Chilling Fast vs. Slow?

[boondocksaint1811]

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I have a Kal clone set up and use the same CFC chiller recommended on the website. My usual set up is to use my old immersion chiller in a bucket with ice/water and run the water from the sink - through the immersion chiller (in ice water) - then through the CFC - and back to the sink to drain.

And, yes I run the wort from the BK through the pump and through the CFC.

My brew buddy and I have been having a disagreement about the flow rate of both the water and wort and which is more efficient. He wants to run the wort much faster and recirc back through the BK; while the water is running full blast. I feel like slowing the wort way down and running it through (once) is the way to go.

I know on the Brew Day Step By Step section, Kal recommends running it through once and straight into the fermentor.

Should the flow rates match? Is there a benefit or potential issues with one over the other (fast vs slow)?

Cheers all!

*If this topic has already been litigated, please feel free to point me in that direction!

[kal]

[kal]

[boondocksaint1811]

Thanks, Kal. I guess I was always under the impression that it was important to chill the wort quickly to pitching temp regardless of the style.

Cheers.

[kal]

Indeed! Always best to chill as fast as possible. I still always do a one-pass and the time difference between fast and slow I mention above is not great.

I thought your question was asking which method would be fastest at chilling the entire batch from temp A to B out of the two ways you mentioned (run the wort fast and recirc back through the BK while the water is running full blast vs slowing the wort way down and running it through once), which is not something I can know based on the info provided. There are lots of unanswered variables here to know how long each would take to take the entire volume of beer from temp A down to temp B so the best way would be to simply time the two methods and see.

Now I do prefer a single pass (I use a CFC) because it's actually chilling a small portion at a time almost instantaneously from temp A (usually close to boiling) down to temp B instead of slowing doing the whole batch. This almost instant drop is best to maximize cold break. You're basically chilling small "portions" in a split second as it passes through the CFC instead of over 15-20+ minutes as you slowly chill the entire batch.

This rapid almost instantaneous chilling maximizes cold break (the fluffy cloudlike material that precipitate out of solution and is mostly malt proteins, hop matter, and malt tannins). This separation is a good thing and is one of the reasons why I chill quickly in a single pass. If the wort is cooled too slowly cold break will not come out of solution which may result in a hazy beer (called 'chill haze') once it is refrigerated for serving. While purposely hazy New England style beers like our Electric Hop Candy and Electric Creamsicle are certainly not new, chill haze is still something brewers should try and avoid as the lack of a good cold break during chilling can cause long term stability problems.

My 2 cents!

Kal

[kal]

Indeed! Always best to chill as fast as possible. I still always do a one-pass and the time difference between fast and slow I mention above is not great.

I thought your question was asking which method would be fastest at chilling the entire batch from temp A to B out of the two ways you mentioned (run the wort fast and recirc back through the BK while the water is running full blast vs slowing the wort way down and running it through once), which is not something I can know based on the info provided. There are lots of unanswered variables here to know how long each would take to take the entire volume of beer from temp A down to temp B so the best way would be to simply time the two methods and see.

Now I do prefer a single pass (I use a CFC) because it's actually chilling a small portion at a time almost instantaneously from temp A (usually close to boiling) down to temp B instead of slowing doing the whole batch. This almost instant drop is best to maximize cold break. You're basically chilling small "portions" in a split second as it passes through the CFC instead of over 15-20+ minutes as you slowly chill the entire batch.

This rapid almost instantaneous chilling maximizes cold break (the fluffy cloudlike material that precipitate out of solution and is mostly malt proteins, hop matter, and malt tannins). This separation is a good thing and is one of the reasons why I chill quickly in a single pass. If the wort is cooled too slowly cold break will not come out of solution which may result in a hazy beer (called 'chill haze') once it is refrigerated for serving. While purposely hazy New England style beers like our Electric Hop Candy and Electric Creamsicle are certainly not new, chill haze is still something brewers should try and avoid as the lack of a good cold break during chilling can cause long term stability problems.

My 2 cents!

Kal

[KB]

I've brewed 26 batches using my EB. I have discovered thru use the chilled water (get as cold as possible) should run faster than the flow of the wort to quickly and properly chill.

I use the HLT with water and ice to supply the chilled water to the wort chiller (thru the water pump). Add water and ice as needed.

A thermometer on the output of the wort chiller helps to control, at least for me, the flow. Too high temp output, slow down the wort. A very low temp wort output, it's probably OK to speed up the wort flow a bit.

Hope this helps.

[kal]

[kal]