How do YOU chill your starter?

CornyKegs 728
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Sulli

Sulli

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Sounds like a dumb question, but I've searched the forums and can't find a thread on this, and I am curious as to how the innovative people of HBT have come up with the most efficient ways to solve this. I know how I would do it. I want to hear how you do it.
 
If you're asking how to chill the wort for a starter, I use a sink full of cold water.

Really, if there was a list of everything to consider when homebrewing this has to be near the bottom of the list.
 
Cellarbrau said:
If you're asking how to chill the wort for a starter, I use a sink full of cold water.

Really, if there was a list of everything to consider when homebrewing this has to be near the bottom of the list.
Click to expand...

I wasn't asking for a prioritized list of homebrewing chores, thank you. Just wondering if someone had something better than "a sink full of ice water" as a suggestion. I happen to put a value on my time. I figure if I can chill 5 gallons of wort to pitching temp in 10 minutes, then certainly someone can come up with a quicker and more efficient method of chilling 1 liter of wort. Anyone?
 
I use a larger pot filled with ice water and place the starter pot into the ice bath. However, I place the ice bath in the sink and allow cold water from the faucet to slowly but constantly run into the larger pot... that way the water stays cold and keeps it circulating. Then I go watch football, clean my guns, or something else for 15 min.
 
kh54s10 said:
How about liquid nitrogen. Hard on the equipment but fast!
Click to expand...

Even though that was facetious... You could probably buy some of those keyboard duster cans and turn them upside down and spray the outside/bottom of the pot... probably wouldn't be to cheap, but may work.
 
maffewl said:
Even though that was facetious... You could probably buy some of those keyboard duster cans and turn them upside down and spray the outside/bottom of the pot... probably wouldn't be to cheap, but may work.
Click to expand...

Innovation at it's best. Thank you.
 
I pressure can my wort. Don't have to chill it. It's ready on demand. Does it get anymore efficient than that?
 
You could make a small immersion chiller or use a normal one if it will fit. I don't see a CFC working because of the low volume but maybe gravity feed. How bout one of those ice sculptures they use at the high end bars to cool the lyquer. Like the jagermiester coolers.
 
I'm not trying to be dick and ruin anyones fun. I'm used to helping new brewers and didn't want to confuse 100 newbies to indulge a few tinkerers. Carry on.
 
kh54s10 said:
The thermometer is measuring ambient temps. I would bet it might take 30 - 40 seconds to actually cool the beer.

How many cans at ~$6 to cool a starter from boiling to 64°????
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Too many, for sure, the cost to benefit ratio is off the hook. But you have to admit, this is pretty cool.
 
My starter comes out of the refrigerator cold...now if you are trying to chill the wort from which you plan on making a starter...I use an ice bath but I suppose you could freeze bottled water in ice cube trays and use that to assist in the cooling process while adding volume.
 
Ice bath in sink, close to rim of pot. I also put something heavy at the four corners of the ice to force it to push against the sides of the pot. I brew 1 gallon batches and watch that temp drop VERY quick!
 
Ice bath in sink. In the 20 minutes that it takes to chill the beer: measure hops, check water additions, fill out the recipe sheet if you haven't already, fill the carboy full of star san, measure grains so they are ready to be milled. Basically, do all of the pre-brewday chores. That way you are prepped and ready to go. Prioritizing tasks and being prepared is one of the best things you can do to improve the process.

Eric
 
Super-chill your yeast starter!

[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc9BHiQUpWU[/ame]

Though I've never actually tried this because I'm not in a hurry to chill my yeast starters. I'm fine with letting it sit for 30-mins in some cool water.
 
If you mean starter, then I chill in the fridge for a few days to separate the yeast.

If you mean the starter wort, then I can up a bunch of quart jars and simply pop the top and pour when I make a starter. Don't forget to aerate.

I LOVE my mom's old canner. I also can water to have sterile water for rehydrating dry yeast, and I can sugar water for priming my bottles. All ready to go with only a few hours on one day to make them ALL up ahead of time.
 
If you chill in the sink don't put a foam stopper in the flask while the worts still hot like I did...

ForumRunner_20111214_100352.jpg
 
I boil my wort in a much larger pot than needed and then when I cool it I swirl it to give greater temperature change in the ice bath.
 

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