What type of wort chiller do you use?

[Ivan Lendl]

Im curious what most people do...

 

[Brewsmith]

Immersion chiller all the way. Before I made mine I used an ice bath, but the chiller is definately better.

 

[Jester]

I jsut built my chiller today... I'll be using it later tonight.... seems like it going to a lot easier than the cold bath...

 

[Ivan Lendl]

I jsut built my chiller today... I'll be using it later tonight.... seems like it going to a lot easier than the cold bath...

i plan on getting a counter flow or plate, ive been using an ice bath, but not in my sink, in a big plastic bin i got at target, i use 4 ten lbs. bags of ice and a few gallons of water and can cool boiling wort in 15 minutes to 65F...

 

[Beermaker]

I used to use an immersion chiller, but now prefer the counterflow. I use the Chillious Convelutus. I like to draw from the bottom of the boil kettle, through the chiller, and back into the BK. I use the return flow to help keep up a good whirlpool. I also use 50-60 degree well water to drop temps fast.

 

[RichBrewer]

I'm using an immersion chiller but I'm going to build a counter flow here one of these days. It should be a bit quicker and use less water.

 

[Tony]

I guess Im the only one with a plate chiller so far...

 

[Catfish]

Ice bath, but I'm going to get an immersion chiller tomorrow, I hope. Trying to hit an actual home brew store tomorrow.

 

[Brew_Meister]

I use an immersion chiller and an ice bath. I fill a 10 gallon Rubbermaid tub with cold water and 2 bags of ice and put the brew kettle in that with the immersion chiller. Cools off pretty quickly... roughly 15 or 20 minutes to 65F.

 

[Lou]

I use an immersion chiller and an ice bath. I fill a 10 gallon Rubbermaid tub with cold water and 2 bags of ice and put the brew kettle in that with the immersion chiller. Cools off pretty quickly... roughly 15 or 20 minutes to 65F.

that doesn't seem much faster than what most people quote for the immersion chiller alone....

 

[Pumbaa]

I marked counterflow, but it's been too cold for me to use it yet so I'vve been using ice baths. Last thing I wasnt is my driveway to be a skating rink

 

[Brew_Meister]

In my experiences the ice bath only helps cool roughly 5 minutes faster. So yeah not too much faster I guess. Just a few bucks for a few bags of ice.

 

[Jester]

I just used my immersion chiller last night for the first time and it chilled my wort down to 70 degrees in a little under 10 minutes.... it was so much better than what I was doing before and it barely cost anything to build....

Jester

 

[Ivan Lendl]

wow, i thought there would be more counterflowers out there...isnt counterflow more efficient?

whats the deal with plate?

 

[sause]

im a immersion also, if I had the money I'd go plate. Counter flow and plate are very simular, just more surface area on a plate chiller. So it cools faster and uses less water. Only thing is that the openings are smaller so you have to be careful on what actualy goes into it.

 

[Tony]

I have a Shirron plate chiller, and use gravity to feed it. Put it this way...the plate cools the wort instantly. It only takes the time it takes to siphon 5 gallons of wort into a carboy.

Industrial plate type chillers are used by large brewerys, and are the most effecient methods of wort cooling. The debated issue with plate chillers is that the industrial chillers are able to be disassembled for perfect cleaning, and the small homebrew plates are not. So, you have to make sure its backflushed IMMEDIATELY, and then flushed with acid based cleaners to try to stop any and all build up of any beerstone or anything else.

So, to be as effecient as possible, you need to set up your carboy with yeast first, and have your airlock ready to install so that you can immediatley begin cleaning the chiller. To me thats no problem. Besides cleaning my mash tun and other equipment during the boil, this is just another simple thing to do for me.

Im hoping on day that someone makes a wort chiller that can be disassembled for cleaning, as it would be the best chiller on the market bar none.

 

[bikebryan]

wow, i thought there would be more counterflowers out there...isnt counterflow more efficient?

whats the deal with plate?

Counterflow chillers may be more efficient, but they are harder to clean. You have to worry about cleaning the inside of them, AND sanitzing them. With an immersion chiller, you just drop it into the boiling pot the last 15-20 minutes of the boil, and when done remove it and rinse it down.

 

[Beerdrop]

I have a Shirron plate chiller, and use gravity to feed it. Put it this way...the plate cools the wort instantly. It only takes the time it takes to siphon 5 gallons of wort into a carboy.

Industrial plate type chillers are used by large brewerys, and are the most effecient methods of wort cooling. The debated issue with plate chillers is that the industrial chillers are able to be disassembled for perfect cleaning, and the small homebrew plates are not. So, you have to make sure its backflushed IMMEDIATELY, and then flushed with acid based cleaners to try to stop any and all build up of any beerstone or anything else.

