Adding Ice To A Brew To Drop Temp

[djackal]

Is it a good idea to drop the brew temp by adding ice with water when doing an extract brew
I know that I want the temp to drop quickly so I can pitch the yeast at a good temp (and the days are getting hotter here in Perth) but can dropping the temp too quickly cause any harm?

 

[warrenlw63]

Is it a good idea to drop the brew temp by adding ice with water when doing an extract brew
I know that I want the temp to drop quickly so I can pitch the yeast at a good temp (and the days are getting hotter here in Perth) but can dropping the temp too quickly cause any harm?

[post="95203"][/post]​

djackal.

Should be OK. 1 make sure the ice is sanitary ie; boiled and cooled in sanitized containers, then frozen.

Also don't pitch the yeast until you've stablized temps in the fermenter. Adding yeast, then the ice should shock the yeast causing them to shut down and give you a longer than desired lag time.

Warren -

 

[sluggerdog]

As warren said, make sure your using homemade ice and none of that store bought crap.

You want clean water in your brews..

 

[Jazzafish]

I doubt you'll have an issue so long as the ice is of good quality.

But if your not sure about the quality, just try an ice bath. Simply fill a vessel with iced water and sit your fermenter in it.

If you haven't got a fermentation fridge, you can keep your brews cooler over summer using the same idea. Normally a frozen bottle or two a day will hold it around 20*C on a 30*C day.

Cheers,
Jarrad

 

[Tub]

I usually put about 4 litres of water into the freezer a couple of hours before doing a kit - that way you add cold water which mies through easier than ice and gives you a stable temp faster.

PB

 

[djackal]

cheers for the response people. I sterilised some ice cream containers and have put them in the freezer(didn't boil water though.. I use tap water usually without treatment and it goes ok)
I will use a modified version of the fermentation chest (put fermenter in bath and top up with ice)
Thanks again