Possible? will make any difference?

[davidstark]

I'm using extract brewing.
After the boil is over you have to cool the beer inside the pot by chiller or putting inside a bath full of ice. Is it possible to put few liters of cool water (3-4C`) in the brewing bucket and then just spill the hot beer into it and then add the amount of water until 20L is achieved?
Will make any difference?

 

[RCCOLA]

Some people do. I like to make sure that all of my water has been boiled to ensure that thre are no bugs in it that will cause infection. When I extract brewed, I would boil top off water the night before brewing in order to do this.

 

[davidstark]

Im using bottled water =]

 

[RCCOLA]

Should be clean. No worries.

 

[beermonster1985]

i heard some where that bottled water is no good because of the minerals so boiled is best, im relatively new so dont take my word for this

 

[davidstark]

Depends on water profile and ofcourse where you live, i have checked, the water here is not that bad for brewing.

 

[Yooper]

You can do that, but it doesn't work all that well. You should still cool the boiling wort in an ice bath a bit first. The reason is that 2 gallons (for example) of boiling wort + 3 gallons of cold water doen't equal pitching temperature. Then you have 5 gallons of too-warm wort. I'm no mathematician, but there is some math you can do to see that for yourself. If you cool the wort down to under 100 degrees (F) in an ice bath first, then it will work just fine.

 

[davidstark]

Im using 20 L bucket, i planned to put 8L of ice cold water in the bucket and then add the 6L of boiling wort = 14L and then add 6L of just regular room temp, this will be about the temp you need.

 

[Pappers_]

Im using 20 L bucket, i planned to put 8L of ice cold water in the bucket and then add the 6L of boiling wort = 14L and then add 6L of just regular room temp, this will be about the temp you need.

Try it and see. My experience when I brewed extract was the same as Yooper's - cooled the partial boil first in an ice bath and then top it off with the cold water to get to the right pitching temp.

If your method doesn't work, then you'll just need to let it sit to cool for a while, not a big deal.

 

[frankr]

Im using 20 L bucket, i planned to put 8L of ice cold water in the bucket and then add the 6L of boiling wort = 14L and then add 6L of just regular room temp, this will be about the temp you need.

You are boiling a smaller amount than most, so it might work out. With a 3 gallon boil, I have to cool with the ice bath for about 20 minutes. Once I get the temp to the low 90's, I dump it into the pale and top off with cold water which will bring it down to pitching temp. I would suggest cooling your wort a small amount before putting it into the pale. If your cold water doesn't cool it enough, you will have to sit and wait which isn't good.

My method of cooling is pretty simple. I fill the sink with water, add some ice, place the pot into it, and stir the wort. Once the water in the sink gets warm, I remove the pot and drain the sink. Repeat until the wort has cooled.

 

[Homercidal]

If you top off with ice cold water, you will likely drop the temp down to the recommended 140F right away. However, your wort will still need to drop more in order to reach the pitching temp. During that time it will be susceptible to bacteria.

I would not worry about using spring, or distilled water. However if possible use previously boiled and sanitized water next time, to reduce the chance of infection even further.

I would not worry too much about the time it takes to drop the temp to pitching. But you might consider making an ice bath in the sink to finish it off, after you take it down below 140F with the ice water.

Remember that the original gravity will be affected by the addition of water, so you will want to check it and be sure to add just the right amount to reach your target OG. Too much water and the beer will be too light. Too little and it will be a bit stronger and thicker.

 

[Homercidal]

Oh, yeah, as far as the minerals go, you will probably make good beer without worrying, but keep this little fact in mind:

When the Extract company mashes and the dries their product, the minerals that were in their water remain in the extract. So when you brew with tap or spring water, you are adding MORE minerals to the beer. This is likely not the best.

If you use distilled, or reverse osmosis water, you are not adding extra minerals, just the stuff that came with the extract. One thing that extract brewers can't control much of is the fementability of their wort from the extract. The manufacturer determines that.

Also, the cannot accurately control the mineral content of their beer. You just have to hope that the extract company has done a decent job of understanding their customers and providing an extract with the mineral content suitable for the beer that is likely to be made with it.