Plate chillers are an efficient way to quickly cool your wort from boiling down to pitching temperature. To clean simply flush and then back flush immediately after each use. To sanitize you can recirculate boiling water or wort through it during the last of the boil or even bake it in the oven for an hour to make sure there is no live bacteria or unwanted wild yeasts alive inside it.
Specs:
41 Plate chiller:
2 x 1/2 inch Male NPT for wort in and out connections (requires Female NPT hose barbs to connect tubing; these are sold separately)
2 x 3/4 inch Male garden hose connections for water in and out (requires female garden hose attachments; these can be purchased separately)
Dimensions
Length: 8 1/4 inches
Width: 4 inches
Height: 3 inches
40 plate XL (extra large) chiller:
4 x 1/2 inch Male NPT for wort and water, in and out connections (requires Female NPT hose barbs to connect tubing; these are sold separately)
Dimensions
Length: 12 1/4 inches
Width: 4 inches
Height: 3 inches
Why use a chiller?
- mitigate the chance for contamination by dropping to pitch temperature quicker
- reduce the chances of converting any additional SMM (S-Methyl Methionine, a chemical present in malt) into DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide; which has a flavor and aroma of creamed corn) while slowly cooling
- chilling quickly is noted to have a positive effect on finished beverage clarity
- moving boiling wort around is dangerous