[jtoots]

...And re-use your sanitizing solution as much as effectively possible.

+1, including using a spray bottle in lieu of soaking where possible.

[Stevie]

I save my chill water for clothes washing. I loose maybe 15 gallons a batch to rinsing on the grass, spillage, and dumping the cleaning bucket after everything is cleaned. A brew pump with whirlpool arm would help as well.

I've considered no-chill, but I'm scared to try it. The Aussies love it.

[Rattlesnake44]

I live in L. A. And I've been trying to reduce my water consumption as much as possible. I recently purchased a recirculation pump and chiller from JaDeD brewing supply. And I use that water to then water my veggie garden when I'm done. I use a spray bottle with StarSan as much as possible instead of soaking. I reuse my big batch of StarSan as much as I can. Usually keep a keg filled with it, dump it in the fermenter to sanitize then dump back into the keg for storage.
Any other tips for us water conservationists?

[pete b]

I have mentioned this before in another thread: I use a food chilling wand to speed up chilling and used to use it exclusively before getting a wort chiller. They are made out of food grade plastic and are used in the foodservice industry to quickly get soups etc down to safe storage temps. You fill with water once and keep it in your freezer.
http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/san-jamar/rcu128/p359397.aspx?utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=San-Jamar-RCU128&utm_campaign=Cooling-Paddles&utm_source=googlepla&source=googleps&utm_content=googlepla|mkwid|cg7dC1k1|pcrid|48649850090|pkw||pmt||pdv|c|&gclid=CK3_t_Oj2MQCFdgMgQodeqkAuw

[ynotbrusum]

I am pretty sure that sanitized frozen water bottles have been mentioned here before, as well.  I don't know how well they hold up to boiling temps, but certainly they could be used somewhere along the chilling process...

[pete b]

I am pretty sure that sanitized frozen water bottles have been mentioned here before, as well.  I don't know how well they hold up to boiling temps, but certainly they could be used somewhere along the chilling process...

I wouldn't want to put that kind of plastic in hot wort, but they could be used to pre-chill the water going into the wort chiller.

[Pinski]

I am pretty sure that sanitized frozen water bottles have been mentioned here before, as well.  I don't know how well they hold up to boiling temps, but certainly they could be used somewhere along the chilling process...

I wouldn't want to put that kind of plastic in hot wort, but they could be used to pre-chill the water going into the wort chiller.

Great points. Definitely don't put plastic water bottles in boiling water. 

[dbeechum]

http://www.maltosefalcons.com/tech/being-water-wise

[majorvices]

The best advice I can give is "save water, drink beer!". I know, it is terrible advice on all accounts.

[hopfenundmalz]

One hopes that this is not a 30+ year drought that that Anasazi had. I have spent a few years of my life in the desert Southwest 2 or 3 weeks at a time, so many places have water can (maybe will) run out.

[Philbrew]

I live in L. A. And I've been trying to reduce my water consumption as much as possible. I recently purchased a recirculation pump and chiller from JaDeD brewing supply. And I use that water to then water my veggie garden when I'm done. I use a spray bottle with StarSan as much as possible instead of soaking. I reuse my big batch of StarSan as much as I can. Usually keep a keg filled with it, dump it in the fermenter to sanitize then dump back into the keg for storage.
Any other tips for us water conservationists?

Make up your Star San solution with RO water (from a machine at Walmart or where ever).  We have hard well water and when I add Star San to it, it goes cloudy and doesn't last very long.  If I use RO water, the solution stays clear, foams great and stays potent for months stored in glass jugs.

[theoman]

Practice the no chill method and ditch the quick chill thing all together- Im never going back.

Until you end up with a batch that reeks of creamed corn.  Slow/no chill will almost certainly result in increased DMS production.

The Ozzies swear otherwise. I've read a lot into the no-chill thing. I'm still a bit skeptical, but plenty of people are doing it.

From the above Maltose Falcons link:

Chill None: Our antipodal brewers are experiencing their own brutal droughts and brush fires currently. Naturally, Aussie brewers are heavily invested in reducing their water usage. One very popular technique amongst them is "No Chill Brewing". The basic process - get a heat resistant plastic vessel (Aussie's like their HDPE cubes) , carefully transfer freshly boiled wort into the sanitized vessel, squeeze out the remaining air, seal the cube, roll it around a few times to ensure even vessel heating (to avoid cracking) and wait. The wait is at least overnight until cool. Once chilled, rack the wort into your fermenter and pitch your yeast. Voila! Done! The Aussies swear you can make great beer via this method - including IPAs and APAs. The consensus from fellow Amurican brewers is to shift your hop additions around and allow for some last minute "flameout" to adjust the aroma.

[jimmykx250]

Practice the no chill method and ditch the quick chill thing all together- Im never going back.

Until you end up with a batch that reeks of creamed corn.  Slow/no chill will almost certainly result in increased DMS production.

The Ozzies swear otherwise. I've read a lot into the no-chill thing. I'm still a bit skeptical, but plenty of people are doing it.

From the above Maltose Falcons link:

Chill None: Our antipodal brewers are experiencing their own brutal droughts and brush fires currently. Naturally, Aussie brewers are heavily invested in reducing their water usage. One very popular technique amongst them is "No Chill Brewing". The basic process - get a heat resistant plastic vessel (Aussie's like their HDPE cubes) , carefully transfer freshly boiled wort into the sanitized vessel, squeeze out the remaining air, seal the cube, roll it around a few times to ensure even vessel heating (to avoid cracking) and wait. The wait is at least overnight until cool. Once chilled, rack the wort into your fermenter and pitch your yeast. Voila! Done! The Aussies swear you can make great beer via this method - including IPAs and APAs. The consensus from fellow Amurican brewers is to shift your hop additions around and allow for some last minute "flameout" to adjust the aroma.

Bob Stempski is the one I found out from. He has a video out on you tube and has done some shows on Basic brewing covering the topic. In one of the shows he shares how some people he knows will brew several batches in one day and shelf the wort for "months" until they want to pitch the yeast. While I would never see myself shelving wort for months the practice of pitching the next day doesn't scare me. I can say I love the time it saves on brew day and its one less thing I need to deal with. An added bonus is I bought extra screw on caps for the no chill containers and drilled and set an airlock in the spare cap so the next day I just pitch the yeast in and let her rip in the same container. I have not had any off flavor as a result of wort sitting for 24 hours. While I do love the brewing process any time I can simplify the process and save some time im all over it. To date I haven't found any flaws with this practice.

[bengelbrau]

My concern would not be in saving wort for 24+ hours. I do that often when trying to chill wort to lager pitching temps. The received wisdom, though, is that not chilling permits DMS to continue forming in the extended time when the wort is hot. If this is another of those ideas that is based on tradition rather than in fact, it could change how I look at this part of my brew day. 

[Stevie]

Other than being slightly scared of trying something new, the only reason I don't no-chill is because I already save every drop of chilling water for reuse. It seems like a solid solution, I just have another solid solution in place. I loose maybe 15 gallons to cleaning and rinsing.


I think the DMS fear may be overblown. As mentioned, the Aussies love no-chill.


I also do not support the idea of saving wort for weeks or months. That just screams botulism to me.