trainfever

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Ok, so Ive waited long enough. I figured out that flame out means when you turn the heat off, be it natual gas, propane or electric, correct? So then, what is the cold break? Ive seen this a few times but could bever figure out what it was.

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flyangler18

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Actually looks pretty frightening when you see it- all kinds of glop.

trainfever

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Would this happen when using an immersion chiller or doesnt the IC cool the wort fast enough?

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flyangler18

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Well that depends on the temperature of the water running through the IC. I use a submersible pond pump and ice water with my IC and I get a spectacular cold break. Now that the seasons are changing and temps are falling, my tap water does just fine.

PseudoChef

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It's proteins precipitating out of solution (becoming unnative/unfolded from their desired state) due from the extreme shock of going from boiling to cold:

Sager Brewing Co.

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You don't necessarily need an IC to get good cold break. My first two brews where done with just a cold water bath, not even ice, it took awhile to cool down but I still got cold break.

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Drinking: All kinds of stuff
Primary: Cider
Secondary:
Kegged: Rollings Hills Pale Ale
Conditioning/bottled: Rollings Hills Pale Ale, Clackmananshire Wee Heavy
On Deck: Oldenwald Dunkelweizen.

Kauai_Kahuna

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PseudoChef's picture is worth a thousand words.
In general the faster you cool the wort to your pitching temp, the better.

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In Primary: Belgium Chimay clones.
In Secondary: Braggot, pale ale, end of the world white.
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Bottles: Far, far, too many to list.

Bob

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Yup. Cold break is simply coagulated proteins and other matter. Icky looking, but harmless. In fact, a good cold-break formation is crucial to reduction of chill haze precursors.

Bob

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trainfever

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So then cold break is neither a good thing nor a bad thing?

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Yes, I am out of my mind, it's dark and scary in there.

olllllo

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I'd rather see it than not.

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