The Case for Immersion Chillers: Why They Are The Best Wort Chilling Option for the Homebrewer

A run through of WHY immersion chillers are the best wort chilling option for home brewers making 10 gallon batches or less. After using various wort chillers, immersion and counterflow, over the past 22 years, I've formed a pretty solid opinion for why most home brewers are best served by the immersion chiller. #homebrew
Video Mentions:
JaDeD Brewing (Affiliate Link): jadedbrewing.com?aff=27
MoreBeer.com (Affiliate Link): www.morebeer.com/index?a_aid=B...
DIY Immersion Chiller: • How to Make an Immersi...
Support my work by buying from my affiliate links or donating money via beernbbqbylarry.com/donate/
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:09 - Easy to Use and Clean
03:37 - Lowest Total Cost of Ownership
05:41 - Never Clogs
05:57 - No Junk/Funk Issues
06:22 - Whole Batch Chilling
06:47 - Leaves Cold Break Behind
07:18 - Avoids DMS Issues
07:33 - Summary of Advantages
07:45 - Size Limitations

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

For those looking for a great high quality lower cost immersion chiller, JaDeD also has a 25' immersion chiller available for only $61 and has a lifetime guarantee: jadedbrewing.com/collections/frontpage/products/three-eighths-25ft?aff=27

[@gordiefrench5342]

Thank you Larry I watch your old video and saw for the first time about making your own. I made one like you did and I have been using it now for about 2 years and I love it Your videos helps new brew folks with great knowledge

[@kobrewing]

I have a Jaded Hydra and wouldn't change a thing. I couldn't agree more. Thanks for the great video. Cheers!

[@robertdewalt8711]

The immersion chiller reminds me of the SS coils in the 200 L still vessel where we used to do fractionation distillations. We used glycol cold circulation for cooling and hot oil for certain high temperatures as temperature was very important us controlling internal temperature inside 200 L still. Thank you for sharing,

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Well said! I love both of my Jaded Scyllas as they work, and they are always ready to work with little to no effort. (Plus, I'm always afraid of the nightmare of things getting stuck inside of other chillers.)

[@FermentationAdventures]

Great Video! They all work.. I think eventually you find what works best for you. I use counterflow chillers now, and they work great for me. While I didn't have a Jaded, my process with my old immersion chiller worked fine, but I wasn't a fan of the size and having it in the kettle. I sold it awhile back, and I don't miss it.

[@kohphanganlover]

Thanks for teaching me worth chilling many years ago... Have to use ice as garden hose in Thailand takes ages.

[@montdog2978]

Informative as ever, I use a stainless counterflow chiller, which I do like. You got me thinking as I have never boiled it clean. I did today and to my surprise (relief) not a skerrick of gunk. Am open to an immersion though, had a plate chiller in past and they are a crap collector.

[@OZKOutdoorBrewing]

Great insight across the different options. I'm an immersion chiller guy myself, but have tried other options as well. Thank you for the content and reviews you put out. 🍻

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Thank you, and you are welcome!

[@PetraKann]

Explained very well. Totally agree with the suitability of Immersion Chillers for smaller brew batches.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Thank you.

[@brianbarker2670]

I have a small and large immersion chillers. When it is hot outside I put the small one in a picnic cooler filled with cold water and ice then hook it up to the larger in in the brew pot. Also if you have an air compressor you can blow the water out of the chiller.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I used to do that too, but the flow rate slowed from the longer overall contiguous line length. So, I then tried switched to a single immersion chiller using a submersible utility pump in the ice water to pull the cold water directly through the single chiller. Worked better until the water ran out. LOL. Had to keep adding more water to the ice as it went. Now, I only do the ice water chilling as part of a recirculating wort chiller design and only when needed.

[@beerme_2]

Larry Enjoyed the video.. I have the Concentric Hydra from JaDeD. Works great to chill my wort.. It was a bonus to meet Clay at your live brew day and discuss options on the best chiller for my set up.. Stay Safe!...

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Excellent! I remember that. Glad that worked out for you.

[@TheBruSho]

My first immersion chiller was made from your DIY video, and it worked wonders for years!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Wow. That’s great!

