Cold Crash and Bottling

Hey I started a batch of irish stout on 1/11 and I am currently out of town so I cannot transfer it to a secondary. This has never been the case for me before so I am unsure about the length of time I can leave it in my primary without causing any undesired taste issues. My idea was that I would leave it in the primary for about 2 weeks, cold crash it for 2 days to get the clarity I am looking for and bottle. Since I have never cold crashed before, I was wondering what temp is desirable, and if I am bottling will the bottles still carb after the crash? Thanks in advance and all ideas or opinions are welcomed for what my best bet is.

2 weeks in primary is recommended, many would say 4. Skipping secondary is recommended, many would say use your secondary time to make a longer primary.

Cold crashing for a few days before bottling is fine, mid-high 30's. The amount of priming sugar added should be calculated based on the highest temperature the beer was held at during fermentation.

Here are pics of before & after a 2 day cold crash. The carboy was transfered to the workbench about 12 hours before bottling and the beer was back up to basement temperature (high 50's now) - not a necessary step for priming. The primary was 4 weeks and the beer was clearer after cold crashing.

Keep the bottles at 70F+ for a few weeks after bottling for carbonation.

Before Cold Crashing:


After Cold Crashing

awesome that was super helpful. If you have the means should you cold crash every batch you make? any disadvantages?

There are probably no disadvantages for a short cold crash. Beers are chilled in the fridge before serving so cold crashing is going to happen at some point. It's an extra step before bottling, but can be a very easy one that may reduce bottle sediment compared to not crashing.