The tips and tricks of experience

[^Tony^]

I bought it sometime last year and only recently got the drive to actually get it working. Moving the chiller works well too, but requires you to be standing there.

I like not standing by the kettle. I clean up as I go so that the end of the day is a quick 30 minutes of rinsing, light cleaning, and putting things away. I do most everything in between steps while I wait. Unless I have a friend there...then we just drink

 

[Semper Sitientum]

I did not know this. I'm going to try next brew!

I’m guessing since the wort is hotter on the bottom of the kettle, rocking the chiller is more effective in moving hot wort over the coils vs. stirring, which moves wort faster on top than on the bottom.

This brings me to another question. The input flow of the chiller starts on top and moves down the coils to the bottom before coming straight up and out. If the wort is hotter on the bottom of the kettle, wouldn’t it cool faster if the cold water made contact with the hottest part of the wort first?

 

[Nosybear]

I’m guessing since the wort is hotter on the bottom of the kettle, rocking the chiller is more effective in moving hot wort over the coils vs. stirring, which moves wort faster on top than on the bottom.

This brings me to another question. The input flow of the chiller starts on top and moves down the coils to the bottom before coming straight up and out. If the wort is hotter on the bottom of the kettle, wouldn’t it cool faster if the cold water made contact with the hottest part of the wort first?

The chiller chills the wort next to it. If you don't move the wort, the heat will move very slowly through the chilled wort to the coils. Rocking the chiller sets up currents in the wort that carry the heat to the chiller and move the chilled wort away from it. Want to make it go really fast? Whirlpool against an immersion chiller!

 

[Craigerrr]

I have my whirlpool going in the opposite direction that the cooling water is going through the immersion chiller. Not sure if that makes any difference, but I chill pretty quick with my ghetto two pass chiller

 

[Craigerrr]

I could easily have the cooling water going one direction through one coil,and the opposite direction in the other coil. Maybe that would help by cooling the top part of the kettle with one coil more effectively and cooling the bottom part of the kettle moreso with the other. Ten gallon batches BTW

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I use a DIY wort chiller. For a long time I would move it in a horizontal circle to create a slow whirlpool to aid chilling. About six months ago I started to move it in a vertical circle and noticed the wort seemed to chill quicker. Apparently mixing the hotter upper level and the cooler lower level has a net increase in thermal transfer. I haven't looked up the Brulosophy article mentioned earlier but, I assume that will confirm my observations and explain why.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I batch sparge in a cooler. When vourlaufing I drain the wort into a 2 liter pyrex measuring cup and pour that into a gravy ladle partially submerged in the mash. This prevents disturbing the grain bed when pouring the wort back into the mash.

 

[Hawkbox]

I mash in a bag so when I drain my mash tun I just hoist the bag right out of it. No disturbing the grain bed for me, no sirree...

 

[Bubba Wade]

Over the years, I have found the key to optimizing the brew process is knowing precisely what is being accomplished in each step. About a year ago, I switched to a 30 minute boil. I did this to save time, but I was successful because I knew how to adjust the hops for a shorter boil.

 

[philjohnwilliams]

My best tip would be to clean as you go. I used to hate getting to the end of a brew day and having to spend another 30+ minutes cleaning. Now once I am done with something I clean it and put it away, my mash tun is usually clean and put away before my wort has come to a boil. Not only does this make brew days a bit shorter, but I find having something brewing related to do while I wait for some other step to finish keeps me focused and I make fewer mistakes.

 

[FedoraDave]

I try to stage my kitchen the night before. Everything in place so when I get up in the morning, I can get started ASAP.

I also stir my wort against the flow in the immersion chiller while I move the chiller up and down. The more motion, the more contact, and the more contact, the more efficient the heat transfer. It also aerates the wort very well, so there's no need after racking to the carboy.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

My best tip would be to clean as you go. I used to hate getting to the end of a brew day and having to spend another 30+ minutes cleaning. Now once I am done with something I clean it and put it away, my mash tun is usually clean and put away before my wort has come to a boil. Not only does this make brew days a bit shorter, but I find having something brewing related to do while I wait for some other step to finish keeps me focused and I make fewer mistakes.

