Freezing water jugs to cool wort?

[littletommy]

So my last brew day, I did the ice bath thing to get my wort down to pitching temps, but I was thinking, since I'm topping off with water (5 gallon batch, 2.5 gallon boil), why couldn't I freeze 3 jugs of the spring water I use, and cut the jug away and add the blocks of ice, instead of just pouring cold water in?

It's not something I'm gonna be trying anytime soon, as I scored a nice immersion chiller yesterday from a fellow home brewer, but I can't really see the downside in adding blocks of ice.

Anybody do this?

 

[m_stodd]

I can't see a downside. It's as sanitized as the water you're adding anyway. I'd do it if I weren't so lazy.

I'd still recommend that you do it, since then you won't have to run as much water through your immersion chiller

 

[littletommy]

I can't see a downside. It's as sanitized as the water you're adding anyway. I'd do it if I weren't so lazy.

I'd still recommend that you do it, since then you won't have to run as much water through your immersion chiller

That's a good point, I may try it next brew.

 

[vNmd]

I did a few batches where I boiled 2.5 gallons and added frozen spring water to get to 5 gal. It only took 1 gallon frozen and 1 gallon of water at fridge temps to get the wort down to the high 60's from boiling and about 5 minutes. If you freeze all three gallons then wort temp will be really low or the last bit of ice won't melt.

 

[Kolsch_Meister]

I have cooled the wort with frozen water jugs of spring water. It works very well...

 

[Mozart]

I did a few batches where I boiled 2.5 gallons and added frozen spring water to get to 5 gal. It only took 1 gallon frozen and 1 gallon of water at fridge temps to get the wort down to the high 60's from boiling and about 5 minutes. If you freeze all three gallons then wort temp will be really low or the last bit of ice won't melt.

+1: I used a similar method with similar results on my last brew.

I also put the ice in the bottom of my fermenting bucket first, and poured the wort over it. The advantage of doing it this way is that I only have to remove the heat from the wort itself, not the kettle.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Good Idea, but I just use bagged ice. Kroger claims that it is cleaner than tap water and I have never had issue.

No question the cubes are more effective than big blocks, and with the time and trouble, I feel that they are worth $3 for the big bag of ice.

 

[Mozart]

Good Idea, but I just use bagged ice. Kroger claims that it is cleaner than tap water and I have never had issue.

No question the cubes are more effective than big blocks, and with the time and trouble, I feel that they are worth $3 for the big bag of ice.

No question that the smaller the blocks/cubes of ice, the faster they will cool the wort, given an equal amount of each.

I took a middle ground, and bought some cheap plastic food storage containers, maybe about pint size, and made my ice in those. Not as small as ice cubes, but at least smaller than a solid gallon block.

 

[littletommy]

Good Idea, but I just use bagged ice. Kroger claims that it is cleaner than tap water and I have never had issue.

No question the cubes are more effective than big blocks, and with the time and trouble, I feel that they are worth $3 for the big bag of ice.

Hmmm....wonder what volume of water the big bags of ice melt down too, does it say on the bag? I've never looked to see.

 

[Stauffbier]

Back when I brewed extract I would freeze top-off water in sanitized square plastic food containers. The ice can be dumped right out of the container very easily. I was able to chill a typical 5 gallon batch in about 10 minutes this way.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Hmmm....wonder what volume of water the big bags of ice melt down too, does it say on the bag? I've never looked to see.

Th BIG bag almost fills up my Ale Pail, I am betting it melts to 2.75 gallons or so.

For the pot I use, I use 4/5ths or so of the big bag of ice and just dump my full boiling pot into the middle.

It is chilled in NO TIME. Literally.

 

[tborow]

I tried freezing bags of water. I found that it didn't chill my wort nearly as quick as a bag of ice did. I don't think that it distributes the cold temperature well enough, effectively, with big blocks.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I tried freezing bags of water. I found that it didn't chill my wort nearly as quick as a bag of ice did. I don't think that it distributes the cold temperature well enough, effectively, with big blocks.

I honestly believe that the wort I dump in my plastic fermenter would melt the bucket if "chunks" of ice were the coolant.

With the bags of cubes? The sides barely warm at all, and even then only in a small spot or 2.

55 degree wort in 1.2 seconds.

The beauty of ice is that hot wort rises....and so does ice. Effing effective.

 

[pawpawdave]

10 lbs of ice is 1 gal of water

 

[kaconga]

10 lbs of ice is 1 gal of water

Actually 8 lbs of ice is 1 gallon. A pints a pound the world around after all.

 

[KepowOb]

Actually 8 lbs of ice is 1 gallon. A pints a pound the world around after all.

Except where they use imperial gallons, where a gallon is 10 lbs... Meaning your both right I guess.

 

[kaconga]

Except where they use imperial gallons, where a gallon is 10 lbs... Meaning your both right I guess.

Touche. I never considered imp. gallons. In America the bags of ice I buy are 8 or 16 lbs meaning 1 or 2 gallons of water respectively. It is super efficient when I did partial boils to top off with 2 bags of ice instead of water. No infections or off flavors from it.

 

[cheezydemon3]

The bag I get is 22.5 lbs,

 

[baltaperales]

I also use bottled spring water and I like to place them in the freezer until it begins to crystallize, (Ice forming) and then pour it directly into the ferm bucket with the wort. This causes great aeration and it cools the wort down to about 70 deg.