Speaking of Fast or Slow or No Chilling

[dr K]

Whats best has been done to death.
Today I tested my TimeWarp chiller. It is an immersion chiller, Canberra water with no additional chilling, just in and out.
40 litres of wort, water turned on at flame out:
4 minutes sub 60C
6 minutes sub 50C
8 minutes sub 45C
10 minutes sub 40C in a 38C shed.
Oh I did use a pump, it was a modified version of my version of a JZ wort chiller, so nothing new, although the speed may be of interest to those thinking of chilling, not to mention those who no-chill to save time.
I did use whirlfloc, the attached shows the jello floaties scooped from the top
Lot of trouble for a wheat beer!!

K..back from the cave

 

[dr K]

Sadly I posted this topic twice, and have no skill to delete..sorry.

 

[manticle]

So you got to below 40 degrees in just under half an hour? How much longer to get to pitching temp?
What temp did you actually pitch at?

How much water did you use and where did it end up?

 

[bradsbrew]

Where's the pic's K?

 

[slcmorro]

For what it's worth, I chilled a brew a bit over a week ago when it was 32c outside here in Ballarat, and I got it to < 20c in 20 minutes with just a strong flow from the garden tap running through my copper immersion chiller (rough guesstimates of 5L per minute). Bit of swirling here and there is all it took. Thinking of it, it usually only takes me 20 or so minutes to pitching temp anytime, regardless of the ambient temp.

 

[jyo]

Not entirely sure on the title. Are we also discussing no-chilling?

 

[dr K]

Manticle....well under 15 minutes (thus the timewarp thing) to 40C
By the time I faffed around the wort temp was maybe 35C, it the runs through about 6 mters of silicone hose to a mag drive pump (sanitised) that shoots it up about 1.5 meters to spray into my fermentor (cooling and aerating at the same time). No readings but a fair guess is that the wort was sitting in the fermentor at 25C in 35 minutes about equal to a good plate chiller if you will.
My point is of course the rapid chilling of the whole 40 litres of wort and an endorsement of the JZ method.

as to the water the initial blast went to cleaning the rest on the garden (my strawberries are really pissed with such a low dose this time)

K

 

[bradsbrew]

Not entirely sure on the title. Are we also discussing no-chilling?

I think the reference is to those that no chill to save time. I am interested to see the chiller that can get 40L of wort down to sub 40 in 10 minutes using tap water at a 38 deg ambient.

 

[Cocko]

Would love to see some pic of said chilling K?

Sounds stoop!

 

[dr K]

I am not good attaching things...but one pic is some of the jello from the fast chill the other a rather bad angle but shows the outlet which may reduce the flow rate but certainly increases the velocity
(I am also not a photographer)

K

 

[manticle]

Ah OK - I added the original times together. Misread the OP.

I think, possibly as you may, that the time-saving aspect of no chill method is overstated.

There are other advantages. Mashing and boiling for 4-5 hours makes a 20-30 minute possible timesave look like nothing to me me anyway and an efficient chill will turn that into a nothing but that's not really what it's about.

 

[citizensnips]

For what it's worth, I chilled a brew a bit over a week ago when it was 32c outside here in Ballarat, and I got it to < 20c in 20 minutes with just a strong flow from the garden tap running through my copper immersion chiller (rough guesstimates of 5L per minute). Bit of swirling here and there is all it took. Thinking of it, it usually only takes me 20 or so minutes to pitching temp anytime, regardless of the ambient temp.

Dang that is a hell of a lot of water just to chill a brew. It is just engrained in me not to use water like that, sure if our levels permit go for it, I just can't bring myself to send 100L into the abyss.

 

[citizensnips]

Wait I just had a thought, what about using the typical american glass carboy, sanitise and fill up with fresh boiling wort, throw an airlock in place to release built up steam pressure....all the while it is set in the fridge with temp controller to bring it to your desired pitching temp of choice. Next day take the airlock out, throw some yeast in, airlock back in and good to go.
Now can someone please point out the obvious floor I have failed to see?

 

[mje1980]

Boiling wort and glass might not be too safe. Can you say thermal shock??. They may be rated for it but I strongly doubt it and wouldn't trust them

 

[warra48]

Citizen,

Apart from me being frightened of the idea of transferring fresh boiling wort into glass, as mje is, there is the issue of cooling liquid reducing in volume as it cools.
You will inevitably suck air back into the carboy. An airlock is not effective in those circumstances, its designed to work the other way.

You would definitely have an infection risk.

 

[Spiesy]

I'd also hazard a guess that 20l of boiling hot wort will take some time to cool down to pitching temp. A lot longer than the 20-30 mins people experience with more trusted chilling practises.

 

[Bribie G]

Hereabouts, even during the summer the night time temperature normally stays below 19 degrees, if I brew in the afternoon and put the cube out the back door with the cat, then touch it up in my fermenting fridge set to -1 degree for an hour or so the next morning, I'm usually pitched by 10 am.

If I were ever to go to an immersion chiller I'd spend a few dollars more for a pond pump and go the "recirculating ice water" method covered in another thread. However Dr K's research could be helpful for regions with consistently cold mains water.

 

[robbo5253]

I have only recently got a chiller and currently my water goes to a sprinkler and water the lawn. In winter i will buy another hose and send it back to the rain water tank.

 

[QldKev]

Wait I just had a thought, what about using the typical american glass carboy, sanitise and fill up with fresh boiling wort, throw an airlock in place to release built up steam pressure....all the while it is set in the fridge with temp controller to bring it to your desired pitching temp of choice. Next day take the airlock out, throw some yeast in, airlock back in and good to go.
Now can someone please point out the obvious floor I have failed to see?

I've read about this idea of chilling in a fridge to save water before. I still don't get it. Rather than use some water that can be reclaimed for other jobs* you will make your fridge work hard for many hours using electricity which is produced at power plants that are bad for the environment. I think I prefer would to waste a little water than to pull thousands of watts from the grid.

* The used water can be used for many things. Run a sprinkler, fill your washing machine, top up a pool or pond, wash your car, sent to a rain water tank.

 

[manticle]

Wait I just had a thought, what about using the typical american glass carboy, sanitise and fill up with fresh boiling wort, throw an airlock in place to release built up steam pressure....all the while it is set in the fridge with temp controller to bring it to your desired pitching temp of choice. Next day take the airlock out, throw some yeast in, airlock back in and good to go.
Now can someone please point out the obvious floor I have failed to see?

Please don't. Either cube/nc or chill and keep glass and boiling wort separate. Erlenmeyer flasks excepted.