Re: Cold stabilization at 37F - Useful or waste of time???

How long do you need to maintain the temp?

gene wrote:
Charles E wrote: 
The coldest I can get my 6.5G carboys is about 37F using the icebath
method. Is this cold enough for cold stabilization or am I wasting my
time?

Thanks,
Charles E
Huntsville, AL

One way to get your carboy cold enough is to pretend you're making ice cream... use table salt or rock salt in the ice to depress the melting temperature.

You can accomplish this by standing the airlocked carboy up off the bottom inside a larger container (like a 33 gallon plastic garbage can). Fill with ice up to the lower portion of the neck, layering the salt as you add the ice (1 pound of salt for every 10 pounds of ice should get you down to 27-28 degF (the ice-salt solution will be closer to 20-22 degF, but the wine will be warmer by about 5 degF or so).

Cover the top of the ice/salt layer with bubble wrap, and insulate the outside of the garbage can as well as practical.

You'll want to periodically drain (or siphon) off just enough of the salt-water solution to 'de-float' the ice, and replace with more ice and salt in the 1# salt to 10# ice ratio. The liquid enhances the heat transfer from the wine into the salt-ice mixture, so don't drain it all off.

Unless you like cooking wine, I'm sure you'll keep the salt and salty water outta the wine. :)

Gene

.

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