Crash cooling outside

[WelshPaul]

As per title, could this be done at this time of year, when night time temperatures hover at a couple of degrees above freezing?

 

[pittsy]

yes , a few here do , i think robwalker does , it would be about same as cold water bath

 

[Dunfie]

No problem at all although I wouldn't call it "crash cooling" - it will take a few hours.

 

[Stihler]

Today would be a good day to crash cool your wort here in Fairbanks.

It finally "warmed up" to -33° F/-36° C.

You might have to keep an eye on it so you don't end up with a wort slurpee though.



- Scott

 

[pittsy]

And here i was grumbling about it being around 5c , i'll shut my mouth

 

[WelshPaul]

Today would be a good day to crash cool your wort here in Fairbanks.

It finally "warmed up" to -33° F/-36° C.

What's that in real temperatures...?

 

[calumscott]

Today would be a good day to crash cool your wort here in Fairbanks.

It finally "warmed up" to -33° F/-36° C.

What's that in real temperatures...?

237.15 :thumb:

 

[IPA]

.[/quote]
What's that in real temperatures...? [/

Very cold!

 

[fbsf]

Blimey, that is cold. Just looking at the scales, I didn't realise that -40F is equal to -40C. Amazing what you find out as a result of a brewing query...

 

[WelshPaul]

I can't be dealing with imperial measurements:

Temperature at which water freezes/boils
0°C/100°C

Centimeters in a meter
100

Meters in a kilometer
1000

Millilitres in a litre
1000


Grams in a kilogram
1000


However...
Temperature at which water freezes/boils
32°F/212°F

Inches in a yard
12

Yards in a mile
1760

Fluid ounces in a gallon
128

Ounces in a pound
16

...and Americans say that the metric system is too complicated!!! :rofl:

 

[simonlpearce]

Back on topic...If crash cooling outside, how long should it be left for?

 

[pittsy]

till its at pitching temp , often around 20c but could be much lower if lager etc . If left to cool overnight in house it may take easily 18 hours (warm house) , ice bath may take around 2/3 hrs so in this temp (0c to 5c) i would think 2 /4 hrs . wort chiller around 20/30 mins plate chiller i think around 10/15 mins .

 

[RobWalker]

after boiling? i leave it outside for a few hours. the FV will shrink if it's airtight so don't do that, i covered the hole over with a loose piece of kitchen roll - covered over like a napkin, not screwed up and shoved in.

about 3 hours for pitching temp, but havn't had an infection yet! leave it on concrete - even better would be in some sort of water if possible.

 

[rpt]

Back off topic.

I can't be dealing with imperial measurements:

Fluid ounces in a gallon
128

There are actually 160 fluid ounces in an imperial gallon. There are 128 fluid ounces in an American gallon. And an American fluid ounce is 4% bigger than an imperial one.

Metric measurements are the same everywhere.

 

[LeedsBrewer]

Back off topic.

I can't be dealing with imperial measurements:

Fluid ounces in a gallon
128

There are actually 160 fluid ounces in an imperial gallon. There are 128 fluid ounces in an American gallon. And an American fluid ounce is 4% bigger than an imperial one.

Metric measurements are the same everywhere.

:wha: :wha: yeah the whole American gallon thing does my head in.

 

[tazuk]

is that ice road trucker land sure it is love it :thumb:

Today would be a good day to crash cool your wort here in Fairbanks.

It finally "warmed up" to -33° F/-36° C.

You might have to keep an eye on it so you don't end up with a wort slurpee though.



- Scott

 

[SloeBrewer]

I can't be dealing with imperial measurements:

Inches in a yard
12

Think you'll find there's 12 inches in a foot and 36 inches in a yard :whistle:

 

[WelshPaul]

Think you'll find there's 12 inches in a foot and 36 inches in a yard :whistle:

Told you I couldn't be doing with 'em!

Anyway, by crash cooling, I meant to do it before kegging, in order to clear the beer, rather than to cool it after the boil. This should be plausible, shouldn't it?

 

[Stihler]

s that ice road trucker land...?

The Hall Road which goes up to Coldfoot and Deadhorse starts about 10 miles north of Fairbanks. I've never actually seen that show but I assume that is where they are starting from.

...an American fluid ounce is 4% bigger than an imperial one

Hmmm...I did not know that. Thanks!

We have been in the midst of a cold snap. It is a bit warmer today. The current temperature is -26° F/-32° C.

I've brew down to -30° F/-34° C. The warmth from the propane burner feels lovely on the legs. The mash tun etc. are inside the house. I just heat the water for the mash and boil the wort outside.

I don't brew much below -30° F/-34° C though. This is not a matter of whimping out or an endurance (or lack thereof) issue. There is a physical reason for this. At around -40° F/-40° C propane undergoes a phase transition and it is no long gaseous at normal opeating temperatures. The propane burner starts doing strange things as that temperature is approached.

I once had to cut short my wort boil because the burner simply stopped working. The batch came out okay though. Before transferring the beer to the secondary fermenter I simply boiled up a hop tea to impart the additional bitterness required.

Getting back to the topic of crash cooling, just letting the wort cool outside is a very slow process. Even placing the kettle in snow is also not particularly effective. Placing the kettle in a pool of water is much more efficient. You could fill a tub with water the day you going to brew and then let it the cool off naturally. Then after your boil is complete simply place the kettle in the tub and allow the wort to cool down to pitching temperature. Adding a bit of salt to the water would allow you to cool the water below 0° C which may cut down on the cooling time a bit.

- Scott

 

[rpt]

...an American fluid ounce is 4% bigger than an imperial one

Hmmm...I did not know that. Thanks!

It's what Wikipedia says so it must be true.