How to Make Beer

Step 7 Cooling the Wort

Congratulations! At this point you have wort (pronounced wert). Wort is simply unfermented beer. Quicker is better when it comes to cooling. One method for cooling is to create a cold water bath in the sink to partially submerse the brew pot in. Adding ice to the bath will help accelerate the cooling process. Gently swirl the brew pot in the cold bath water. Once the sides of the brew pot become cool to the touch you're ready for the next step but first a word on sanitation.

Sanitation is very important in brewing. Anything that comes in contact with your cooled wort must be sanitized else you run the risk of undesireable critters living and multiplying in the wort only to contribute nasty unintended flavors in your beer. You've sanitized your strainer in the boil, right? Your fermentation bottle is sanitary because you just opened it and capped it after using water from it, right? Your funnel and anything else to come in contact with the wort can be sanitized by soaking in a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water for 30 minutes.

Comments

[iddqd138]

Just one comment: if you use bleach, use cold water and then rinse with lots of how water. Iodophor is probably better though.

[Goodluck]

Sanitize! One can not oversanitize one's equipment. Include that airlock from the last step. It must go through the bleach solution or a commercial sanitizer. Do not attempt to boil it. It will distort from the heat - experience speaking here!

[el kabong]

There is a kitchen thermometer listed on the equipment list, might as well use it. Try to hit arounf 70-75 degrees before moving on to the next step. Sanitation is well emphasized, so make sure you either soak that thermometer in a weak bleach solution as suggested, or throw it in during the last few minutes of the boil.