school me on wort chillers

[802VermontHomebrew]

i am clueless as to what this step is... sorry total noob here... Are they necessary? I dont see them included in every starter kit... so I am assuming its for personal preference?

 

[jigidyjim]

Most people cool their wort as quickly as possible after the boil. This has 2 main benefits: cooling the wort helps separate out the cold break (which I think are some sort of proteins, but not totally sure the specifics), which results in clearer beer, and also the faster you cool your beer, the sooner you can pitch your yeast, which means the sooner alcohol starts forming, and the less chance there is for wild bacteria to start infecting your beer.

You don't need a wort chiller to do this - you can use an ice bath or a zillion other techniques. The main advantage to the wort chiller is that it is fast (you can cool your brew in 15 or 25 minutes depending on size and other factors), simple to use, and means you don't have to keep buying/making ice each time you brew.

 

[Saprobic]

From what I understand they are not stricktly nessessary but your wort is vulnerable to infection as it is cooling so a faster cool time is a benefit from that perspective.

 

[802VermontHomebrew]

I have an icemaker so its not a huge issue for me I guess.. I just figured put the stockpot in the laundry sink downstairs where my operation is and fill it with cold water and ice... From what I have gathered so far drop the temp down to about 70 degrees and I am good to go?

 

[jigidyjim]

I used ice baths when I did partial boils, but when I switched to full boils, a wort chiller was my only option (pot didn't fit in sink anymore, and it would have taken forever even if it did fit).

Yah, 70 degrees is a great temp to pitch your yeast. I usually am not that patient and cool it down to just under 80, especially if I'm going to top it off with other water later, which will cool it down more - check your specific yeast strain for specific info, but I think most say 70-75 for pitching.

 

[802VermontHomebrew]

ok cool, thanks a lot man will do!

 

[the_bird]

Yeah, ice baths are fine for partial boils, but once you start doing full boils, that's a LOT of boiling-hot liquid to be moving around. You generally want to chill quickly, to minimize the chance of infection, to minimize the chance of DMS precursors building up, and to facilitate a good cold break (helps make a clearer beer).

But, no biggie if you're doing 2-3 gallon boils on the kitchen stove. Wort chillers tend to be one of the first "Phase II" purchases people make, though.

 

[user 53515]

+1 on the partial boil not requiring a wort chiller. I can get a 3+ gallon boil down to 75-78 degrees in 30 minutes with enough ice in a water bath in my kitchen sink.

If you have a bigger boil, it's heavy to move, and dangerous with the hot wort. Get a wort chiller. Or DIY.