Hi,
Although I'm normally an all-grain brewer, I'm currently living abroad in an apartment and putting together an extract/partial-mash set up, but still want to do full wort boils. I'm currently shopping for a brew kettle. I am not planning to get a wort chiller and will use immersion chilling. My question is can a brew kettle with a ball valve work with immersion chilling, in terms of sanitation? Sure the ball valve will be sterilized during the boil, but once I put the brew kettle into an ice bath, the exterior part of the valve will fill with water and will be in contact with any microorganisms in the ice bath, no? Then if I run the wort through the valve it will risk contamination? Is there something I am missing? Or would you just spray the ball valve down with sanitizer once its been removed from the ice bath, prior to transferring the wort to the fermenter?
Thanks a lot!
Although I'm normally an all-grain brewer, I'm currently living abroad in an apartment and putting together an extract/partial-mash set up, but still want to do full wort boils. I'm currently shopping for a brew kettle. I am not planning to get a wort chiller and will use immersion chilling. My question is can a brew kettle with a ball valve work with immersion chilling, in terms of sanitation? Sure the ball valve will be sterilized during the boil, but once I put the brew kettle into an ice bath, the exterior part of the valve will fill with water and will be in contact with any microorganisms in the ice bath, no? Then if I run the wort through the valve it will risk contamination? Is there something I am missing? Or would you just spray the ball valve down with sanitizer once its been removed from the ice bath, prior to transferring the wort to the fermenter?
Thanks a lot!
maybe put a short nipple on the valve. After the boil, put a cap on the nipple. Chill and remove cap, quick spritz with sanitizer and off you go.
