What's the best way to cool wort without equipment?

Hey guys, how are you cooling your wort for pitching without a chiller? Being that they are upwards of 90 bucks I really can't afford one right now.

I was thinking of freezing half the water and putting it into the brew bucket with the hot wort, but sanitation issues come to mind...the "ice bath" never really seems to work good enough for me

I used a tub full of ice (and lots of stirring) until I made a copper immersion chiller:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcLmROP-LfY (Sorry, too lazy to embed this morning).

Cost was pretty cheap to build. Copper line, two hose connectors, length of tubing for water in/out. Simple design in common use.

If you don't want to make, you can buy for about $45-$50 depending on size. Just search for "immersion wort chiller".

An immersion chiller doesn't work as fast as a plate chiller, but it gets the temps down quick enough for me at 1/4 the cost.

I've recently upgraded to a copper wort chiller, but I used to fill the sink with ice and water and just set the kettle in there. I've also employed a more natural method.



Snow bank chillin'.

Ice bath and time was the only way I had ever done it before I bought the immersion chiller. A buddy of mine dumps ice into the fermenter and has never had ill effects.

Snow is not the answer. Packed snow will actually insulate the wort.

I love the snow idea! I just put mine into a sink full of ice & water, works quickly enough. If I made beer more than a few times a year, I'd invest in a chiller, but the sink is good enough for me.

This. The snow immediately touching the pot melts away and you end up with an air gap between the packed snow and your pot. Sort of like an igloo.

Now a container full of water to set the pot in and then just keep adding snow would be a good idea. Just so long as you have water touching the pot.

Before I made my IC, I would sanitize a few gallon jugs and fill them with water and put them in the freezer when I started the boil.
I'd add the near frozen water to the fermenter to get everything close to 70 quickly

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yeah, i had to push more snow up against it every few seconds. but the air temperature was well below zero so it cooled pretty quickly anyway.

put kettle in the sink and fill with cold water. fill and stir the wort until the water seems warm. drain and repeat until the temp is under 110 degrees. then fill up and dump in as much ice as you can fit. one shot may work but if not repeat the last step to get the temp down to the low 70s high 60s

another vote for homemade chiller...
see pic below.
Get some soft copper, washing machine hose, tubing, couple of clamps. Wrap the copper around a small 2 gallon bucket or larger cook pot to form..attach tubing...you be chillin!

You won't regret the ~$20 (I may be off on my $...will review and reply back)...I can chill 5 gallons to 70°f in about 10 min or less.

Or buy gallon jugs of spring water & put them in the freezer. I like to put them in an hour or 2 before I start brewing.
Here is the method I used before I got a wort chiller:
Anyhoo, here is what I do when I didn't have one:

1. Get Spring water from grocery store(brand unnecessary.)
2. Put 2-3 gallons in freezer 2+/- hours before you brew.
3. Brew, - then cut off heat.
3.a Towards end of brew - Get a knife, pot holders, Thermometer & Hydrometer ready.
4. take jugs out of freezer.
5. Dump 1 -1gal jug of water into sterilized fermenting bucket. You may have to cut jug if ice layer is formed.(Hence, the knife)
6. Dump wort into bucket give it a little height. But, not enough to splash out of bucket. This is to aerate it. [It's OK to leave some dregs in the pot.]
7. Dump rest of water to desired level. (Again, cut jugs of water if needed.)
8. Take Thermometer reading (w/sterile thermometer).
If below 80oF
I'd say your good to go pitch yeast. If you want it lower than the temp you have, follow directions below;

Once desired temp is achieved. Take a Hydrometer reading - dump yeast & close lid & put liquid in airlock.
If above 80oF:
1.Put bucket in large sink/basin bucket or old wash tub.
2. fill with water & ice as high as you can to the wort level.
3.Stir wort one direction(genteelly) with sterile stir spoon. While stirring ice water in other direction with hand or other implement. (This should dissipate heat quickly.). You may need to add more ice after a while.

Once desired temp is achieved. Take a Hydrometer reading - dump yeast & close lid & put liquid in airlock.


Rule of thumb:
"The key is to get the wort cooled below 90oF within 1 hour (sooner the better) to prevent [decrease the chance] infections."

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