Wort Chiller vs Ice Bath

I am finishing my first brew and thinking about my second round. On my first brew, I used my stove top and ended up using a snow bank out side for cooling since my sink is not really big like the commercial sinks, nor deep enough.

I was lucky we had the big snowstorm here in Cincinnati, Ohio. My next brew may not have a snow option. What do think about wort chillers and options like that? Northern Brewery has the smaller one for around 60 bucks. Or is it maybe better to just pickup an old tub and get some ice? Thoughts?

Dave

Chiller is the way to go, from my point of view.
The quicker the wort cools and you can pitch yeast, the less chance some air borne icky bug could affect your brew.
Read up and watch a few vids about this topic. My first chiller was from our host. Nothing fancy, just did what it was meant to do.
Sneezles

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Many benefits to quicker cooling. Less chance for contamination, helps reduce chill haze by promoting cold break, ceases hop utilization, allows you to get to pitch temps quicker thus shortening your brew session. Cons are increased cost for the chiller and use of water. However, you can save the water to clean, to water plants, etc.
Nothing wrong with an ice water bath I you don’t like the pros of an immersion chiller. If you go the ice water bath STIR YOUR WORT WITH A SANITIZED SPOON, IT WILL HELP TREMENDOUSLY. Also consider changing the water out once it’s too warm to create much cooling.

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Chillers are much faster than an ice bath and in Ohio your water supply should be pretty cold. That cold water will speed up the process.
Immersion chillers are not the fastest but not bad to clean/sanitize and not expensive compared to counter flow or plate chillers.

I have a counter flow and take a lot of time when cleaning and sanitizing it since you cannot see if the inside of the tubing is clean.

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Thanks all. I think I’ll go with the immersive wort chiller for my next brew. Any suggestions on which one ?

A brewer many folks look up to Denny, has at one time endorsed “the serpentine” immersion chiller.
Sneezles

If you’re moving to 1gal batches a standard immersion chiller will work for you. No need to get anything fancy. Depending on how handy you are, you could also make your own.

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1 gallon I’d be doing ice bath.
2-1/2 gallon, splitting a 5 gallon recipe, I’d be doing immersion .
Sneezles

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For some reason, I never got an immersion chiller to work nicely. I was using ice water through the chiller, re circulating it while putting more and more ice in the water bath. It always took me 30 minutes or more to get to pitching temps.

I use a plate chiller now, albeit hooked up to a homemade glycol chiller, but it’s amazing. I’d say I go from boiling to pitch temps within 10 minutes

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Just so happens, moving my brew rig out to the garage, the parallel counter flow chiller I made froze up and split. I was certain I drained it… now I’ll be looking too.
Sneezles

only 30 minutes ? wow you are impatient

I was trying to low-ball my numbers. Most times it was over an hour

The American way… I want it NOW! (:
In my system, there has to be “good enuff”.
It costs alot to chill fast, but I won’t wait all day…
Hour isn’t too bad for a 5-er…
Sneezles

I chill to just under 80 then into a bucket through a strainer to strain and aerate. Then into a chilled fermenter and pitch. Bty then its under 70. Then it goes into the ferm chamber at 65 or whatever I’m fermenting at. Probably all told maybe an hr or so. Haven’t actually timed it recently. When I first started brewing the talk was how to shorten your brew day. Then my wife asked me why I cared since I enjoy brewing. She said if your enjoying something why hurry. Of course she was right so know I have no idea when I start or finish. The only thing I time exactly is the boil

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I read somewhere that is important to try to cool the wort as quickly as possible to eliminate any contamination. Is this not the case? So, if I don’t care about speed, can’t I just allow the wort to cool slowly on the stove before transferring to the fermenter?

well in theory sure it can pick up some errant bug. But you can do no chill safely if you keep it covered and you use basic sanitation practice. I’d probably take it off the stove and stick it in the sink since you are in the kitchen anyway.

STIR STIR STIR! This is usually where I see people struggle. I used to stir with my IC