wort temp using a plate chiller

[Calvinfan1]

Hey everyone!

I was using my plate chiller at Big Brew Day yesterday and someone asked me how I checked the temperature of my wort when I was tranferring it into my carboy. I never really thought about it, but he brought up a good question. Do any of you have a method to checking your wort temp when using a plate chiller? Are there ways to lower the wort temp outside of putting the plate chiller in a bucket of ice water?

 

[scinerd3000]

I use a chillzilla and i have never had it come out of the end over 70 degrees.....never even bother to check anymore. You can always transfer some into a hydrometer tube which i normally do and check temp from there....

 

[PseudoChef]

I just sanitize the probe of my mash thermometer and read the temp that way.

You can also get a Thrumometer.

 

[Calvinfan1]

I checked out the Thrumometer....and I like it!! That might be the way to go.

 

[Yooper]

I have a CFC, not a plate chiller, but I just take my sanitized thermapen and check the output temp to ensure it's cool enough and then adjust the flow up or down if needed.

 

[Spreadhead]

I use my old immersion chiller as a pre-chiller before the water enters my plate chiller. I put it in an ice-water bath in a small cooler.

Hot Texas ground water from the garden hose -> pre-chiller -> March pump -> plate chiller -> fermentor.

Boiling to 70F in 5 min.

 

[Maltose]

Hey everyone!

I was using my plate chiller at Big Brew Day yesterday and someone asked me how I checked the temperature of my wort when I was tranferring it into my carboy. I never really thought about it, but he brought up a good question. Do any of you have a method to checking your wort temp when using a plate chiller? Are there ways to lower the wort temp outside of putting the plate chiller in a bucket of ice water?

Put a stainless female 1/2" NPT "T" on your chiller's wort output. Then screw in a hose barb to one end and a thermometer to the other.