Injecting cooled wort back into hot bk.

[sar_dog_1]

Hello fellow brewers! I recently made a counter flow chiller and I was wondering if there were any ill effects to recircing wort that has been chilled in the chiller back into the hot bk. I was hoping to do this to leave the cold break in my keggle as I would recirc threw a whirlpool arm and leave a cone at the bottom. I just wasnt sure if rewarming the cooled wort would create off flavors.

Thanks and brew on!!

 

[sar_dog_1]

Also, would it make a difference between 5 or 10 gallon batches?

 

[IslandLizard]

Recirculation works fine. No off flavors, as long as you don't splash the wort back in, keep the return hose or nozzle under the wort. Plus you can try to whirlpool, do extended hop stands at lower temps, etc.

You may need a hop filter of some sort to prevent your chiller from plugging up.

Works on any batch size. Once you reach around 80-120°F you may want to start diverting the flow and chill directly to your fermentors.

 

[sar_dog_1]

Thanks island wizard. This should make my brew day a little easier.

 

[JimEb]

Recirculation works fine. No off flavors, as long as you don't splash the wort back in, keep the return hose or nozzle under the wort. Plus you can try to whirlpool, do extended hop stands at lower temps, etc.

You may need a hop filter of some sort to prevent your chiller from plugging up.

Works on any batch size. Once you reach around 80-120°F you may want to start diverting the flow and chill directly to your fermentors.

Why not "splash the wort back in"? Wouldn't that be an effective way to chill and aerate at the same time?

 

[IslandLizard]

Hot side aeration (HSA) causes off flavors.

Once the wort is chilled, below 80-100F, oxygenation is good, and needed for healthy yeast propagation in the early stages right after pitching. Allegedly a small drop of olive oil can provide the sterols instead, but the jury is still out on whether it's true or not or sufficient. There are many mechanisms involved we don't know about or understand yet.

Oxidation (aeration after fermentation has started) is bad. Alcohols and flavor components change. Taste beer that's been sitting overnight in a glass.

 

[govner1]

First, you want to avoid hot side aeration. It'll lead to oxidation of your beer.
Second, I routinely use s CFC a that recirculates/whirlpools back through my BK. I use a 3/8" copper tube bent to hang down inside my BK. It almost touches the bottom. On my last 6 g batch I chilled to 64°F in under 20 min. Nice pyramid of trub & nice clean wort into my fermentor.

 

[ruger988]

I've always started aeration almost as soon as I begin chilling. Never had any oxidation issues to date.

 

[govner1]

I wait to oxygenate until I've chilled & pitched my yeast.