Extract beer process - cooling

Redbridge · Nov 1, 2016

Hi everyone, Apologies from a newbie, if this question has been asked before, I am sure it has.

just about to dip my toe and take the next step with an extract brewing mix from Crafty Brews (Old Speckled Hen). Thought I would get a kit at first to get used to it. One question I have is regarding the cooling process. The kit requires the wort to be developed in 6 Ltrs of water, boiled and mixed with the hops etc. Then it states that it should be cooled quickly, which I understand and appreciate. But, and here is the question, as it then has to be added to a further 12 litres of water in a FV to make upto 18Ltrs would adding it to the extra (cold) water take the place of any other cooling activity, such as a coil cooler or a water bath?

Also, (sorry sneaky second question) would anybody have any suggestions for the sugar to be added? General brewing sugar or does anyone have experience and preference for any other with this old speckled hen type mix?

Thanks everyone, appreciate your help and apologies again if this question is a perennial one.

DoctorMick · Nov 1, 2016

I can't see why you wouldn't use cold water to bring the temp down although 12 litres might not be enough to bring it down to ~20c. Maybe the thinking behind the instructions is that it's easier to fit a pan containing 6l of wort in a sink to cool it than it would be for an FV? I think I'd fill a bath with cold water, top up the FV to 18l and then put it in the bath until the temperature drops to 20c. Alternatively, you could freeze and sanitize some bottles full of water and chuck them in the FV after the cold water until it hits the desired temp, just make sure you're sanitary when removing them.

Sadfield · Nov 1, 2016

Cooling before dilution will also enable you to not add any cold break material and settled out bits of hops into your fermenter.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

Redbridge · Nov 1, 2016

Thanks Sadfield, Dr Mick, thanks for the feedback, just a good excuse to make myself a copper cooler now:)

Jon75 · Nov 1, 2016

From my, admittedly limited, experience of extract brewing 12 litres of cold water is not nearly enough to bring the temperature down enough so you can pitch yeast. I just stuck my 5l pan in the sink for half an hour or so, even then topping up to 23 litres in the FV still gave a temperature of between 25-30C.

As for priming, I just use wilko brewing sugar and haven't had any problems with it.

terrym · Nov 1, 2016

For small quantities of wort use the sink filled with cold water.
Then if you have 6 litres of hot concentrated wort and 12 litres of cold dilution water required to add to it to make it up to 18 litres total at approx 20*C final temp, you can calculate the temp you need to cool the concentrated wort to as follows, give or take a degree.
First take the temp of the cold water.
Then where Tc is temp of cold water, and Th is required temp of hot wort after cooling in sink
Th = 60 - 2Tc
So if cold dilution water Tc is 12*C, required temp of cooled concentrated wort Th is 36*C, and for Tc =10*C, Th can be higher at 40*C.
Simples! But note this formula only works for hot concentrated wort to cold dilution water in the ration 1:2, although it can be adjusted for other ratios.

Robin54 · Nov 1, 2016

I do same as Terry. I also freeze some old water bottles over night and put these in the sink. I find this 'almost' as quick as a wort chiller. Also, I put it in my FV, put the lid on and stick it in the cold garage for a couple of hours. Just look for simple solutions - none of this HB stuff is rocket science, but people like to make it complicated....for various reasons (?) which won't be debated here.

brumbrew · Nov 1, 2016

I like to get a bit creative. I have a copper chiller home made of course and its great. Counter flow chiller now we're talking! But like others I still use the bath of cold water method when making smaller batches or extract brews.