While I also hate the end-of-brewday cleanup, I also love a relaxed brewday; from mashing to post-boil chilling. It also doesn't help that I brew outside and I cleanup in the basement and I really don't like leaving my brew kettle unattended for too long.

 

[Ward Chillington]

If you’re using an immersion wort chiller, gently rock it back and forth rather than stirring the wort. It actually cools quicker. I don’t know the science behind it, but I remember the Brülosophy guys did a podcast on it.

Another tip for the immersion chiller process...I use a couple of clean, cloth dish towels clipped with cloths pins to the kettle lip to cover the kettle keeping anything from water splashes while adding more ice to my mash tun / cold water reservoir to a falling leaf out of the cooling wort. The in and out hoses stick out between the edges. I'll pull back one side to get some whirlpool action going with my SST spoon.

Great idea OP...distilled wisdom!

 

[Blackmuse]

If you’re using an immersion wort chiller, gently rock it back and forth rather than stirring the wort. It actually cools quicker. I don’t know the science behind it, but I remember the Brülosophy guys did a podcast on it.

I gotta try this!

 

[Bubba Wade]

If you’re using an immersion wort chiller, gently rock it back and forth rather than stirring the wort. It actually cools quicker. I don’t know the science behind it, but I remember the Brülosophy guys did a podcast on it.

The science is pretty simple. For an immersion chiller, there are three “zones” affecting the heat transfer rate. The first is the cool water flowing through the coil. It’s flowing fairly quickly, so the heat transfer is maximized.

The next zone is the chiller coil itself. Since it’s copper or thin wall stainless, heat flows pretty well.

Which brings us to the third zone, the wort against the coils. If the wort is still, heat transfer is reduced because the wort becomes cooler next to the coil. Heat transfer is proportional to the temperature difference and goes down. However, if you move the coil, you force warmer wort next to the coil and increase the temperature differential, therefore increasing the heat transfer.

Hopefully, this helps explain without being too technical.

 

[BOB357]

If you’re using an immersion wort chiller, gently rock it back and forth rather than stirring the wort. It actually cools quicker. I don’t know the science behind it, but I remember the Brülosophy guys did a podcast on it.

I found that to be true. My IC is close to the same diameter as the Digiboil, so stirring is almost out of the question. Just the couple of inches I'm able to rock it speeds the chilling considerably. I should add that rocking the IC works as well as when I whirlpool while chilling.

 

[Blackmuse]

I use two immersion chillers, one in the wort as usual and one in an ice bucket (I use cold water and ice packs from the freezer) before it flows into the chiller in the wort... This has helped speed things up a touch.

 

[Hawkbox]

I used to do this with a modified AC unit but it kind of turned into a hassle for me so I am probably just going to use the IC to get down <30C and then use the fridge from there.
In the winter I can just leave it outside for a few hours.

 

[Craigerrr]

Another tip for the immersion chiller process...I use a couple of clean, cloth dish towels clipped with cloths pins to the kettle lip to cover the kettle keeping anything from water splashes while adding more ice to my mash tun / cold water reservoir to a falling leaf out of the cooling wort. The in and out hoses stick out between the edges. I'll pull back one side to get some whirlpool action going with my SST spoon.

Great idea OP...distilled wisdom!

So simple it's stupid! I have always lamented that my lid doesn't cover completely because of the tubing coming out. I think I will still use the lid, and a clean dish towel to cover the openings in .

 

[philjohnwilliams]

I try to stage my kitchen the night before. Everything in place so when I get up in the morning, I can get started ASAP.

This is something rlse that I like to do between brew days. When I have a few minutes to spare I will assemble my mash tun or weigh out my grains or collect water so that on brew day I am ready to go.