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General Category => General Homebrew Discussion => Topic started by: genne on December 16, 2010, 07:54:45 pm

Title: brewing
Post by: genne on December 16, 2010, 07:54:45 pm

can copper pipe be used in a brew system?

Title: Re: brewing
Post by: Hokerer on December 16, 2010, 08:11:27 pm

Sure, copper's fine for most everything prior to fermentation.  As your beer ferments, the ph drops too low for copper.

Title: Re: brewing
Post by: gordonstrong on December 17, 2010, 07:53:31 am

All my brewing vessels have copper pipe in them.  My false bottoms are copper too.

They look very nice after the boil.  Well, after I rinse the hops and break off them...

Copper: Hot side OK, cold side not so much.

Title: Re: brewing
Post by: Mikey on December 18, 2010, 10:05:12 am

Doesn't copper add some nutrients that helps fermentation? However, the wort should be exposed to it before fermentation starts.

Title: Re: brewing
Post by: bluesman on December 18, 2010, 10:11:58 am

Alot of breweries use copper kettles like this one.

Capital Brewery.

(http://www.capital-brewery.com/images/tour02_brewhaus.jpg)

Title: Re: brewing
Post by: oscarvan on December 18, 2010, 04:31:33 pm

My dad the chemist says that copper helps to bind the sulfites.....but I don't know were they would all end up.

Title: Re: brewing
Post by: lonnie mac on December 18, 2010, 04:57:18 pm

Quote from: oscarvan on December 18, 2010, 04:31:33 pm

My dad the chemist says that copper helps to bind the sulfites.....but I don't know were they would all end up.

Well, their bound!  :D

I have little copper in my brewery. Maybe it's superstition, but I have a copper rod that I throw into every single boil to this day.

Yeast food...

Title: Re: brewing
Post by: genne on December 18, 2010, 06:39:58 pm

Thanks everyone for the help!