How Do You Make A Wort Chiller?
A wort chiller is an essential part of the beer home brewing process. It’s used to rapidly cool the beer mixture, or wort, so that yeast can be added more quickly to reduce the possibility of bacteria spoiling the beer. Cold water is run through a coil that’s placed in the wort. One end of the coil is attached to a cold water source and the other end drains the water. Copper is most commonly used for the coil because it’s a good heat transmitter, is readily available and is easy to use. Step 1 Coil the copper tubing either by hand or by winding it around a 2-pound coffee can or other item of similar shape and size. Leave between 18 and 24 inches uncoiled on one end. The coil must be tight enough to leave at least 2 inches between the coil and the sides of the brewing container. Step 2 Make a 90 degree bend at the shorter end of the coil. Bend the other end of the coil so the tube points back toward the other end of the coil, and then bend the end of it away from the coil to make a U sh
One of the most important pieces of equipment for success in home brewing is a wort chiller. Wort is the sweet liquid that comes from the boiling of the mashed grains used to make beer. Wort is, quite simply, unfermented beer. Once the wort is cooked, it must be quickly chilled to a temperature that is cool enough to add the yeast for fermenting. If the wort is too hot, the yeast will fail. Also, if the wort stays hot too long while you are waiting for it to cool, the beer can develop a bitter taste. While commercial wort chillers are available, many home brewers choose to build a wort chiller themselves. The process is not complicated, and building your own wort chiller can save you a considerable amount of money over buying one retail. The simplest method of building a wort chiller is to use a coil of copper tubing, which you can buy at a local home improvement or hardware store. For a five gallon batch of beer, you’ll need about twenty-five feet of tubing. Use 3/8″ diameter tubing f
