Cold Crashing!

Just wanted to share. I have been brewing for 26 years. I thought I had seen it all, and you know how it is you really do not believe much after so long, but I never had incredible results cold crashing.

2 batches ago I had 3 cornies, two in my kegerator and one in my fermentation chamber (a fridge). I accidentally turned the temp down too low on the kegerator and I froze the beer. Once I was able to defrost it it came out crystal clear. I mean no haze at 32F! I worked through both those two kegs and both were crystal clear and excellent. I then took the keg that was in the fermentation chamber and put it on to serve. I did not cold crash this one. Chill haze like a Wheat beer.

I repeated this again with an Alt beer and freezing the beer cleared it up crystal clear.

I did not believe it was possible, but now I will do this to all of my beers. Bring to freezing for 24-48 hours and then raise temp until thawed.

m.

Now you see why Coors is "Frost Brewed"

I am curious as to what this does to the taste. Would it have a similar affect as filtering by causing some flavor to drop out of the beer? Have you done a side by side Mateo to see what the difference in taste is?

Yeah, the ice is probably coagulating most of the heavier proteins so they come out in your first pull. The good news is that you don't want some of those proteins in your beer, depending on style, the bad news is that you DO want some of them as well, so it is basically like a narrow filtering.

Both beers had a great taste, like largering and had great head retention and great head.

I filtered the first one and not the second one. Both had improved flavor after cold crashing. The filtering at 5 microns only gets out the floaties which sometimes are fun to watch.

Beer doesn't freeze at 32 degrees. A 5% alcohol solution will freeze at about 29 degrees. When I "cold crash", I try to get the bucket of water in my keezer just where it is starting to form ice (i.e about 32). The beer doesn't freeze but it does get nice and clear!

That's a great idea. I am going to do the same.