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Nice video Larry! I think this comes down to your existing procedures. If you use a pump and clean via CIP a counterflow chiller is the obvious way to go. But if using a simpler setup the immersion chiller is simple and straightforward. Platechillers are another story

[@BlichmannEngineering]

Great video and thanks for the shout to our Therminator™. An immersion chiller is a great option for value and quality and that is something we hold closely. Thanks again for your support of the industry, Larry!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

No problem. Great products from Blichmann indeed!

[@thecoastalelite2074]

Thank you, Larry. Agree on all the points. I have a medium sized stainless steel chiller, perfect for 3G batches. When I do 5G I supplement with an ice bath. I’ve never had issues with oxidation or contamination…if it works, use it! Everyone is too caught up in constantly upgrading….

[@barrycranston5122]

Totally agree with you. The sanitation is the vital factor IMHO.

[@qh4007]

Larry 100% agree and my Jaded Hydra is the ultimate.

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

One other crucial difference between commercial-size plate chillers is that the commercial brewers use a plate chiller that can be disassembled and cleaned completely whereas we don't have that luxury because the cost would be too high for the homebrewer side. Good video!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Good point! Thanks.

[@beeroquoisnation]

A smaller scale of that plate chiller is an easy creation, but expensive. It would be great if the costs of plate chillers and plate filters were reasonable enough to justify.

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

Great thoughts Larry! I’m usually grabbing my Jaded chiller as well, it’s the extra cleaning time it saves for me!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Ditto!

[@beeroquoisnation]

Great content Larry. Very informative and demonstrably verifiable. An immersion chiller in my brewhouse just protects the integrity of the wort, maintaining that I and my processes are the variable. The predicate for using an immersion chiller is that everything that touches the wort is viewable to the naked eye, with exception to the pump and hoses. Chillers that have recesses unviewable will find their way to the domain of Murphy's Law. If it can happen, it will. No one plans to fail, so when failure arrives it does so accompanied by surprise. If one can plan in a way to eliminate the arrival of surprise, consistency is welcomed unaccompanied. Cheers Buddy.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Thanks.

[@NWsmallbatchBrewing]

💯% agree - I don't have hook ups for the hoses so I do no chill but If I did I'd go immersion

[@PartyTimeBrewing]

I'm still a fan of the counterflow chiller, but that is probably because that is what I got with the Grainfather and when in a rush, the wort goes from full hot to pitching temps in your fermenter as fast as your pump works. I'll check out your how to video on an immersion chiller though, I need to use the wire and stabilize mine a bit so it isn't an annoying copper spring when I'm moving it around (or just get a Jaded one). Great overview!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Having some sort of wire retention works great. I didn't like the "slinky" effect without it. LOL

[@improvsax]

I used to use an immersion chiller when I did 10 gallon batches (in an old keg). After getting a Grainfather, I prefer the counterflow. I clean well after use (using GF pump and included hoses etc) and never have anything in it when using again. I do dump the first bit out- just to make sure. But I appreciate all your points and can see depending on a person’s setup where the immersion can be great. I did find I used a LOT more water with the immersion and it took a lot longer. But perhaps the one I had was not that great. Thanks for the vids and showing your methods and what you find works and does not work. BTW, I started homebrewing when it became legal here (I think 78 or so?)- but did extract (with added grains and always real hops) for many years. Always turned out very well- but I like the control of the all grain.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Thanks for the great feedback.

[@jimp5024]

The rocket scientist of home brewers. Thanks.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I wanted to put the related equations in the video but thought that would have been over the top. 🤣

[@joshuapinter]

Here here! I've always thought that the simplicity (and versatility) of the immersion chiller was much better for home brewing scales than the other options I've seen, but I'm only two years into this so I kind of assumed that I was missing something fundamental. To hear this from an experienced and scientific person like yourself is vindicating. I'll be keeping my immersion chiller and I'll have a beer in your honour with all the time and money I'm saving! :)

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Excellent! Have TWO beers in my honor while you’re at it!

[@browntrousersmoment]

Absolutely. One more tip for home brewer-no pumps.

