Need a QUICK answer

[BIGCUNN60]

Since I need to add water to my extract kit to make up my 5 gallons and I also need to cool my wort, can I just add cold water and kill two birds with one stone? the directions say to cool wort to 70 degrees then add water to 5 gallons?

 

[beergynt]

Yes you can. Optimally you would first boil it, then let it cool. Although you'll probably be fine with cooled tap or spring water.

 

[BIGCUNN60]

Thanks 2 minutes left on boil, although I may try to chill wort to 70 first to test my newly made wort chiller

 

[D0ug]

You can. You want to be sure the water you add for topping of is reasonably sterile. But yes it is fine to use top of water for cooling your wort.

It will probably be more effective and quicker to set your brew kettle in an ice bath though first before you put it in the fermentor and top it of. The smaller volume will require less energy to be removed from it to get down closer to pitching temps.

I have a slate sink in my basement, and a wire cooling rack for cakes. I set that in my sink, I put my kettle on the rack, I fill with cold water up to the point just before the kettle wants to float off the cooling rack and then I add some blocks of ice to the sink.

In about 10-15 min.s it's down to 90*F, I can put it in my fermentor, add cold top off water, shake to aerate, and it has dropped the rest of the way to ideal pitching temps.

 

[D0ug]

Or you can just use your wort chiller.

 

[BIGCUNN60]

Wow! Wort chiller is effective! Didn't realize it would drop the temp so quickly!

 

[FermentingFreak]

I have had success cooling the wort quickly using an unusual method: freezing water (after boiling) into ice blocks in sanitized zip-locked bags, cutting bags open with sanitized knife and dumping the ice blocks directly into the wort. It took some time to cool but it was effective.

Read about it somewhere a long time ago and thought I'd try it. I keep a couple bags in the freezer in case of emergency (i.e. wort chiller breaks, etc.)

SWMBO thinks I am crazy....