Using Store Bought Ice To Reduce Wort Temp

[Big John]

Hello,

I was just reading about the temperature control methods people use during fermentation (i use the frozen ice block in an old fridge method) and it got me thinking about last summer (my first summer for brewing).

The main problem I had was after I had dumped in the kit n bits that the wort temp was too high for pitching my yeast (26+ degrees). My responise was to use sterilized water ice blocks which I prepared myself beforehand. However I read somewhere that somebody just uses store bought ice (drinking quality obviously).

Since I use normal tap water with my kit, would store bought ice work?

What do others think?

Thanks

John

 

[manticle]

Drinking quality ice should be fine.

 

[Peteoz77]

I actually used bagged ice a lot when I was using kits. I don't use it any more, but I would say it was fine.

 

[WarmBeer]

Just cause you're doing kit's n bits doesn't mean you can't "No Chill", and therefore avoid the need to chill with ice altogether.

I've started doing full volume boils for my extract brews, but if you're doing say a 10lt boil, you could pick up one of those small 10lt cubes from Bunnings, and pour the wort straight into there after your finish boiling.

I reckon it's saved me about an hour on each brew day, as there's less mucking about with waiting for the wort to cool to pitching temperature.

 

[Fourstar]

I'd still probabaly err on the side of caution with 'drinking quality ice'. Its drinking quality but is it 'brewing quality'? Do we wreally know what the bacteria count is in it? Just because it doesnt make us sick doesnt mean its clean enough for our yeasties to live in.

Im a little anal even with topping up my wort with tap water if it hasn't been boiled for atleast a couple of minutes. The idea of filtered frozen commerical water makes me a little worried. It makes me think i should just chill my beer down with a bag of peas from the freezer. :unsure:

If i was doing it i would boil the arse out of 3L of water the day before and freeze it in a sanitised 4L ice cream container or something big enough with a tight seal. (no not an eskimo!)

 

[manticle]

I'd still probabaly err on the side of caution with 'drinking quality ice'. Its drinking quality but is it 'brewing quality'? Do we wreally know what the bacteria count is in it? Just because it doesnt make us sick doesnt mean its clean enough for our yeasties to live in.

Im a little anal even with topping up my wort with tap water if it hasn't been boiled for atleast a couple of minutes. The idea of filtered frozen commerical water makes me a little worried. It makes me think i should just chill my beer down with a bag of peas from the freezer. :unsure:

If i was doing it i would boil the arse out of 3L of water the day before and freeze it in a sanitised 4L ice cream container or something big enough with a tight seal. (no not an eskimo!)

OP is already using straight tap water so I can't imagine the ice is going to add much either way.

 

[clean brewer]

Bit of reading....

Personally, having worked in the Kitchen/Restaurants for the past 16 years, I wouldnt use bagged ice for anything that you may not want spoilt, we used to get ice delivered(drinking quality :unsure: ) in the same truck as the Seafood got delivered in.... Also, have you ever noticed that the Ice bags are generally not intact or have small holes in the bags....

As fourstar said, I would freeze some boiled water in sanitised containers and use that, at least you know where its coming from....

:icon_cheers: CB

 

[Phoenix]

I've started doing full volume boils for my extract brews, but if you're doing say a 10lt boil, you could pick up one of those small 10lt cubes from Bunnings, and pour the wort straight into there after your finish boiling.

I'm about to (hopefully this week-end) do my first full volume boil extract brew (also at 10L). So what are you saying you do _after_ you poor your wort into the 10L cube?

Thanks!
P

 

[wynnum1]

sterilized 3 L fruit juice containers are good fill up with water that has been boiled and allowed to cool enough so as not to damage plastic then put in freezer long enough for out sides only to freeze also boiled wort will cool quicker if you leave in boiler and if done on stove put pot in water bath

 

[Phoenix]

also boiled wort will cool quicker if you leave in boiler and if done on stove put pot in water bath

and further to that fill the water bath with a bag of ice and some salt to drop the temp of the bath even lower for quicker cooling.

