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Author Topic: Copper in wort?  (Read 821 times)

Offline factory

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Copper in wort?
« on: June 07, 2015, 05:53:26 am »
I've heard through various discussions and podcasts that using a piece of copper tubing or using a copper immersion chiller has certain benifits to wort prduction.  Does anyone know what those benifits are?

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Copper in wort?
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2015, 06:06:56 am »
I've heard through various discussions and podcasts that using a piece of copper tubing or using a copper immersion chiller has certain benifits to wort prduction.  Does anyone know what those benifits are?

The copper supposedly reduces or eliminates sulfur compounds which could end up in the finished beer. All I know is I've always used a copper IC and basically never had sulfur issues. Except of course when using strong sulfur producing  yeasts like WY 3068 or 3944, in which case the sulfur is gone after a few days.
Jon H.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Copper in wort?
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2015, 06:44:06 am »
Copper also adds trace amounts of nutrients such as zinc.

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Copper in wort?
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2015, 09:19:10 am »
Yeast need trace amounts of copper and zinc. Brass has copper and zinc.

Water tubing is almost pure copper.
http://www.copper.org/applications/plumbing/techref/tpf_stds/tube_pipe_stds.html

Jeff Rankert
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