Pre-cool keg in freezer to help wort chilling

[trackers]

Hi guys,

I'm moving from using a standard plastic fermenter to use a 30L keg - Its quite easy to cool the plastic fermenter by sticking it in my laundry tub, but I doubt that it will be as easy for a keg... Is there any reason why I can't just chuck the keg in a chest freezer for a day prior? I imagine that would get the wort down pretty quick..

 

[jddevinn]

You could calc it out (i'm not going to right now) but the amount of heat that the fermenter can absorb into it's chilled body is very small.

 

[trackers]

You could calc it out (i'm not going to right now) but the amount of heat that the fermenter can absorb into it's chilled body is very small.

True, good point thanks - Might do a prefreeze and still immerse it in water after.

I also thought about filling with a bit of water and freezing that, but doesn't seem like thats a common thing so i wont

 

[NaymzJaymz]

The other repliers are certainly more knowledgeable than I am, but you could perhaps chill the keg in the manner you described, then fill it with the hot wort, keeping it in your chest freezer until it reaches pitching temp. Any swirling movements you do could help oxygenate it. I've never tried this. There are some YouTube videos of guys who don't use a wort chiller, but just let the wort cool in a sealed fermenter to pitching temp. As long as the vessel is sealed the cooling wort should be safe. Just a thought.

 

[jddevinn]

If you want to spend a tiny bit of money I would just get one of the standard heat exchanger options for cooling.

Why won't the keg work the same way as the plastic fermenter? Is it size? The keg will actually give you better heat transfer than plastic.

Although not my first recommendation lots of people do "no chill".... fill your fermenter up put it in the chamber and let it slowly cool before pitching yeast.