Creative Cooling Ideas for Small Batch Brewing?

[forestGeek]

Thank you all for the great info and advice, it's very helpful. I'm thinking I'll go the immersion chiller route as they aren't as expensive and overkill as I thought. Cheers!

 

[spunk]

Hi got a brew kit for christmas I make wine. But beer is all new. It is a 5 gal kit. Reading up on it before I start. Not to much information came with it so im reading. This cooling is worring me and cooking in garage dont want to do i dont think anyway. I was thinking bags of ice work has a ice machine so i can get a lot of ice. Also IWork in the food business. Using proper temp control for safe food. Anyhow we have not sure the name but it is a hard plastic filled with water submersible that is used to get food down to proper safe temp in the two hour window. Could something like that be used? Any information on brewing beer i would love to hear.
Thanks.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Yes, you could use frozen cooling paddles, but it would take many many to cool five gallons. If you have access to large amounts of ice, that will work great in a large tub or sink.

Large ice baths work extremely well, but they are labor intensive and require large amounts of ice, you can knock the heat down considerably with just tap water, then finish with ice as well.

Have fun, maybe next batch you'll consider a garage chill after you realize how much fun / labor ice bathing is.

Cheers!

 

[ncsuwerewolf]

Immersion chiler, catch the first bit of really hot water for soaking your equipment with some pbw. While you soak all your heavy grime stuff you should be tidying up and putting your brew day away.

 

[spunk]

Chiller sounds nice not ready still need to learn the steps seems a bit different than wine.i put a wine outside in the winter to get the temp down faster just took so long. My recipie say get it down to 80. So after that would it be ok on my counter in the kitchen to forment?