Quickly cooling wort

[geodave]

Hi guys, I'm sure my first thread is going to be a repeat of something well known, but as I'm just getting started I thought I'd ask:

Cooling the brewpot after the boil, I've tried dunking the thing in a sink full of water and ice but in my small apartment it takes a while; immersion chillers look great but I was thinking, why not just take a narrow sort of plastic container, a juice bottle or something, and freeze water in it? Then sanitize it for a moment and use it to dunk directly into the wort and stir?

Is this a stupid plan and I should just get an immersion chiller, or could it cool the wort even faster?

Thanks, and I love this site,
--Dave

 

[llazy_llama]

Plenty of people do it. It works, just be careful to sanitize the bottles.

 

[geodave]

Fantastic. I'll sink em in Sani-Clean for a few minutes and then use them to whirlpool. Thanks!

 

[SumnerH]

You're also best off freezing a few of them so you can trade them out as they melt (sanitize before using).

Also, most 2-liter bottles have a black plastic part on the bottom that detaches easily. Take it off, and there's less nooks and crannies for nasties to hide in.

 

[BioBeing]

I would still sit the pot in a sink of ice while you do the ice bottle trick. You can't cool too fast!

 

[SumnerH]

I would still sit the pot in a sink of ice while you do the ice bottle trick. You can't cool too fast!

Yes, absolutely. And use the frozen bottle to swirl gently in a circle (whirlpool) to circulate the wort.

 

[Belmont]

Is there another thread discussing different wort chilling options? I'm still taking forever to get the last 10 degrees when using my immersion chiller on a full boil. Summer is coming and my tap water is going to be even warmer making for a less effective chiller.

 

[DeafSmith]

Is there another thread discussing different wort chilling options? I'm still taking forever to get the last 10 degrees when using my immersion chiller on a full boil. Summer is coming and my tap water is going to be even warmer making for a less effective chiller.

You can use a prechiller - copper coils in a bucket of ice water - let the tap water run through the prechiller before going to the I.C. There's lots of threads on wort chilling - check out the DIY section. Here's one recent thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cf-chiller-vs-ic-chiller-107806/

 

[SumnerH]

You can use a prechiller - copper coils in a bucket of ice water - let the tap water run through the prechiller before going to the I.C.

A submersible pump is probably cheaper than another copper coil, then just pump icewater through the IC (fill a cooler with ice + water, put pump in, pump water through IC and back into the opposite end of the cooler).

 

[pen25]

using an ic with a bucket of ice water is the best and easiest way to cool your wort. i use mine and have the hot out going into the other sink and i use a prechiller. for the cost of copper right now it is allot more cost effective. also a good flow control. too fast and you dont pull enough heat. to slow and you dont pull enough heat.

 

[Makeyermark]

If your sink has an overflow drain, i would leave the water running on low while cooling the pot. I can usually cool my pot down to about 110F in about 20 mins, then add pre-chilled water to the wort and I hit about 65F.

 

[HotbreakHotel]

I have eight bottles from bottled water. I removed the labels and all traces of adhesive. A couple days before brew day I fill the bottles with Star San, put them in a sanitized gallon zip lock, seal it and freeze. I leave some head space so they're not as likely to spew their contents that way. But in case they do spew a little they're filled with sanitizer.

I think using the smaller bottles increases the surface area to chill the wort faster. I put the boil pot in an ice bath with three bags of ice as well. It chills pretty fast this way.

One day I'll have a real chiller!!