Wort Chilling

[tanderson6817]

Did my first batch with the new kit last friday and everything was going smoothly but without a wort chiller i was reduced to putting my 5 gallon pot in an ice bath in the sink which took almost three hours to get it down to temperature. Is this bad for the wort? did i ruin my first 5 gallon batch?

 

[thirstydeerbrew]

I'm super cheap and havent invested in a wort chiller yet (possibly my next purchase), but what i have done is let the wort chill a bit in cold water then put it into the fridge overnight. Pitch in the morning. You might have some cloudiness but your a new brewer! no shame!

Some people actually but ice directly into their wort (must be sanitized)
To each his own!

Danny

 

[progmac]

no, it's fine. but it does take forever! a lot of us buy wort chillers to speed things up. before i had my wort chiller, i would freeze blocks of ice in gallon containers and then cut them out directly into the wort.

 

[Potamus]

I always use an ice bath in the sink, usually with a mix of cubes and an ice block I've frozen in advance. The trick is to keep stirring the wort (I use my mash paddle) and shifting the kettle around in the bath every so often to keep ice and cold water in contact with the sides. By doing this, I'm able to cool the wort to pitching temps in about 30-45 minutes, even on hot days.

 

[rekoob]

yup, not really needed (the chiller), your beer will turn out fine.

I started out the same way, put the kettle in a big tub on a few bricks and just put the end of the hose in there and let it overflow the tub, would give the kettle a stir here and there but just left it until the kettle side was cooler than my hand.

You could make an IC pretty cheap, saves time, water and ice.

 

[SBGuy212]

What about mixing cold water in with the wort to get it down to temp? I refridgerated 2 gallons of water and mixed it in with the wort after cooking.

 

[LateraLex]

What about mixing cold water in with the wort to get it down to temp? I refridgerated 2 gallons of water and mixed it in with the wort after cooking.

If the water is sanitary, then that is the best way to cool down your wort. I would add the cold water before wasting any ice in an ice bath

 

[SBGuy212]

If the water is sanitary, then that is the best way to cool down your wort. I would add the cold water before wasting any ice in an ice bath

I did run the water through a filter before using it.

 

[SBGuy212]

If the water is sanitary, then that is the best way to cool down your wort. I would add the cold water before wasting any ice in an ice bath

I did run the water through a filter before using it.

 

[number40fan]

Most will agree that the best way to sanitize is to boil the water, then freeze it.

What I have done is take empty water bottles and fill them with water. Freeze them and put them in the sink. Re-freeze when done.

 

[SBGuy212]

Oh ok. So has anyone ever used water straight from the tap and their batch come out ok?

I mean the water that you add to the wort to bring to 5 Gals.

 

[Spelaeus]

Oh ok. So has anyone ever used water straight from the tap and their batch come out ok?

I mean the water that you add to the wort to bring to 5 Gals.

A LOT of people top off from the tap and have it come out fine. It's just really not the best policy, sanitation-wise. You are still increasing the risk of infection that way.

 

[SBGuy212]

A LOT of people top off from the tap and have it come out fine. It's just really not the best policy, sanitation-wise. You are still increasing the risk of infection that way.

I've got all fingers and toes crossed then! Live and you learn.

 

[Bobbybob]

I have made several dozen batches with two plus gallons of tap water top off. You will be fine. Welcome to the addiction... Er I mean hobby!

 

[robbhud121]

I started with the ice bath method and as you have experienced it is just a waste of time. During my boils i usually produce 3.5 to 4 gallons of wort, so what I do is boil a gallon of water and pour it in 2 plastic ziplock bags and freeze it. I also keep 1 gallon of clean drinking water in the fridge just in case i need to top off more. I have even bought bags of ice when i get too lazy to boil/freeze water and dump them in the bucket to cool. Some people may frown on it for risk of infection, however, i have done it several times and have never had a problem. Hell, one time my phone accidentally fell out of my front shirt pocket and into the fermenting bucket and I panicked and stuck my whole arm in the wort to fish it out and it was one of the best batches i have made. If you have the money for a wort chiller go for it, but using ice and/or cold water for top off is much faster than an ice bath and works fine for me.