How many batches before you bought a wort chiller?

[Slainte-brew]

I got 90s so I could have the part totally bend out of the top, it is 6 inches outside my pot and 4 inches below the lip. I was already joining and soldering so I figured why risk it dripping in my kettle, it cost me about 8 dollars and took 30 minutes more but I'm glad I did

 

[ncweasel]

so far 7 batches into my homebrew resurgence and have been doing ice bath up until my last batch when i borrowed my buddies IC. SO much easier and faster. planning to buy a IC kit from coppertubingsales.com and solder it myself. won't have to pay shipping because I will be traveling to the city where company is located that sales the kits.

Slainte-brew, that is exactly how i was going to build mine...!!

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

One batch, then I built one

 

[Whattawort]

Been brewing for several years and while I have used an IC a time or 2, but I still don't own one. I a big proponent of the "no-chill" method. When the boil is done, I just take it off the heat and wait until it hits somewhere around 120-140F and drain it into my primary. I know 140F is good since that's what my water heater is set at and I only use hot water when I'm cleaning my fermenter. Once it's in the bucket, I put it into the swamp cooler with several frozen 2 liter bottles and wait until the next morning to pitch. No fuss, no muss. That said, it's a good idea to leave the lid of your fermenter open a little for half an hour to let some of the heat escape.

 

[bobeer]

It's cool to read about all the different cooling methods on here. I probably did about 15 or batches till we got one. I got so sick of buying ice for the ice bath method. That and the saved time it was totally worth the investment. Even better than the auto-siphon!

 

[steber]

After about my 5th batch I moved to AG... Since then I've been doing full boils, so after my 6th(1st AG) I bought 50 feet of copper and rolled my own. Much faster and less time consuming then trying to get a huge barrel and enough ice to try and chill it.

 

[cbar]

I've never used a chiller and don't plan on using one. I put a lid on my brew pot at the end of the boil and leave it for 24-48 hours, until my yeast starter is ready to pitch (stir plate 12-18 hours, chilled in fridge 8-24 hours). Then I combine the yeast and wort in the fermenting bucket. I've done this for 10-15 batches and never had a problem. I also throw a whirlfloc tablet in right before I put the lid on at the end of the boil and my beer ends up very clear.

I would argue that this method actually takes less time than the chiller method. Less hands-on time, that is. I just space my brewing out over the weekend. It takes very little active time. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Golddiggie]

I've never used a chiller and don't plan on using one. I put a lid on my brew pot at the end of the boil and leave it for 24-48 hours, until my yeast starter is ready to pitch (stir plate 12-18 hours, chilled in fridge 8-24 hours). Then I combine the yeast and wort in the fermenting bucket. I've done this for 10-15 batches and never had a problem. I also throw a whirlfloc tablet in right before I put the lid on at the end of the boil and my beer ends up very clear.

I would argue that this method actually takes less time than the chiller method. Less hands-on time, that is. I just space my brewing out over the weekend. It takes very little active time. Different strokes for different folks.

While you're still 'chilling' the wort, this way, mine is already well into the fermentation process. I simply make my starters ahead of time (I plan accordingly) and it's a non-issue. I can also clean up my boil keggle on brew day, not days later.

While I know there's a following for the 'no-chill' method, I can't see ever doing it. There are negative effects that can easily happen from putting the lid on the boil kettle right at the end, and leaving it that way. I'd say you've gotten lucky so far.

 

[FermentNEthinG]

10th batch of beer brewed and I celebrated by picking up a wort chiller before I started. I should have bought this thing sooner for sure! From boil to pitched yeast on my Holiday ale.....20 minutes. Took only 12 minutes to drop the temp from boiling to 73 degrees.:rockin:

 

[Golddiggie]

10th batch of beer brewed and I celebrated by picking up a wort chiller before I started. I should have bought this thing sooner for sure! From boil to pitched yeast on my Holiday ale.....20 minutes. Took only 12 minutes to drop the temp from boiling to 73 degrees.:rockin:

I typically chill over 7 gallons to pitch temp in 10-12 minutes (from a full boil). Going to be interesting to see what happens during the colder months, while I'm brewing. Get a great cold break this way.

 

[Dynachrome]

Ok, so I brew on my kitchen stove, and am unable to fit my 10 gallon pot into my kitchen sink to chill. More than anything, this is what makes me want to get a wort chiller.

But I don't know if my faucet will work with an IC or a PC. It's a pull out kitchen faucet with a sprayer (this one: http://www.moen.com/salora/chrome-one-handle-low-arc-pullout-kitchen-faucet/_/R-CONSUMER:7570C )

Anyone know which attachment works w one of these? Thanks.

http://www.moen.com/shared/docs/exploded-parts-views/7570pt.pdf

I might think about putting a "T" in below the sink with a separate shut-off and a hose connection if you are really set on this.

I haven't seen an adaptor for that style of head.

 

[fair78]

I got a chiller after three batches. The only way I was able to cool before was an ice bath and in order to to reach pitching temps in a reasonable amount of time I was spending $10-$15 on bags of ice. At that rate it paid for itself very quickly.

 

[Hex23]

It wasn't about a number of batches for me, but rather when I started doing AG and full boils. Chilling 6 gallons of wort is possible with ice, but ridiculous in terms of time and amount of ice. Before my second AG batch, I built a 50' copper immersion chiller.

