Counterflow Wort Chiller
I made a fresh batch of beer tonight. For the occasion, I've spent the last
couple of days planning and building a counterflow wort chiller.
For the uninitiated, the counterflow chiller is a device consisting of a copper tube within another tube (or hose). While the inner tube has a hot liquid (beer wort) flowing one way, the outer tube has cold water flowing the other way. In this case, the outer tube is 5/8" garden hose, and the inner tube is 3/8" copper tube. The only real construction was at the end parts, which needed soldering.
But it works, perfectly. It took boiling wort right off the stove and cooled it down to 15°C at the other end.
This brew of beer also marks the first batch that I'm making without starting with a kit. Just grain, malt extract, and hops. Here's to hoping it works out.