[nvshooter2276]

What are your thoughts about having several gallons of filtered tap water on-hand that has been heated to nearly boiling, held there for a number of minutes to sterilize it, then allowed to cool and finally put into one-gallon Hawaiian Punch jugs, ready and waiting for it to be used to bring about half a batch up to the volume of a full batch? This water can be chilled in the icebox (or outside) so that the temperature of the hot wort can be brought down to pitching temperature quite quickly. I believe this will work.

Something that must be considered is to sterilize the insides of the Hawaiian Punch jugs before the heated water goes into them. I can mix-up a gallon of Star-San for that. I'd provide about three or four minutes of contact time to let the Star-San do its work. Swish it around and do not rinse.

I boiled several gallons of tap water several months ago and put it into gallon jugs of Hawaiian Punch. I see there is some sort of sediment at the bottom of the bottles. I do not remember if I filtered that water before boiling it or not. Any idea what it is?

I use a PUR on-faucet filter. The water in my little town is almost undrinkable unless it's filtered. Filtering it makes it taste like the water coming out of my dad's $7000 R/O system back in Virginia. No chlorine smell and it tastes really good once it's chilled to the temperature in my icebox. I always run a quart through the filter before I pour the first quart into jugs that I keep in my kitchen for cooking, et cetera.

[fredthecat]

What are your thoughts about having several gallons of filtered tap water on-hand that has been heated to nearly boiling, held there for a number of minutes to sterilize it, then allowed to cool and finally put into one-gallon Hawaiian Punch jugs, ready and waiting for it to be used to bring about half a batch up to the volume of a full batch? This water can be chilled in the icebox (or outside) so that the temperature of the hot wort can be brought down to pitching temperature quite quickly. I believe this will work.

Something that must be considered is to sterilize the insides of the Hawaiian Punch jugs before the heated water goes into them. I can mix-up a gallon of Star-San for that. I'd provide about three or four minutes of contact time to let the Star-San do its work. Swish it around and do not rinse.

I boiled several gallons of tap water several months ago and put it into gallon jugs of Hawaiian Punch. I see there is some sort of sediment at the bottom of the bottles. I do not remember if I filtered that water before boiling it or not. Any idea what it is?

I use a PUR on-faucet filter. The water in my little town is almost undrinkable unless it's filtered. Filtering it makes it taste like the water coming out of my dad's $7000 R/O system back in Virginia. No chlorine smell and it tastes really good once it's chilled to the temperature in my icebox. I always run a quart through the filter before I pour the first quart into jugs that I keep in my kitchen for cooking, et cetera.

why would you do this?

[neuse]

I take it you are doing a partial (concentrated) boil and adding top-off water? With normal brewing volumes, adding the chilled water won't get boiling wort down to pitching temp - you'll still have to cool it. Some brewers add ice to the hot wort. I could see that working if you make sure the ice is sanitized and you don't damage the fermenter by adding wort that is too hot.

Edited for clarity

[redrocker652002]

Interesting idea for sure.  I have been able to get my wort to pitching temp with 5 or 6 1 pound bags of ice in about 20 to 30 mins I think.  Never timed it as I am usually either trying to clean the mess or get my bucket ready for the wort.  Of course, that is after drinking my share of HB and not eating like I should.  LOL.  That is what makes the hobby so cool, many different ways to get where you need to be, and many different ideas to get there.  Rock On!!!!!!

[Drewch]

I take it you are doing a partial (concentrated) boil and adding top-off water? With normal brewing volumes, adding the chilled water won't get boiling wort down to pitching temp - you'll just have more water to cool. Some brewers add ice to the hot wort.

^^^This.^^^

I've done something similar on some of my batches. But the top-off water needs to be at freezer temps not fridge temps — so really, it's top-off ice.

The temp of your mixture (assuming equal masses of boil & top-off) is the average of the two temps:

( 212 + 40 ) ÷ 2 = 126           Fridge temps

vs

( 212 + 0 ) ÷ 2 = 106             Freezer temps

which puts you near pitching temp for, say, a Kveik yeast.

I'm not sure the whole process is really any less hassle than just running my immersion chiller.

[Richard]

I did this long ago, and Drew's math is right but there is no reason to start at boiling temperatures. It is easy to cool the wort down a bit. It will rapidly go down just by itself, and putting it in cold water in the sink can get you even lower. I would cool mine down to roughly 100 F, so adding an equal amount of refrigerated water at 40 F would give me a final temperature of roughly 70 F.

[Bob357]

Pretty sure Fernley water is very like ours here in Fallon. At over 550 ppm TDS after treatment, consisting mostly of Calcium and Sodium, I wouldn't recommend brewing with it even if you boil first. Go to Walmart and get RO for 40 cents a gallon. With extracts the mash has already been done, along with the necessary salts, so water with very few minerals usually works well. If you have problems with clarity in your finished beers a teaspoon or 2 of CaCl, CaSO4 or a 50/50 mix of the two in a 5 gallon boil,  can help.

[nvshooter2276]

... putting it in cold water in the sink can get you even lower.

I will cool the kettle in a 22-gallon tote, changing the cooling water until I can place the inside of my wrist against the side of the kettle-- like a mother tests the temperature of baby formula.