How about this method to cool wort ...

[TacoGuthrie]

As a beginner extract brewer with only a few batches under my belt I haVE yet to buy or make a wort chiller. So far I have only used ice baths to cool. I have never put ice cubes directly into the for fear of contamination.

However I was trying to come up with a way to speed up the cooling process and thought of this : what about taking a frozen icepack or two, putting them in a ziploc bag or two, sanitizing them with a spritz and dropping them into the wort.

Does anyone see any potential contamination issues with that?

 

[oxiderush]

it's the same as taking frozen 2 liter bottles, and sanatizing the outsides before a dunk. Kitchens use thinks similar to that to get soups and sauces out of the danger zone quickly. Totally safe.

 

[Clayton]

"I haVE yet to buy or make a wort chiller."
why not just make or buy one ?
would you attempt to make beer with no kettle?
just carefully boiling wort in large green leaves over a fire?
nan i did not think so.
just get a wort chiller is just a tool you have to have to play the game

 

[TacoGuthrie]

This is just a quick fix thought.

I don't have a lhbs within 150km and I doubt that one sells them. I will make soon but I am gonna brew this weekend and I just wanted to be sure this idea was safe. Sounds like it is so I'm glad I spent the two minutes making this thread.

 

[fishnfever]

If you are only doing partial boils then a wort chiller is not needed. What I use to do was, put the pot with the wort in it in the sink with cold water and after five minutes or so I would drain the sink add more water and add lbs of ice. Add more ice as needed. I never used more than 10 lbs of ice and had it cooled in 15ish minutes.

Now if you start doing full boils a wort chiller is a must.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Yep done this before. Also, some folks use this method even when chilling with a wort chiller in summer, when tap water is warmer than the target pitching temp.

 

[Edcculus]

just get a wort chiller is just a tool you have to have to play the game

I wouldn't be that harsh. Yea, a chiller is one of the best pieces of equipment I invested in. I probably brewed for 2 years without one.

A good ice bath in one of those keg tubs will work in a pinch too.

 

[nebben]

Seriously, the tools necessary need not be complex nor expensive. I have a rubbermaid storage bin that is just barely taller than my brewpot. I put some bricks in the bottom, to allow the pot-lip to sit higher than the top lip of the rubbermaid, then fill the rubbermaid with water from the garden hose. As soon as it is nearly full, I put in the brew pot that is just coming off the burner. Leaving the garden hose in the bin on a low/medium flow allows constant flushing of warm water, and I stir the wort during this process as well. 20 min for 5.5 gallons of nearly boiling wort to 70F with this method for me.

I believe my materials cost, including the bricks and rubbermaid, aren't more than about $6.00 USD.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

A chiller is best by far, but don't feel bullied into making one until you are good and ready. Your method will work reasonably well for smaller batches. It's just not Ideal is all.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Now if you start doing full boils a wort chiller is a must.

I disagree...brewed an all grain 1/4 keg, around 8 gal post boil late last night in my basement. After the boil I set the kettle in a keg tub w/ around 10 gal of tap water (50 degrees). After about 15 minutes I set the kettle in the bath tub full of cold tap water and went to bed. This morning I pitched w/ the wort at 60 degrees.

I have a chiller, sometimes it is easier to chill in the tub. I would need some ice if it were summer time, but I would also need ice in the summer w/ my chiller.

Yea I know how important a good cold break is, also about lag time as well. Not to worry, after 3-4 weeks in the keezer, the beer will be brilliant.

Lots of options here.

 

[HOP-HEAD]

Before going to full boils, I froze several soda bottles similar to what you're planning. Just dropped them in the starsan as my boil got close to completion. Filled one of my two sinks half way up with water, some salt, and loose ice, then dropped the pot in, and dropped a frozen bottle or two in the pot. Let sit 5 minutes, stirring gently, then filled the adjacent sink with fresh cold water and ice... swapped the pot between the two. Switched the bottles out for colder ones, and waited another 5 minutes. Swapped one more time, and was down to 75 before the water was beginning to get warm in the sink. Generally took me about 12-15 minutes for 3 gallons.

No special equipment needed.... though I'd never give my chiller back now that I have one.

 

[fishnfever]

I disagree...brewed an all grain 1/4 keg, around 8 gal post boil late last night in my basement. After the boil I set the kettle in a keg tub w/ around 10 gal of tap water (50 degrees). After about 15 minutes I set the kettle in the bath tub full of cold tap water and went to bed. This morning I pitched w/ the wort at 60 degrees.

I have a chiller, sometimes it is easier to chill in the tub. I would need some ice if it were summer time, but I would also need ice in the summer w/ my chiller.

Yea I know how important a good cold break is, also about lag time as well. Not to worry, after 3-4 weeks in the keezer, the beer will be brilliant.

Lots of options here.

It's all good!! I personally like to cool my wort and pitch my yeast as soon as I can

I have two children and leaving wort in my bath tube over night is no option here lol so my wort chiller is a must to me

 

[HotbreakHotel]

...I froze several soda bottles similar to what you're planning. Just dropped them in the starsan as my boil got close to completion.

I do this too, but I actually fill the bottles with Starsan because the bottles may pressure release some of their contents. I sanitize them and then put them in a sanitized ziploc and put them in the freezer. When it's time to use them I just drop them in.

I don't have a wort chiller, and I do full boils. I use frozen bottles like ice cubes and lots of ice in a tub for an ice bath, and my wort chills very quickly.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I made a DIY Chiller. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/simple-immersion-wort-chiller-33036/

Before I had this. I filled the kitchen sink half-way up loaded as much ice into as possible dowsed it with some salt. Then set my pot in the sink. I stirred the pot frequently and moved the pot around to essentially stir the water.

This works. You can get the temp below 140'F in as little as 5 minutes. The 140F temp is the threshold for DMS formation (cooked vegi taste). That's one reason why you really want it chilled fast. You want a cold break too, getting that protein to drop out. It helps reduce chill haze.

The big rubbermaid tub idea idea is really good improvised solution. I'm certain that this breaks that 140 barrier fast as well.

 

[TacoGuthrie]

Thanks for all the great tips. I'm sure i will use some this weekend.

I'm happy with my ice baths for now. I'm still doing partial boils right now and only have a 16 qt pot to do them in. The chiller is slated for an early summer DIY project right after i get a bigger pot.

 

[coffeegod]

I actually drop ice into my wort. I can get it down from boiling to 60 degrees in under 20 min. The trick is to boil a couple of gallons of h20 a day or to before brewing. Cover and let it cool to room temp. Measure it out in to 2 or 4 cup batches (make sure to sanitize measuring cup) and place into new ziploc bags which are sterile prior to opening (some quirk of the manufacturing process) drop bags in freezer and voila insta clean ice. I have used this method on the last 10 batches without a problem.

 

[rtichota]

I actually drop ice into my wort. I can get it down from boiling to 60 degrees in under 20 min. The trick is to boil a couple of gallons of h20 a day or to before brewing. Cover and let it cool to room temp. Measure it out in to 2 or 4 cup batches (make sure to sanitize measuring cup) and place into new ziploc bags which are sterile prior to opening (some quirk of the manufacturing process) drop bags in freezer and voila insta clean ice. I have used this method on the last 10 batches without a problem.

That's sweet, before I made my IC I would put ice I bought from the grocery store into the cooling wort. Then I had one bad batch convince me that was a bad idea. I've heard of other people doing the same thing with no problems, but it was all I needed to get over to the hardware store for IC parts.