 

[rtb178]

http://www.moen.com/shared/docs/exploded-parts-views/7570pt.pdf

I might think about putting a "T" in below the sink with a separate shut-off and a hose connection if you are really set on this.

I haven't seen an adaptor for that style of head.

Thanks very much. Any suggestions on how to do this? I don't think I'm particularly handy.

 

[Kirch3333]

Two batches and then I made one

 

[F250]

0

I decided to get one before I made my first batch. They're not that expensive and it's not like you're going to wear it out.

Rick

 

[m1k3]

copper immersion chiller since batch 0 through 14...

Blichmann Therminator upgrade after that for the last dozen batches.

 

[keggert]

I don't see the attraction to an IC. Maybe I'm missing something here but most are reporting chilling to pitching temp in approx 25 min. I do that with an ice bath. As far as cost for ice walmart sells this item called ice trays, so I make my own ice. It takes about three days using 10 ice trays to get the ice I need for chilling a 5 gallon batch to 64 degrees in about 20 to 25 minutes so unless everyone is chilling larger batches where is the time saved?

 

[whoaru99]

Part of the value isn't just the time for chilling, which mine works in roughly 8 minutes on a 5gal batch.The other thing is hassle factor. It only takes me 10 minutes total, if that, to hook it up and take it down. I don't have to spend three days making ice. I have a hard time envisioning where 25 minutes comes from unless you really warm tap water or use a really low flow rate through the coil or don't agitate the wort.

 

[unionrdr]

I have yet to make a wort chiller,still using ice baths. But I've had an idea in my head for a year now & I'm curious what y'all think. I'm going to use aluminum tubing,with a long straight section to go between two sink bowls. On the right,one coil for an ice bath with tap water running IN to it,then the other coil in the hot wort in the BK. Then sitting on a trivet so output hose can drain the hot water. I'm thinking I'll have to boil the BK side of the coil assembly,just like an aluminum BK. Should have quicker heat transfer,cost be damned. What say you??

 

[Golddiggie]

I boil in a keggle, ending up with 7.5 gallons (or around there) at the end of the boil. Trying to lift that into a sink with ice in it isn't an option. Even IF it would fit in the sink, I'm not about lift it that high. I also don't want to fill my freezer (either of them) with ice. I have one filled with hops :rockin: and the other has food in it. With making a batch of chili this week, there's very little room left in that freezer.

BTW, I'm chilling over 5 gallons of wort (see above) FAST. Far faster than when I did do cold water/ice baths (when brewing extract batches).

 

[ThatGeekGuy]

Bought a stainless chiller before my first batch, along with an immersion pump to run ice water through it. From flame out to pitching temp in fifteen minutes, no worries....

 

[Obliviousbrew]

The first piece of equipment that I bougth was an inmersion chiller, months before I started brewing, and I borrow it to a friend before I use it so -1

 

[OldBunny]

I bought my immersion chiller after my first batch -- it took close to 2 hours to get to pitching temp (I'd neglected to buy ice). No I go from flame out to pitching in around 25 min.

 

[unionrdr]

I get my chill down to pitch temp ideally in 20 minutes. I thought the aluminum chiller would do it in 12 minutes or so.

 

[Hex23]

I get my chill down to pitch temp ideally in 20 minutes. I thought the aluminum chiller would do it in 12 minutes or so.

I heard of others doing what you're talking about (but with copper) and it apparently works fine. It would chill faster than tap water b/c of the ice water prechiller; I don't think the aluminum would have advantage over copper in terms of heat transfer.

Something kind of similar that I do is use a pond pump to recirc ice water through a std immersion chiller. I don't do it for faster chilling but rather to get to lower initial lager pitching temps. I start with tap water first to get to about 65 then hook up the recirc system to get down to 40. It saves some ice vs. starting w/ ice. I think this system would be more efficient since it doesn't involve a first heat exchanger. It may also cost less depending on how cheap you can get a pond pump.

 

[Curtis2010]

Way too many before I bought a chiller. Got a Duda Diesel plate chiller last year. Made a huge difference in my brew day.

Just ordered a small high-temp food grade pump so I can recirculate (my "cooling" water is about 75-80F here). That should be a nice addition too.

 

[Golddiggie]

You don't need a food grade pump for the chill water side of the chiller. Just something that can handle the temperatures it will be in.

BTW, I added a shutoff valve to the end of my chill water (source) hose. Once I'm done chilling the batch, I simply remove that from the plate chiller inlet and put the recirculation hose onto it. I can then send clean water through the wort side of the chiller, in either/both directions. :rockin:

 

[Rbeckett]

After the first batch. The whole sink and ice bath was just too big of a PITA, so I bit the bullet and got one from New York Brew Supply cheaper than I could buy the materials and assemble it myself. The one I ordered was a 3/8 stainless by 25 foot coil, and it will cool a 5 gallon batch to pitching temp in about 15 or so minutes. My ground water from the well comes out at 72 degrees so I do not have to chill or refrigerate it prior to running it through the chiller. Hope this helps.
Wheelchair Bob

 

[pellis007]

I brewed one Mr. Beer batch, then switched to a 5 gal kit. Did one batch and bought a chiller for the 2nd batch. Took my batch from boiling to 66 degrees in about 20 mins. Great investment!