Fermentation

Just want to ask a question on fermentation. Would there be any negatives if I cooled my wort to 80F then put in a temp-controlled freezer to get down to 65F, then pitch my yeast?. I am making one pass thru a counterflow chiller. I am looking to save time on my brew day. ???

Thank You in advance for any input.

Though it is better to cool the wort quicker…

I have been doing to same thing this summer and my results have been good.  Just make sure your sanitation is good.

As long as you practice good cleanliness and sanitation, none.  I frequently does this a lot in the summer with no problems.  Plus, I like to pitch a little cooler than my ferment temps and let it free rise to the temp I ferment at.

Although I whirlpool and use a pre-chiller, I also use a CFC and do exactly what your asking.  During this crazy heat down here, I reach my target temp of 140F then run one more pass through the CFC and end up somewhere around 80F-90F pumping directly into my carboys in my freezer.  3-5 hours later I’m usually around 60F and I pitch.  5 batches in on this new system and it’s been working great.
-J.K.L.

I have had to do this a few time and so far I haven’t had any major issues. I only have an immersion chiller, so once I get it below 100F my cooling really starts to slow down. Ill throw it into my fridge and turn my thermostat to around 45 and wait a couple hours. Its probably still a little warmer than it should be but at least I know it’s in a range where the yeast aren’t gonna go into shock if I go ahead and toss em in.

+1 on the sanitation. I like to use a solid (not drilled) stopper when chilling down in the fridge versus an airlock. Despite my efforts to maintain a clean envirnment; I’m sure there’s all kinds of anti-yeasties lurking in my chest freezer. I wouldnt want to suck them through an airlock as the wort chills.

Pehlman,

I use an IC too, but I have mine hooked up to a 200gph pond pump.  Once its down to 140F I switch from pumping cold tap water to the 40lbs of ice and water I have in a cooler.  I’m at 60F from boiling in about 15-20 mins, with an awesome cold break.

Shouldn’t be a problem but not optimal. I’ve tried all sorts of ways to cut time from the brew-day. I prefer getting the wort to temp with an icewater recirc. BTW I just freeze up the ice in advance.

If it really is an issue, why not freeze up a 2 or 3 liter PET bottle (sans label etc) and sanitize it before dropping the bottle into the wort. Ought to reduce the temp to where you want it.

Good luck.