[@Peter-Southern-Victoria-Aust]

Hello from Victoria Australia, you're spot on Larry, I've looked into the expensive chillers and you need pumps and hoses going everywhere then you have pump sanitizers through them, they are more trouble than they are worth, I use my immersion chiller which I made and also stir it with a spoon, you have to stir it or it wont evenly cool, I also cool it to 40C, which is a bit over 100F and then leave it overnight to settle out and I have clear wort the next morning and it's at pitching temperatures

[@derekp6636]

exactly that, i looked into it but all the sanitizing and complication for my small 5g batches? pass...

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Thank you. I agree. The other types cost too much and complicate things too much for little to no gain.

[@grahamhawes7089]

Immersion chiller + stainless clip-on whirlpool arm = awesome. Only problem is the peak of summer, when I have to finish chilling in my fermentation fridge.

[@user-kx3jw9oj6f]

Thanks Larry, you've saved me money. I was going to go the counterflow route and dump my perfectly good immersion chiller. Not now !

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

You are welcome!

[@januszkszczotek8587]

I recently switched from a counter flow chiller (Brewtools) to a self-built immersion chiller. I used about 22 meters of copper and made two spirals that run cooling water in parallel. The dimension of the spirals is a custom fit to my brew kettle with carefully selected diameters and heights for my typical batch size. Performance is excellent - with the same amount of water chilling was faster, better, and - most importantly - it is much easier to handle.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Very cool. Sounds like you made something similar to the triple-coil JaDeD chillers. I, too, have noticed similar water usage for both types of chillers.

[@januszkszczotek8587]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Yes, Clay's chillers inspired me a bit. I also had support from a local homebrewer for the water dynamics to decide which diameter of the copper coil and water throughput per minute to choose. From those computations I learned, that it's not only important to have the wort move around the chiller, but also to have sufficient water throughput to get the water in the chiller from a laminar flow into a turbulence. The problem isn't the heat conduction of the spiral material, it's the transfer of heat from wort to copper and from copper to cooling water. Those two out-weight the choice of chiller material by far.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

@@januszkszczotek8587 You're giving me flashbacks to my engineering days. Now I want dust off and reopen some of my thermo books.

[@januszkszczotek8587]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Not to worry. I'm just a computer scientist nerd. No true knowledge of real engineering. Cheers.

[@jaskats1]

Another excellent video Larry! 👍I am curious - how do you use an immersion chiller in a boil kettle with a rippled, stainless, electric, heating element? Thank you!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I use a JaDeD "ElectriChair": kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJLbeISnfLVsiLM There are other means too such as a stainless steel mesh false bottom with stand offs which I think is made by BrewHardware.

[@3rwparks3]

I agree. Simplicity is best...

[@joescopo8933]

Hey Larry, great video! Is it necessary to soak an immersion chiller in PBW before or after use? I see that you basically just give it a rinse before and after use. I ask because I soak mine in PBW then rinse before and after use, and the copper looks real shiny afterwards. I wonder if the PBW is causing a reaction on the copper that may be adding an off flavor to my beer. Again, thank you for the great videos.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Never necessary unless you let it sit and dry with the crud still on it. I just rinse it immediately after use. You don't really want a purely shiny chiller IMO. That dull oxide finish it develops after exposure to water and air is an inert barrier between the copper than wort.

[@nhender]

Larry I use your video on how to make an immersion and I built my own.I haven't gone back. I can get 5 gallons of off hot wort down to pitching temperatures in under 10

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

That’s great.

[@curtpick628]

Have the Scylla from Jaded. Only way to go for me. People need to give Jaded a try. They'll never regret it.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Yep. Me too. I now own several due to differences in the multiple brew systems I have and different batches I brew.

[@scottcarr9985]

Larry I missed your pole on batch size but I brew 8 gallons (a little over 40 batches) on my anvil 10.5 and 10 to 14 gallons with my 20 gallon kettles I have a nice counterflow

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

That’s fine. I learned what I wanted to find out; that 97% of homebrewers make 10 or less gallons at a time.

[@marklpaulick]

I use the nice CFC that came with my brewtools system ($$$)… and almost every batch now I wish I was using my jaded IC. I miss it dearly! Never should have sold it! One of these days I will upgrade to a simpler system and get another IC !!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

“…upgrade to a simpler system…”. Love it!

