Cold Crash

[Tom909]

Hi,
I have been fermenting a Coopers IPA and it has reached its FG. I also yesterday got a fridge of a mate which i am going to convert to a fermenting fridge over the next few months. My question is - should i chuck the IPA into the fridge as it is now and cold crash for a few days? Will this benefit the beer at all?

 

[Nevalicious]

Hi,
I have been fermenting a Coopers IPA and it has reached its FG. I also yesterday got a fridge of a mate which i am going to convert to a fermenting fridge over the next few months. My question is - should i chuck the IPA into the fridge as it is now and cold crash for a few days? Will this benefit the beer at all?

Absolutely... I've done it to probably 4 brews now, two which I have made before and not only are they clearer with less yeast in the bottom of the bottle, they taste better. Less yeasty! Only downside (if you're in a "i drink faster than I brew situation") is that it may take just a little longer to carb up, esp in this weather

Go for it! When you get it set up for temp control, make sure you set it for about 1-2 deg c

Tyler

 

[Oatlands Brewer]

in a word....Yes

 

[Siborg]

Yep... Do it. You'll get a much clearer beer. Also take into consideration Nevalicious' notes.

 

[jakub76]

Expecting a flaming from the traditionalists but I'd suggest cold crashing 2 weeks AFTER bottling. I do it at -1C for three days, you can watch the bottles haze up, after 3 days I bring it up to 4C and leave it as long as I can before I drink it. At around 10 days in bottles it's clear, the proteins flocculate and settle in little chunks. The downside, people say, is that if your bottles come up in temperature there's a chance the proteins can dissolve again and cause a haze when chilled again - I don't buy it though. I'm currently doing a test with a few bottles I have CC-ed and lagered as I normally do then I pulled them out of the fridge for a few weeks. The little protein chunks are still there when I disturb the bottle and I tried chilling a bottle - no haze.
So...if you bottle try CC and lagering in bottles and enjoy quicker conditioning times and less fuss (eg. no need to ever add more yeast). Works for me.

 

[Tom909]

Ok so ill chuck the fermenter in the fridge this arvo after its cooled down. However, if i do chuck it in there and all the yeast drops out, wont it make it hard to carb up once i bottle if theres hardly any yeast in there?

 

[felten]

There will still be plenty of yeast in there, don't fret about it.

 

[Shed101]

There will still be plenty of yeast in there, don't fret about it.

yep. I did this with my second beer using US-05 and bullk primed, and if anything it's over-carbonated.

 

[Nick JD]

I find gelatin cuts the time needed to chill your beer down by a lot. The only beer I don't gelatin and polyclar nowdays is a hefeweizen. Keep your beer cold for weeks will improve its flavour ... but I'm too impatient! I've always got another brew to go in the fridge.

 

[Tom909]

Thanks guys its in there now chilling

 

[dbod]

Just to clarify this point - should i bulk prime/bottle my now cold crashing ale straight from the fridge (ie; before it warms up) - will letting it warm up again before bulk priming and bottling 'uncrash' the yeast??

once i bottle i'll be sitting it in a darkened place at around 16-18C to carb up as usual.

 

[Shed101]

Just to clarify this point - should i bulk prime/bottle my now cold crashing ale straight from the fridge (ie; before it warms up) - will letting it warm up again before bulk priming and bottling 'uncrash' the yeast??

once i bottle i'll be sitting it in a darkened place at around 16-18C to carb up as usual.

No need to let it warm up.

The way I've done it (all two times!) is to cold crash, put the appropriate amount of sugar in the second fermenter and decant the cold liquor into that container (I use a 12mm tube that coils inside to avoid splashing).

 

[dbod]

Thanks - that's what i thought, i even have it in a secondary already so no problem, just needed a bit of reassurance. slowly finding a nice routine with brewing/cubing/fermenting/bottling, slowly.
cold crashing is a new one on me, but i think i'll keep it in the routine if it helps clear my brews a bit and remove a few floaties.

 

[Bart458]

No need to let it warm up.

The way I've done it (all two times!) is to cold crash, put the appropriate amount of sugar in the second fermenter and decant the cold liquor into that container (I use a 12mm tube that coils inside to avoid splashing).

Sorry to be a THICKHEAD :blink: but do I leave the bottled beer out of the fridge after Ive cold crashed, bulk primed & racked, to season & carbonate, OR does it go back in the fridge :unsure: If theres a newest NEWbie...Thats me!

 

[Pennywise]

Bottles must be at room temp to carbonate for at least 2 weeks, depending on what your room temp is. Just keep em' above 15 degrees and they'll be right

 

[enuun]

Jus a suggestion
but you can try to have a batch out fermenting at normal (18 degrees or so) and the rest cold crash then you can learn about the difference the temperature makes and be sure. You might end up liking the cloudier ones out at normal. I did :icon_cheers:

 

[bum]

Expecting a flaming from the traditionalists but I'd suggest cold crashing 2 weeks AFTER bottling.

This isn't the flaming you might have been expecting but, uh, isn't this something we all do anyway? A cold crash in primary can only keep even more crap out of your beer. Plus it is generally accepted that beer cleans up after itself better in larger volumes.

As I say, not the flaming you were hoping for, keep doing it your way if it is working for you.

 

[manticle]

Expecting a flaming from the traditionalists but I'd suggest cold crashing 2 weeks AFTER bottling. I do it at -1C for three days, you can watch the bottles haze up, after 3 days I bring it up to 4C and leave it as long as I can before I drink it. At around 10 days in bottles it's clear, the proteins flocculate and settle in little chunks. The downside, people say, is that if your bottles come up in temperature there's a chance the proteins can dissolve again and cause a haze when chilled again - I don't buy it though. I'm currently doing a test with a few bottles I have CC-ed and lagered as I normally do then I pulled them out of the fridge for a few weeks. The little protein chunks are still there when I disturb the bottle and I tried chilling a bottle - no haze.
So...if you bottle try CC and lagering in bottles and enjoy quicker conditioning times and less fuss (eg. no need to ever add more yeast). Works for me.

No flaming from me but I don't really understand the purpose. Exactly the same thing happens when you CC en masse (yeast drops out, beer can haze, leave it longer, haze disappears). What advantage does bottled CC have over large volume CC?

My understanding is as Bum has suggested - maturation happens quicker in large volume rather than small. Add to that that you can chill bottles as long as you like after carb anyway so why not get a double whammy?

Your method, works for you etc etc but what's the reasoning?