Beer Forum

recently i moved up to a 7.5gallon stainless steel kettle for extract brewing and the related equipment upgrades still up in the air.

The kettle does not have a pre-drilled hole for a spigot and i need to stay in the kitchen ( no propane burner as the oven manages to boil a full wort fast enough )

Glass carboys are my primary/secondary fermenters.
A counter flow chiller looks more appealing than an immersion, as the CFC is quicker and uses less water.

i'm wondering if a stainless steel racking cane(which i already have)+high heat tubing+wort wizard would be better than drilling+weldless spigot+high heat tubing.

mmadia wrote:A counter flow chiller looks more appealing than an immersion, as the CFC is quicker and uses less water.

This is debatable. If you use a submersible pump, like for an aquarium, you can recirculate ice water from a bucket through an IC after the tap water drops the temp in the beginning. Also, if you don't use the Whirlpool-a-la-Jamil method you can still either stir the wort around with a sanitized spoon, OR just move the IC around a lot to get good heat exchange and faster cooling. ICs are also easier to clean, do not need to be sanitized since the boil will do that for you, leave a lot of trub, break and hops behind if you transfer carefully and cost less. Of course, if you're still sold on Counterflow, I'll sell you my Chillzilla for a good price!

mmadia wrote:i'm wondering if a stainless steel racking cane(which i already have)+high heat tubing+wort wizard would be better than drilling+weldless spigot+high heat tubing.

I had a Wort Wizard and I LOVED it. Then the aeration wand (part that fits into the carboy with a bunch of holes drilled into it) got caught on my shirts as I walked by and *SNAP*. At that moment I realized it was just another proprietary tool and I was dependent on a small company for replacements. Also, like I said above, a LOT of cold break material transfers into the carboy (formed in the CFC) even if you leave hot break and trub behind.

Not to say you need a spigot. I use mine for the whirlpool, but I still rack the chilled wort out of the top.

I'm sure others love their CFCs, but I have one sitting on a shelf now and I'm back to ICs for good, or maybe I'll try that no-chill method...

Just my $0.02

Rob

It's really a question of what's less work - drilling a hole or racking? I recently picked up a 9gal stainless kettle at a good price and just sucked it up and drilled the thing. It wasn't as hard or messy as I thought it would be and installing a weldless spigot took just a few minutes. Now if you want to weld on stainless - THAT's a bitch. I say drill it.

Cheers,
Stevis

hrmm.. i never considered the cold break with a CFC. For sanitizing, i was thinking of running hot water through it for cleaning and then baking it prior to use for sanitation. Although cleaning an IC then simply dropping it in the boil kettle

Jamil's whirlpool is definitely sweet looking, but i can't justify shelling cash out for a nice high heat tolerant water pump.

what qualities or ratings would be needed on the aquarium pump for the IC? would any of these be useful : http://www.discount-pumps.biz/aquarium-pumps.htm ?

you've swayed me towards IC+cold water pump and racking cane with the wort wizard. --even if the aeration wand breaks, being able to rack the wort without needing to start a siphon sounds nice.

Do you do anything to cover the kettle when racking from the top?

mmadia wrote:what qualities or ratings would be needed on the aquarium pump for the IC? would any of these be useful : http://www.discount-pumps.biz/aquarium-pumps.htm ?

Those are good, just get the one with enough lift for your application, so if the bucket is on the floor and the kettle is 4' above it, use a pump with 5' or 6' head pressure capability. I like the specs on the Via Aqua 1300 and 1800 down the page, 'cause they'll handle the head pressure and they have adjustable flow control so you can slow it down if you need to.

mmadia wrote:you've swayed me towards IC+cold water pump and racking cane with the wort wizard. --even if the aeration wand breaks, being able to rack the wort without needing to start a siphon sounds nice.

Just make sure all of your tubing is tightly connected to your racking cane and the wort wizard tubes. Any leaks make it a bitch to start the thing. Also, you are using water for that part too. Don't get me wrong, it's a nifty tool, but I just found it too much trouble. I use an autosiphon now instead.

mmadia wrote:Do you do anything to cover the kettle when racking from the top?

I just cover with my kettle lid as much as possible.

Cheers!

Rob