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Author Topic: New boil kettle  (Read 1939 times)

Offline troybinso

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New boil kettle
« on: January 23, 2013, 03:41:53 pm »
I am making a new boil kettle for my brewery, and I was wondering what people's opinions are about including copper at some point in the brewing process. I have heard that it is important for yeast health to have some copper leach in to the wort, but I am not sure about how this happens. Can it happen in the mash tun, or does it have to be in the kettle?

Offline a10t2

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Re: New boil kettle
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2013, 03:49:54 pm »
The traditional method would be a copper kettle. I'd imagine more would dissolve into the boil than into the mash anyway.

On the other hand, from what I understand an all-malt wort has plenty of copper to begin with, and there may not be any benefit to adding more. There's a reason they're called micronutrients.
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Offline Jimmy K

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Re: New boil kettle
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2013, 03:53:32 pm »
My old kettle had a few copper pieces inside to hold a hop strainer. My new one does not. I don't think it made a difference and plenty of great brewers don't have copper. So I don't know, but you probably don't need it.
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Offline weithman5

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Re: New boil kettle
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2013, 03:53:56 pm »
other than throwing an immersion cooler in for a few minutes i doubt there is much more benefit from doing anything more.
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Offline Jimmy K

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Re: New boil kettle
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2013, 03:57:11 pm »
I didn't even think about my wort chiller. Lots of copper contact.
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Offline tschmidlin

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Re: New boil kettle
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2013, 10:14:38 pm »
I think it is a bigger issue if you are constantly repitching yeast and not using a yeast nutrient, the copper will eventually become depleted.  Copper ions are highly toxic, so cells are able to rapidly bind them up in harmless form - this means that there is not a lot of free copper floating around for new cells to take up.  Every time a yeast cell divides it loses some copper to the daughter cell - when you throw out half of your yeast, you're throwing away half of the copper too.  There should be plenty in your yeast nutrient to make up for it.
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Offline troybinso

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Re: New boil kettle
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2013, 08:45:46 am »
Sound good, thanks for the advice guys. I don't use an immersion chiller, but I think I am going to use a copper diptube in the kettle. Easy to put in, and it can't hurt.

About yeast nutrient...well maybe I will start a new thread.