foothold.
Or, spring for a chiller, either pre-made or buy a roll of copper tubing and make your own. I was lucky and got 2 rolls of 50-foot, half-inch diameter copper tubing for $20 each. made up chiller with some plastic tubing and hose connectors and haven't looked back (hint: if you do this, put a shut-off valve between the hose and your tubing - you don't want to have to run back to the hose shut-off all the time.)
Alternatively keep an eye on Craigslist, search under homebrew and home brew (with and without the space; people enter stuff both ways) you can often find people selling them fairly cheap.

 

[Lefou]

Most extract kits are made so that you boil the extract and add hops to about 3 gallons of water. You end up with about 2.5 gallons after the boil. Then you add water until you have the 5 gallons the kit was designed for. This added water is your "top up water"

The exact same thing can be done using all grain.
I will purchase enough extra malt for a five gallon batch, run the numbers on a calculator for 65-70% efficiency, and then collect enough high gravity wort for a 3-4 gallon boil. When finished, the near ice-cold dilution water is added and the kettle covered. If the mash goes well the batch usually yields leftover sweet wort for a yeast starter and some malt tea.
I do this for several reasons.
I'm cheap, step mash and boil on the stove, and rarely, if ever, use an immersion coil even though I have the parts on-hand.
Can I make good beer this way?
Yes, and it's cheaper than kits if you prep and sanitize properly.

 

[TNJake]

^This. (Edit - sorry was referring to kh54s10's post) You're not going to get all the way to pitching temp just with cold water. Your immersion chiller will do the first part of chilling fast due to the greater temp difference. It's the last 30 degrees or so that takes a long time and where the cold water can help. To speed things up be sure to stir the wort while using your immersion chiller. When I do topped off all grain batches I can get get 3 gals of boiling wort to 90 degrees in about 6 minutes with a small IC and ground water, then I top up with 2.5 gals cold water to finish.

Exactly what I do, it is very efficient. Not only for the huge time reduction in cooling the wort but also because you are only boiling half of the water to begin with.

 

[Jag75]

So there is no sanitary, bacterial issues when adding a couple 32* gallons to 210* wort?

 

[kh54s10]

So there is no sanitary, bacterial issues when adding a couple 32* gallons to 210* wort?

No. Unless you are using pond water. I use plain tap water straight from the faucet. It is sanitary enough.

 

[bracconiere]

No. Unless you are using pond water. I use plain tap water straight from the faucet. It is sanitary enough.

lol, and yet i see so many threads about water profiles here!

 

[TNJake]

I have never gotten into water profiles, maybe some day. I've also never had a gusher or sanitation issue. (knocks on wood).

 

[Jag75]

When I do extract kits I use RO bottled water . When I do all grain I use my tap and add salts and acids

 

[Lefou]

I only treat my mash water with brewing salts.
If I'm doing light SRM beers the water goes right into the kettle without extra brewing salt. Getting OG in the right range for style is more critical to me than a few PPM of calcium salts. The yeast doesn't seem to mind and I've never really experienced stuck fermentations or stinky sulfides.

 

[day_trippr]

Ironically, there are probably zero "pros" that actually do post-boil water additions...

Cheers!

 

[Sematary]

"Pros" aren't doing 5 gallon batches.

 

[day_trippr]

...or anything else approaching HBT scale

 

[Qhrumphf]

Ironically, there are probably zero "pros" that actually do post-boil water additions...

Cheers!

It's actually pretty common amongst larger pros, both macro and craft (although diluted post fermentation with sterile deaerated water).

It's more for consistency and maximal volume output (can produce more than cellar capacity would otherwise allow). They're not using it to chill wort.

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/brewing_high_gravity_beers

 

[madscientist451]

As heard on the Basic Brewing Radio podcast:
They were making a grapefruit IPA, adding grapefruit juice at the end of the boil.
The juice came in plastic containers. Freeze the juice, use a utility knife to cut open the plastic container, add the frozen block of juice to the hot wort and it helps cool it down faster.
The same method could be used with top up water.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

How much time is saved during cool down by using frozen liquid (water, grapefruit juice , ...) vs just chilled liquid (say at 40*F)? Are there equations to estimate this?

 

[Soulshine2]

I do 5 gallon batches and was sitting for HOURS trying to cool it down with an ice bath.
The guy who owns the place where I buy my supplies (who used to be a professional brewer) told me to get gallon bottles of spring water and cool them in the fridge overnight before brew day then add them to cool off the wort. I tried this for the first time last month. Worked like a charm.

im lucky enough at this time of year in northern alabama our ground water is cold. I use a copper immersion chiller and run the garden hose through it . went from 212* to 65* in just 20 minutes the other day .
I used to use a garden pump in a bucket of ice water and it did take forever..an hour and a half sometimes. Seems I always ran out of ice or frozen jugs.
You need to chill your wort quickly.

 

[SanPancho]

How much time is saved during cool down by using frozen liquid (water, grapefruit juice , ...) vs just chilled liquid (say at 40*F)? Are there equations to estimate this?

Not to estimate the time- that depends on the mixing, chilling process, etc.

But ice has way more cooling power than water. “Latent heat” The phase change from solid ice to liquid water soaks up much more heat than the energy required to heat liquid water. 334 kJ melts 1kilo of ice, but doesnt raise its temp. Just melts it. But in water, that would raise a kilo of water from 0 to like 80c.