How long does a batch take/Grinding grain.

[Slowbrew]

From my own list...

Boil over
Forgetting at least one of the hop additions
Did I add the Irish Moss?
Anybody know where the bumblebee (the flying, stinging kind) went?
Running out LP with 30 minutes left
Oh look!  Maple leaves floating in the boil, again.

The list can go on and on.  And every one turned out fine.  8^)

Don't let yourself get too distracted and you'll be fine.

Paul

[gmac]

Well, here's one.  Don't have a wort cooler.

Silly huh?
I had a smaller pot before and I cut down a garbage can and set the pot in the can and ran cold water through the can while stirring the wort intermittently.  Worked very well.  But the new 15 gal pot won't fit. 

Luckily, we got 6 inches of snow last night and it's about 28 degrees outside so I guess I'll just stack snow up around it and let it sit. 

[bluesman]

Well, here's one.  Don't have a wort cooler.

Silly huh?
I had a smaller pot before and I cut down a garbage can and set the pot in the can and ran cold water through the can while stirring the wort intermittently.  Worked very well.  But the new 15 gal pot won't fit. 

Luckily, we got 6 inches of snow last night and it's about 28 degrees outside so I guess I'll just stack snow up around it and let it sit. 

Yes, since you don't have a chiller...I'd let it cool (lid on) in the snow. Just keep packing snow around it from time to time. It should cool down in due time.

This process will make you want to buy a chiller of some sort. 

Good Luck! 

[breslinp]

Well, here's one.  Don't have a wort cooler.

Silly huh?
I had a smaller pot before and I cut down a garbage can and set the pot in the can and ran cold water through the can while stirring the wort intermittently.  Worked very well.  But the new 15 gal pot won't fit. 

Luckily, we got 6 inches of snow last night and it's about 28 degrees outside so I guess I'll just stack snow up around it and let it sit. 

Yes, since you don't have a chiller...I'd let it cool (lid on) in the snow. Just keep packing snow around it from time to time. It should cool down in due time.

This process will make you want to buy a chiller of some sort. 

Good Luck! 

It will cool faster if you just leave it in the air. Snow is an insulator.

[gmac]

Snows melting so it went into a big puddle that is flowing slowly out to the road.  Didn't take that long to cool down.

[oscarvan]

Thanks everyone.  Grain is ground and is mashing right now.  Probably screwed it up already.  I have two thermometers.  One is very slow to come to temperature but I think it's the more accurate of the two.  I heated my water and added it but I think it was too hot.  Probably close to 180 when I added it.  I had to add 6 cups of cold water to bring it down closer to the 154 temp I was shooting for.  What are the ramifications of having it too hot for a few minutes?  Would I have killed all my enzymes in that short a time?  It was probably about 170 before I added the water.

Been there done that. Maybe not 180, but definitely 170+ Beer was fine.

[gmac]

This process will make you want to buy a chiller of some sort. 

I don't have a way to bend copper tube so with 4 lengths of 1/2 inch pipe and about 36 elbows, I now have a square "coil" for the next batch.  Just have to be sure to wash all the flux off it and I'll be good to go.  And yes, it was lead free solder.  It's not pretty but it should work, perhaps not perfectly but we'll see how it goes and make improvements.

[oscarvan]

This process will make you want to buy a chiller of some sort. 

I don't have a way to bend copper tube so with 4 lengths of 1/2 inch pipe and about 36 elbows, I now have a square "coil" for the next batch.  Just have to be sure to wash all the flux off it and I'll be good to go.  And yes, it was lead free solder.  It's not pretty but it should work, perhaps not perfectly but we'll see how it goes and make improvements.

Dude..... pipe benders are cheap....

[maxieboy]

Soft copper...

[denny]

Soft copper...

Yep.  Buy a coil of refrigerator tubing and just expand it.

[gmac]

Where were all of you 4 hours ago?

How long should it take to cool a batch?  I boiled a pot of water and mine did the following:

0 min:  212F
5 min: 132F
10 min: 98F
15 min: 92F
20 min: 85F
25 min:  quit 5 minutes ago and opened a beer.

Obviously it cools rapidly at the start and the slows as it gets lower.  Not sure how long it would take to get to 70 degrees, probably 30+ minutes with me stirring frequently.

[gmac]

Sure, maybe on a pilot's salary...   I fly a lot and I assume you get at least 1/2 of my ticket cost.  You're doing all the work, right?

[Mark G]

Where were all of you 4 hours ago?

How long should it take to cool a batch?  I boiled a pot of water and mine did the following:

0 min:  212F
5 min: 132F
10 min: 98F
15 min: 92F
20 min: 85F
25 min:  quit 5 minutes ago and opened a beer.

Obviously it cools rapidly at the start and the slows as it gets lower.  Not sure how long it would take to get to 70 degrees, probably 30+ minutes with me stirring frequently.

That's not bad. A lot depends on the temperature of the water going into the chiller. For me, chilling times in the winter are half of what they are in the summer. In winter, my water is below 50. In summer, closer to 70. I started using a pre-chiller in an ice bath to cool the water in the summer, otherwise I'd be waiting forever to reach pitching temps. I really want to see a picture of your creation. Homebrewing sure brings out everyone's inventive side.

[euge]

I've noticed the slowdown too but if one switches over to an ice water recirc after about 90 then it's smooth sailing to 65 and beyond. In the spring and summer my water averages around 88F. Basically throw a lot of cold at it and the curve becomes more linear.

[akr71]

I've also noticed that if you reduce the water pressure (partially turn off the tap) when you get to that 'stalling' point around 90F, you can still get the temp down fairly quickly.  I would guess that its because the cold water is in contact with the hot (warm) wort for a longer period, increasing the heat transfer efficiency.