So, to be as effecient as possible, you need to set up your carboy with yeast first, and have your airlock ready to install so that you can immediatley begin cleaning the chiller. To me thats no problem. Besides cleaning my mash tun and other equipment during the boil, this is just another simple thing to do for me.

Im hoping on day that someone makes a wort chiller that can be disassembled for cleaning, as it would be the best chiller on the market bar none.

I also have the Shiron plate chiller and it works great! Just like Tony, it cools my wort down in the time it takes to drain my 5 gals of wort from the kettle through a 1/2" value via gravity. I have a bazooka screen to make sure my hop pellet residue doesn't make its way into the chiller

In addition to a disassembl for clean up, the problem I have is drying the inside after flushing. I need to put it in the oven for about an hour to make sure I don't hear anything swishing inside. No problem as my beer is already safe and sound in the fermenter by then, just another step.

Bob

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

Counterflow Chiller. I like IC's, but nothing beats cooling and racking in one motion. Well, unless it's a plate chiller...

 

[rico567]

Counterflow chillers may be more efficient, but they are harder to clean. You have to worry about cleaning the inside of them, AND sanitzing them. With an immersion chiller, you just drop it into the boiling pot the last 15-20 minutes of the boil, and when done remove it and rinse it down.

THIS. I have no need for anything except my low-end copper immersion chiller. I brew 5-gallon batches, maybe 20-30 per year. A plate or counterflow chiller would be complete overkill in my case, and I don't need "instant" chilling. 15-20 minutes with our 55 degree well water works just fine for me.

 

[silvervan83]

I run my hot wort through my HERMS coil with cold water and ice in the keggle. Whirlpooling the wort and cooling at the same time.

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

Counterflow chillers may be more efficient, but they are harder to clean. You have to worry about cleaning the inside of them, AND sanitzing them. With an immersion chiller, you just drop it into the boiling pot the last 15-20 minutes of the boil, and when done remove it and rinse it down.

Maybe it's just the temperature of my water in the summer, but using an immersion chiller would take 30-45 minutes for a 10 gallon batch. And cleaning/sanitizing a CFC is pretty darn easy. Before I had a pump it was a bit more difficult, but now all I have to do to sanitize is recirculate boiling wort for the last 5 minutes of the boil. And as far as cleaning goes, I use the leftover water in my HLT and run that through the chiller afterwards. This flushes out any wort or trub left behind. Maybe my IC was crap or whatever but it just seems like a much easier process now with the CFC. Cool and rack in one motion, both 6 gallon carboys filled up in about 10 minutes.

 

[njs170]

I see this thread has been brought back to life a few times. Do you think the voting would be different now or about the same?

I think about the same. Immersion chillers are cheap and easier to make then the other ones. Well besides the ice bath.... but that just takes too long!

 

[cheezydemon3]

I think that "Ice in the wort" is far more effective and legitimate than widely thought (and certainly deserves more respect than being lumped in with "snow bank")

It chills as fast and effectively (or faster) than anything else.

 

[worsemorebad]

I used to use an immersion chiller, but I swapped to a plate chiller and I don't think I'll ever look back. The ground water where I live in the summer time can get up to about 60 and it is just terrible in an immersion chiller.

 

[kh54s10]

Wow, I just saw the date this one was started.

I made a 2 part immersion chiller. One coil is smaller than the other so both can go into the boil pot in the winter when the water is cold. During the summer one goes in the wort and the other in a bucket of ice-water.

A plate chiller may be purchased sometime in the future.

 

[user 144271]

I think that "Ice in the wort" is far more effective and legitimate than widely thought (and certainly deserves more respect than being lumped in with "snow bank")

It chills as fast and effectively (or faster) than anything else.

Can I have an Amen?


There is no better method IMHO.

 

[Mozart]

I use a water bath (emptying the galvanized steel tub 2-3 times as the water gets warm) combined with topping up with near freezing water (chilled to about 34 degrees in my fermentation chiller).

I have a friend who freezes top-up water in small tupperware containers, but I like the near-freezing temp water better as those ice blocks tend to splash sticky wort around and make a little bit of a mess no matter how gently one attempts to drop them into the kettle.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Can I have an Amen?


There is no better method IMHO.

AMEN

(to ice in the wort)

No question. On Ice cubes, my wort goes from 200F to 61F in 3.6 seconds.

Granted I am chilling 3.4 gallons (to end up with 5), not 5, but I think the time works the same assuming proportions are maintained.

 

[user 144271]

AMEN

(to ice in the wort)

No question. On Ice cubes, my wort goes from 200F to 61F in 3.6 seconds.

Granted I am chilling 3.4 gallons (to end up with 5), not 5, but I think the time works the same assuming proportions are maintained.

same here 4 gallons in two shakes of a lambs tail

I got it figured out just how much ice to put in the FV then DUMP the wort right on it.