[@mikekoehler9551]

Another excellent video! Do you really think putting it in 10 - 15 minutes before flameout is necessary? I usually spray mine with Starsan and put it in just a couple minutes before, but maybe I'm pushing my luck?

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I’ve always used heat sanitation for the chiller. I don’t think star San can get well enough into the surface to surface contact of the coils and support/spacing wire. Also, star San is bad on copper. It dissolves it. I just avoid the thought entirely.

[@cdstackhouse]

Due to the convenience, and because I don't want to clean more than I have to at the end of a brew day, I admittedly default to my immersion chiller more often than not. But gotta give honorable mention to JaDeD's Cyclone counterflow chiller. It usually works just as fast as my immersion chiller, it can be quickly disassembled for thorough cleaning, and because it's not inside the kettle, it naturally forms a trub cone in the center of the kettle while chilling; you don't have to do a separate whirlpool with the immersion chiller removed.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Good info! So YOU'RE one of those that own a Cyclone, eh? That thing looks like a bunch of trombones all slapped together. JK. That's an interesting design for sure!

[@XxSTOZZYxX]

i use a Hydra and a stainless whirlpool arm (perforated angled fan blades... dont remember who made it) i use with my drill, and it's stupid fast. Cost to efficiency, this is a banger set up if you got cold ground water.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Great idea. I forgot to mention a similar option with a drill operated stirring stick to agitate the wort.

[@innocentbystander2673]

Absolutely agree. Personally found the slower the hose flow, the better. I get about 5-6 buckets of clean water that goes straight in to the washing machine for a hot wash :)

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Same here; ~5-6 five gal buckets. I use them as cleaning water to clean the equipment and mop the floor.

[@tman9338]

Thanks for the great tip. !!!! Using a Jaded and chugger in a closed system and wanted to know the optimal flow rate

[@jauld360]

Lots of good points in favour of immersion chillers. By the way, your video quality is really good. What camera did you use?

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I recently bought my first 4K camera; Sony ZV-E10. Is a bummer though since KZbin automatically downgrades the stream to 1080 or less. It looks even better when watching in true 4K.

[@gregwisinski7870]

Nice video, What is the proper amount of flow to put through a chiller? To me it seems the slower the flow, the more heat is picked up. Thanks

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

It depends on your goal; to chill as fast as possible or with at little water as possible. Or, a compromise of the two.

[@BrewNub]

I can’t believe how long it took me to go from ice baths to an immersion chiller. I’m never looking back 😂. Hopefully, I can use some of that wasted water for the garden this summer.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

That’s what I do after I first use some it to clean the equipment and mop the floor.

[@tman9338]

Great Job Larry. Question for cooling 10G batch using Jaded chiller w closed loop? What is optimal flow rate to remove heat from wort???? Pumping cold water using chugger.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

That’s a question with different answers depending on what variable or variables you are trying to optimize. For example to minimize water usage, optimal flow rate is zero. lol Fastest chilling, as fast as it’ll go. Anything in between is a compromise between the two.

[@tman9338]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY ahhhhh. For fastest chilling- I was recirc first 2 gal in cleaning bucket -used for sanitizing- next 2gal of fresh cold water- down to 140 Deg.- next 2 gal with ice block- down to pitching temp- Question is optimal flow rate for heat removal???? Using Jaded and chugger with flow valve @ output

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

@@tman9338 think of a time versus temperature graph. The max temperature drop will occur in the first few minutes but will gradually smooth out taking longer and longer to drop further and further. Thus max impact occurs up front with a full flow rate. Eventually, you’ll notice the outlet temperature of the discharge water becoming cooler and cooler. If in no rush, you could turn down that flow rate where you’ll then notice the outlet water getting a little warmer again.

[@tman9338]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thanks for your concise response !!! Looking forward to optimizing my processes with existing setup

[@TismFishing]

Also the copper contacting the wort does some chemistry magic that ends up aiding in fermentation.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I think you’re correct. I didn’t mention that because some counterflow chillers can also have copper tubing in them. Also, once a layer of copper dioxide eventually forms, I’m not sure how much copper surface is exposed to the wort.

