Cooling down beer in the snow?

[Cheesehead]

I'm going to have my first non-in-a-garage winter brew soon (as early as tomorrow). Can't really use my immersion chiller; the path to the outdoor fawcet is covered in snow (and don't want to use the outdoor one this time of year anyway). My chiller won't fit on the head of the indoor fawcet. HAs anyone ever just left the pot in a snowbank after brewing? How long would this take? Wondering if this is an option instead of an ice bath indoors?

[Jimmy]

Chilling in a snow bank will take quite a bit of time.

If you have 2 hoses, you can connect one to an indoor faucet, and run the other to the sink (or outside) to use your chiller. I used 2 50' RV hoses when I brewed in the apartment.

[berley]

I personally haven't tried it, and I know some do it this way... but I've read things before that say that when you do this, the snow actually can act as an insulator, so it won't chill down near as fast as using an ice bath and a lot of stirring.

[mr x]

It will insulate up the sides. Better off to set on snow/ice in the wind, or spend a bit of time basting with snow. I don't see the issue with using the outside faucet...

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[LeafMan66_67]

I use my basement sink with a hose to outside on the really cold days. Otherwise, I use a hose on the outside faucet.

[dexter]

I'm stuck with a similar problem except I brew in the garage and I don't have a lawn large enough to drain the water onto. So far my options are drain it into my gravel under my deck, or my neighbours deck

[adams81]

Chilling in a snow bank will take quite a bit of time.

If you have 2 hoses, you can connect one to an indoor faucet, and run the other to the sink (or outside) to use your chiller. I used 2 50' RV hoses when I brewed in the apartment.

+1

I do this now. You can buy an adapter to attach a garden hose to an indoor faucet. Has been working great for almost a year now, and the adapter is cheap.

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[BrooklandBrewer]

Chilling in a snow bank will take quite a bit of time.

If you have 2 hoses, you can connect one to an indoor faucet, and run the other to the sink (or outside) to use your chiller. I used 2 50' RV hoses when I brewed in the apartment.

+1

[Tony L]

I still use my outdoor faucet for my chiller without any problems. I just bring the hose back inside when I am finished.

I agree, using the snow don't work out very well. I have done it this way years ago, and just kept moving the pot around the yard.

[Woody]

I use the outdoor faucet and bought a 25 foot flexible hose that shrinks after use. Picked it up at Giant Tiger. Works perfect between the faucet and garage. I have also done the crack a window and attached that same hose to faucet in the basement.

[Cheesehead]

Thanks for the all the info - I'll check for an attachment to use it with the inside sink or use it outdoors.

[BasilD]

Chilling in a snow bank will take quite a bit of time.

I do this now. You can buy an adapter to attach a garden hose to an indoor faucet. Has been working great for almost a year now, and the adapter is cheap.

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I use one of those for my brass carboy cleaner comming of my kitchen sink. I use it with some pretty high presure and I've never encountered an issue!

[synchros]

I currently cool in the snow, I have a huge plastic container I fill with snow/water and continuously add snow as it melts.

Stirring your wort also speeds things up nicely, probably risky but I don't mind living on the edge Current record to pitching temp is 14 minutes

I'm 50% done a copper coil wort chiller, I don't know which is more ghetto though, the snow bank cooling or homemade wort chiller - let the voting begin

[bluenose]

snow will act as a insulator, BUT what happens is that the hot pot melts the snow immediately around it and the resulting air pocket warms up and is trapped by them snow, thus creating the insulation, BUT if you could immerse the pot in a snow/water slush, then the cold water fills in the air gaps and it will chill it down.

I never tried it, but what if you dug a hole somewhat bigger than your pot, put your pot in said hole, and filled it with cold water? If you keep adding snow to the water bath as it melts, it would do a number on it for sure. Probably more effort than an immersion chiller, but that wasn't the OP was it?

[CorneliusAlphonse]

Yeah I tried sticking it in a snow bank last winter, it was still at like 80C an hour later... Put it in a tub of tap water works much quicker, and if you added snow it would be even faster!