Cold Conditioning A Bitter

[Enerjex]

Hi all. I'm sorry for all the newb questions, I appreciate all the help. I'm about to cold condition a brew using Saflager yeast which I understand is the norm, but what about brews using ale yeast? I'm about to dedicate my next few brews to making a good bitter with malt extract method and learning what changing ingredients in it effects etc, so I need to know if cold conditioning will help the beer or will it kill ale yeast being so cold? I will be cc at fridge temps.

 

[matti]

Go ahead!
You just make it go to sleep for a while.
Just warm it up again when there is time to prime.
Only thing you need to know is to prime it at the temp that the yeast prefer the best. Ale yeast around 18-22
Lager yeast at 10-12 degrees
As a norm
matti

 

[Aaron]

I wouldn't bother with a bitter. I think they are best when fresh with all those flavours in them.

 

[johnno]

I wouldn't bother with a bitter. I think they are best when fresh with all those flavours in them.

Have to agree there. A batch of bitter/ale/apa barely last 2-3 weeks after being bottled here.

Never get time to make any lagers :angry: <_<

cheers
johnno

 

[Enerjex]

thankyou, i might not bother with it because if i can get it in the bottles quickly means i can drink it sooner . my intention is to keep it in the 18-19 degrees area, are there any rules to follow with optimising the fermentation and avoiding bad flavours in the yeast?

 

[matti]

If you have clean bottles
Purged air out by not capping immediately after placing cap on
No sun light
Steady temps. I.e. no real fluctuation.
No not really

If you prime with drops- go ask some where else
If you prime with spoon of sugar in bottle- shake first then shake after a week.
Dextrose & bulk prime -now we are talking.
Gassing keg -no probs

 

[Enerjex]

matti i was going to measure dextrose into the bottles individually, but i'm open to bulk priming. i take it the best way to bulk prime is to empty the fermenter into a second vessel, then add the total amount of dextrose for that amout of beer, mix it in and then pour into bottles as per usual? i am also a little unsure about how to mix the sugar in when bulk priming without getting oxygen into the brew as I'd be using a willow water jerry can for it and the only real way to mix it in there would be to shake it lol

 

[matti]

Use preboiled water, disolve your dextrose in about 200-300ml water on stove.
Put in in vessel by food grade hose and do not aerate.

I would stick to pour it in bottles until you get a second fermenter.
I skipped the spoon in bottle method step BUT, I reckon pour it in each bottle and and put cap on.
Allow to purge air for 5 minutes then seal.
then shake.
the rest you know.

matti