Advice On Wort Cooling

[styletheboss]

My extant metod of cooling wort down is to use a wort chiller. I'm considering purchasing a plate chiller to reduce time. Is it a good buy?

 

[mika]

Try here

 

[SJW]

If u got temp controlled fermentation fridge why dont you just use the imersion for 5 or 10 mins to drop the temp to below 60 deg C and stick in the fridge o/night and pitch your yeast the next morning? If your using dry yeast there is no need to airate anyway, thats what I do.

Steve

 

[mesa]

I use an immersion chiller. Tap water for a few minutes then recirculate from a fermenter with block of water frozen in ice cream containers (what else would I use the freezer on my keg fridge for?)

I don't like the idea of a plate or counterflow chiller because you can't see inside it. Maybe this doesn't matter if you use a pump to clean it. How are you planing to steralise? recirculate boiling wort before the end of the boil or some other sterilisation agent?

I like the idea of an immersion chiller because you get the cold break out in the kettle.

http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php suggests that switching chillers will affect things like hop aroma and utilisation but I wouldn't believe this without trying it.

 

[enoch]

I use an immersion chiller. Tap water for a few minutes then recirculate from a fermenter with block of water frozen in ice cream containers (what else would I use the freezer on my keg fridge for?)

I don't like the idea of a plate or counterflow chiller because you can't see inside it. Maybe this doesn't matter if you use a pump to clean it. How are you planing to steralise? recirculate boiling wort before the end of the boil or some other sterilisation agent?

I like the idea of an immersion chiller because you get the cold break out in the kettle.

http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php suggests that switching chillers will affect things like hop aroma and utilisation but I wouldn't believe this without trying it.

+1 Moved from counterflow to immersion with recirc and an ice bath a'la Mr Malty - it is quicker and involves less things to sanitise..

 

[drsmurto]

I use an immersion chiller. Tap water for a few minutes then recirculate from a fermenter with block of water frozen in ice cream containers (what else would I use the freezer on my keg fridge for?)

I don't like the idea of a plate or counterflow chiller because you can't see inside it. Maybe this doesn't matter if you use a pump to clean it. How are you planing to steralise? recirculate boiling wort before the end of the boil or some other sterilisation agent?

I like the idea of an immersion chiller because you get the cold break out in the kettle.

I use a plate chiller - i use gravity to clean it, much cheaper than a pump...... i run sanitiser thru it just prior to use and then flush it out after with water then another dose of sanitiser.

Too easy! I also have a thermo sitting at the end of the plate chiller so i can see what temp the wort is coming out at and adjust flows accordingly. Very quick, well under 30C on a single pass.

Funny that a no chiller posts on this thread but gets their knickers in a twist when chillers post on theirs. The question related to chilling techniques.

 

[mje1980]

Funny that a no chiller posts on this thread but gets their knickers in a twist when chillers post on theirs. The question related to chilling techniques.

Sorry, post deleted.

 

[styletheboss]

Thanks for all the advice. The MR Malty contraption looks sooo sweet!

 

[chovain]

My extant metod of cooling wort down is to use a wort chiller. I'm considering purchasing a plate chiller to reduce time. Is it a good buy?

I use the MashMaster plate chiller, and wouldn't ever go back. To be fair, I never managed to get my immersion chiller working properly though (always took me over an hour to chill - never did work out what I was doing wrong).

In summer, I can get 25L wort from 100 to ~30deg using only 25L water, so it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, too. Chilled water can get it down much further, obviously, but I normally just bung the wort in the fridge to get to pitching temp.

My big recommendation would be to make sure you don't get too much crud coming through the chiller, or it will block. Use a hop sock, a false bottom or a pickup filter, and you'll be fine.

I gravity feed, which can take a bit of coordination if you don't have a stand for the chiller, but I got the hang of it after a couple of cuts (yep, literally - the backs on those things are sharp).

Edit: Reword slightly