Automated Chilling in a No Chill cube

[Seeker]

I'm just in the process of thinking through me AG brewing process (not started brewing AG yet)

No Chill sounds like a good idea, but I was thinking if it could be chilled in the cube quickly would that improve things like hop schedule planning and maybe remove some of the real or imagined disadvantages with no chill.

A possible system could be:

A copper pipe could be made that would be attached to the inside of a drilled and sealed cube cap. The cooling pipe assembly then posted into the no chill cube, and then cold water cycled through it from an ice water Esky using a pond pump.

The pipe I'd try would just be a narrow loop, but a coil could also work that you screwed into the opening increasing the surface area.

Maybe give the wort time to sanitize everything, and have the pond pump turn on with a timer in the night.

Easy and cheap to build and very easy to use, but is it worth while actually doing it?

 

[fletcher]

having said that, if i'm reading you correctly, it's almost like you'd be putting an immersion chiller inside a chill cube, correct? why not do this when it's post-boil and not worry about no-chilling?

 

[lukiferj]

Would you be leaving the coil in there after you have chilled? If you take it out and don't pitch right away, you would be leaving yourself open to infection. As Fletcher said, it sounds like you are looking at immersion chilling. Would be much easier to do this without the cube.

 

[JaseH]

What's your reasoning for wanting to no-chill? There are proven simple methods for chilling and for no-chilling, sounds to me like your over complicating things by trying to combine both?

 

[davedoran]

Im with fletcher. Building a chiller in a no chill cube would be messy. Would have to be easier putting the coil in the kettle after boil and cooling in the kettle.

 

[Seeker]

Advantages I'm after are; boil in the evening, pitch in the morning. And maybe stock pile too.

I'd leave the assembly in there until ready to pitch.

 

[davedoran]

Im with fletcher. Building a chiller in a no chill cube would be messy. Would have to be easier putting the coil in the kettle after boil and cooling in the kettle.

 

[fletcher]

if you can do it, and want to, go for it

 

[JaseH]

With a plate chiller you can have the yeast pitched and be in bed within 10min of finishing the boil if you really wanted to, no mucking around with eskys of ice and pond pumps. Fair enough if you want to stock pile - but I don't think your design will bring the temperature down quick enough to make it worth your while.

 

[mosto]

Advantages I'm after are; boil in the evening, pitch in the morning. And maybe stock pile too.

I'd leave the assembly in there until ready to pitch.

The standard no chill method would achieve both of these.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I've always spoken of the disadvantages of no-chilling with hop planning for hop-forward styles (late additions, such as APA, AIPA and the like).

I'm now of the opinion that cube hopping is the equivalent of around a 15-20 minute addition, and that by adjusting down earlier additions to allow for this, excellent results can be achieved to the point where I even no chill my hop-forward styles.

If you were not too perturbed by opening a cube partway through it no-chilling 'cooling down' I reckon you could get a 10 minute equivalent addition out of it. Sure, that might run a risk of introducing infection, but so does chilling it in the first place, due to extra contact with other items and the air.

 

[Seeker]

Ok - I think this idea is a bit too Heath Robinson.

 

[Seeker]

If you were not too perturbed by opening a cube partway through it no-chilling 'cooling down' I reckon you could get a 10 minute equivalent addition out of it. Sure, that might run a risk of introducing infection, but so does chilling it in the first place, due to extra contact with other items and the air.

I'm happy with risks like that. Everything comes at a price.

I was trying to think around the lack of control of hop schedules more than anything, so I guess experimentation with cube additions would be as good.

 

[Proffs]

If you were not too perturbed by opening a cube partway through it no-chilling 'cooling down' I reckon you could get a 10 minute equivalent addition out of it.

Sorry for the threadjack but how do you work out when to add the "10 min addition"? Do you have any idea of the average rate of cooling in the cube?

 

[stm]

That's a lot of b*ggerising around for very little benefit and lots of risk and a more difficult cleanup. The minimal surface area you will get with this type of chiller in a cube means a very slow chill anyway.

So either do a proper no chill (and if you are worried about late hop character, use Argon's method) or build yourself a proper immersion chiller for your kettle (or buy plate chiller for a really fast chill as per above comment).

 

[brewbienewbie]

When I brew IPAs and the like I cube hop and chuck the cube into the rainwater butt. It seems to work pretty well, IBU-wise I figure it's probably somewhere between a 5 and 10min addition, and it has the bonus effect of killing all the mosquito larvae in the tank.

 

[CrookedFingers]

Why not just stick the cube in a temp controlled fridge to bring it down to pitching temps overnight ?
Would be a little bit of trial and error to find the right temp, but you would be pitching in the morning and not fussing about with the wort.
ie. overnight @9 degrees in the fridge will get you from hot wort to 18…..you know what I mean ?
Not something I have tried, but I might now !


CF

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Your not going to get enough tube in the cube. The principle is reasonable, but the practicals of it are not so good.

The best type of immersion chiller is the "Flying Spaghetti Monster " ball of copper tube. Coils look nice but dont chill as well as a random ball/birdsnest of copper tube.

 

[Seeker]

I think maybe straight to fermenter and then into the freezer then may be the best and pitch next day.

Since boiling water freezes faster than cold water link, maybe wort will be the same

 

[mxd]

or be like Kev and slow chill in the pool