[@timclark7507]

I always wanted to make a chiller in a horizontal spiral instead of a helical coil.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Flat like a pancake? Why?

[@timclark7507]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY for 2 reasons. One, you can agitate it through the wort, maximizing circulation with an up and down motion. Second if it will cause convection currents to circulate where the cooler wort will fall to the bottom displacing the warmer wort on the bottom. I will see if I can find the old postings where I first saw it.

[@ServiceMTBDialed]

the one thing all these chillers have as a negative, is they are all super dependant on your source water temp. If you live somewhere very warm, say Pheonix AZ, your ground water temp in july and august is well into the upper 80's. lol. you literally cannot chill it to pitching temps. the inverse of that is living where I do where the ground water from a 400ft well is a rock solid 35º year round. if you are in the camp of the former on water temps, it might be best to save up, or DIY yourself a glycol system. I have known people that built their own from an old Craigslist AC unit for under $200

Well, plate chillers can be used in one slow gravity pour, and if you backflush it immediately those can be useful. But for how long? When will it get moldy inside? Will pumping cleaner and hot water back and forth actually clean it? That is why I stopped using mine. When is absolutely necessary to chill I do it with a small stainless immersion chiller. Otherwise, I just do no-chill. When I up my batch size to 4-5 kegs I'll probably get myself an inspectable counterflow chiller or semi-professional plate chiller that can be disassembled between brews. Good immersion chillers that You use are not available around here.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Thanks for commenting! Bummer on not getting a quality JaDeD chiller where you live. JaDeD has a counterflow chiller that can be disassembled called the Cyclone.

​@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Yea that is one I had in mind, best from both worlds. Jaded immersion chillers are quite big which is why no one is importing them to the EU. I guess I'll have to build one on my own, a few copper parts, some solder, and a blow torch to create DIYcyclone. The cheapest commercial plate chiller, that I found so far was around 800$ from an Italian manufacturer. At that price the only thing that makes sense is going pro, but I am not there yet...

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

@ JaDeD does sell some of their chillers in the EU thanks to home brew distributor David Heath works for in Norway. I doubt that Cyclone is one of them though.

[@DontStopBrent]

“Dms issues” and cold break. Dunno these terms

[@humzilla707]

I prefer simple IC. I have warm ground water and just get the wort down to handling temp of around 100f and pitch in the morning.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Easy enough. Ever consider using ice to get it down lower that?

[@humzilla707]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY I have but it's just so much easier to wait. I've been doing it for years so waiting doesn't bother me and I've had no issues with the beer.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Excellent. Patience pays off.

[@HOMEBREW4LIFE]

ha I haven't had one of those copper chillers in forever

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Time to relive the glory of the IC!!

[@cindy99toker]

I use 2 immersion chillers and I can chill a batch down in under 10 minutes.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I used to use two chillers; one in a bucket of ice water as a prechiller. That was before getting a JaDeD triple-coil chiller. It did help a lot, but the flow rate was a little lower as a result of the additional line length added which worked against me.

[@hc8714]

cheap, effective and reliable. No need to worry clog dirt spoiling beer and useless chemical in the process.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

You are correct, sir!

[@hc8714]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY since got the inspiration from your video using ice bath, never need to look at anything else!

[@parkinson1963]

Go no chill. Stop wasting water!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I don’t like wasting water. It’s too expensive where I live. I don’t waste any water though. I collect and reuse it for cleaning/rinsing the equipment, mopping floors, and watering plants. Some times I may have an extra bucket or two after all that. I usually find a use for it somewhere.

[@howler5000]

Use the money you would have spent on the fancy chiller to add a whirlpool to your kettle. Now you can spin your wort around the immersion chiller for the same effect as a counter flow, and you can do things like a hop stand.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Exactly as I mentioned in the video. Smart people think alike. :) However, I've found the whirlpool option is not as fast as stirring the wort or the chiller in the wort.

[@howler5000]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Agreed! I kind of do both. Start the whirlpool and then periodically stir with the chiller. Right now with January’s cold ground water temps I can get my wort to pitching temp in a couple minutes. Really doesn’t take that much longer in the summer, or just use ice water. Thanks for the reply!