 

[Fourstar]

My responise was to use sterilized water ice blocks which I prepared myself beforehand.
Since I use normal tap water with my kit, would store bought ice work?

OP is already using straight tap water so I can't imagine the ice is going to add much either way.

Hmm... Now that ive re-read that, it seems very counterintuitive to me what was done in the 1st instance anyway.

 

[Bribie G]

I'm making a toucan this afternoon and will be buying a bag of ice. However as pointed out by Clean Brewer I would never get one from the bait mullet gut, tackle and ice store, but from Liquorland. It's an extra dollar a bag but claims "super pure drinking quality ice". Shouldn't be any worse than the Bribie Island tap water anyway.

 

[Westoz]

Have worked on plenty of ice machines.While the water maybe filtered the machine workings may not ie plates, pumps,sumps etc .
Better to use your own sanitised method at home imho.

 

[Big John]

Thanks for all the feedback.

Having done quite a few brews now i was simply trying to find a lazier way without compromising beer quality / adding extra risk.

Now i'm caught in 2 minds... lazy vs safe.

I suppose it will depend on the day and if I am doing a planned brew (time to prep) or if I have a spare hour to fill (spur of the moment).

 

[brettprevans]

you can use the frozen chicken method h34r: dont worry im kidding. knob of a brewer to do that.

if your doing K&K/K&B then you should be able to add enough cold tap water to bring your temp down to 20C or so. then just leave it until hits desired pitching temp. even doing full extract i only had about 12L of hot wort which could be cooled down well with a reminaing 7-8L of cold water and then some aeration.

but in answer to your question bought ice (so long as it says drinking qwuality) should be ok, after all im assuming your using unboiled tap water (hopefully not provided thru a garden hose)

 

[Fermented]

What about putting your pot of kits and bits into the sink with cold water?

Change the water every ten minutes. Should be right to go after two water changes, depending on the volume of what's in the pot and the temp of the water going into the mix. Ice not needed.

There isn't really a need to sterilise ice going into a K&B brew. After all, you're just going to top it off with water from the same tap the ice was made from, aren't you?

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[Fourstar]

There isn't really a need to sterilise ice going into a K&B brew. After all, you're just going to top it off with water from the same tap the ice was made from, aren't you?

I dont know, are you? towards the end of my Extract/steep days i would boil everything and bring topup water back to room temp overnight. All i had to do was get my 10-15L boil temp down to pitching temps.

 

[Fermented]

I dont know, are you? towards the end of my Extract/steep days i would boil everything and bring topup water back to room temp overnight. All i had to do was get my 10-15L boil temp down to pitching temps.

As with everything in brewing, there's no perfectly right way. There's usually a definitely "won't work" way and then lots of other ways that different folks seem to swear by - part of it truth, part of it legend and the other part fisherman's tales. YMMV, etc.

After all, there is nominal practice and optimal practice. All depends on how serious the brewer is about what kind of result they want and what they're going to be happy enough to drink and share, or Godforbid enter into a comp.

However, most folk who are K&B'ers tend to top up from the tap, ime.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[elmo]

Hello,

I was just reading about the temperature control methods people use during fermentation (i use the frozen ice block in an old fridge method) and it got me thinking about last summer (my first summer for brewing).

The main problem I had was after I had dumped in the kit n bits that the wort temp was too high for pitching my yeast (26+ degrees). My responise was to use sterilized water ice blocks which I prepared myself beforehand. However I read somewhere that somebody just uses store bought ice (drinking quality obviously).

Since I use normal tap water with my kit, would store bought ice work?

What do others think?

Thanks

John

gday John

i have used ice from Coles in 3 or 4 brews now and havnt been able to notice any problems so far all the brews have been gladly hammered by all and sundry. just my own expereinces

 

[lespaul]

i dont understand how adding cold water doesnt bring the temp down enough. put the water in the fridge before hand?