Immersion Chiller Advice...

[coldrice]

A couple possibly stupid questions:

1 when chilling wort with the immersion chiller how often should it be stirred?

2 is it wise to chill with the lid on so nothing falls into the cooling wort? or would that just be counter-productive?

 

[Ichi-Go]

I stir a lot just try not to make bubbles or aerate it becuase it can cause hot side aeration which produces oxidation. I stir frequently and gently.

You do not want to cover it. DMS evaporates out of the wort and if you cover it it will build up (correct me if Im wrong). If you are using a wort chiller you shouldnt have any problems with stuff falling in for the short period of time you are chilling the wort.

 

[DRoyLenz]

I keep my stirrer in the pot as its boiling, and while it's cooling, to keep it sanitized. I then stir every couple of minutes, or whenever I feel like it. It's surprisingly quick to cool, even if you don't stir it, so it's not vital.

Also, I do not cover up my wort at all once it starts boiling. For the DMS reason listed above, but also because I've got crap hanging out over the side of my kettle (stirrer, hop bag, chiller as it's sanitizing) that I couldn't even get the lid on if I wanted to. As long as you're careful not to drop anything in there, you should be fine.

 

[shortyjacobs]

I let it chill for the first bit without stirring, as I'm afraid of the boogyman (HSA). It drops pretty quick at the start, and once it's down to 110-120, I agitate by just lifting the IC up and down, which works quite well.

As for a lid, you don't want a lid while boiling, but a lid AFTER boiling is no problem, (DMS precursors are gone, that's why you boiled!). I put a lid on quite often during chilling, (the gallons of cold water coursing through your IC provide MUCH more cooling than evaporative/convective/radiant cooling out the top surface of the wort). A lid is not really required though.

 

[mkory]

When chilling, I only stir when the outlet of the IC doesn't feel as warm as I think it should. Probably 2/3 times total while chilling.

 

[Hermit]

I stir a lot just try not to make bubbles or aerate it becuase it can cause hot side aeration which produces oxidation. I stir frequently and gently.

You do not want to cover it. DMS evaporates out of the wort and if you cover it it will build up (correct me if Im wrong). If you are using a wort chiller you shouldnt have any problems with stuff falling in for the short period of time you are chilling the wort.

The no-chill crowd disputes the DMS hazard at this point of the process and hot side aeration is starting to look mythical according to some.

 

[Hammy71]

I stir vigorously as soon as I start to run water through the IC for about 30 sec. Causes whirlpool to get most of the break material into the middle of the pot and away from my ball valve. Then I don't touch it. Leave the lid off when boiling (don't care about the DMS theories at this point. I have my boil off numbers down and if it ain't broke....), but I'll put the lid on during cooling. After investing so much time and money making the beer....the last thing you want is something to fall in and gum up the hole process.

 

[maida7]

I stir it constantly. I think hot side aeration is a myth.

Stirring makes the cooling action way more effective. With constant stirring you can get the wort under 140F in 2-3 minutes. Once it's under 140F there is no longer a risk of DMS. When I get tired of stirring I put the lid on to make sure nothing falls in. But I brew outdoors and wind can blow all sorts of dirt into an open pot. If your indoors then maybe the lid is not as big a deal. But better safe then sorry so I'd still use the lid when I'm not stirring.

 

[Wellshooter]

I use the chiller itself to agitate, not up and down, but gently swirling occasionally, the thing is so big it makes the wort start moving quickly, then lid on.

 

[Palefire]

I've found that the more I stir, the quicker it cools. I basically stir by swirling the IC around in the pot. These days I end up stirring in this manner every 2 minutes or so. Depending on ambient temperature (i.e. especially if it's a hot day), this can cut almost 10 minutes off of chilling time. Doesn't really matter as far as beer quality goes, I think, but I'm always happy to find ways to shorten the brew day.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

One thing I have found, and not seen mentioned, is the fact that raising the IC to the top of the wort seems to make it cool faster. If the IC sits in the bottom, it makes a puddle of cold there, with the hot wort above tending to stay hot.

I keep it raised, and give it a little swirl from time to time.

Somewhere on my list is either a counter-flow or plate chiller.

 

[maida7]

One thing I have found, and not seen mentioned, is the fact that raising the IC to the top of the wort seems to make it cool faster. If the IC sits in the bottom, it makes a puddle of cold there, with the hot wort above tending to stay hot.

I keep it raised, and give it a little swirl from time to time.

Somewhere on my list is either a counter-flow or plate chiller.

Try stirring the wort. You will no longer yearn for those expensive chillers