cold crashing

can someone explain to me exactly what this does and how to do it (or a good way to as i am sure there are numerous methods.) I understand the concept, what temps are we talking? for what period of time. I ferment in basement which is in 60's, I could move my beer outside in the shed to get to lower temps. If I do that, will the wort still be warmer in the fermentor? And if so how much warmer as fermentation would have subsided at that point.

I have not experienced any ill effects in my brews thus far.

It helps drop yeast and anything else in suspension to the bottom of the fermeter, clears the beer faster than room temp. I put my plastic fermenter in a temp controlled freezer right at 32 degrees and leave it there a few days or until ready to keg, have left in over a week before. If you have a glass carboy you'll be able to watch the beer clear. There will be a layer of clear beer on top and cloudy beer below it. As the beer clears the top layer expands.

There's one advantage and one disadvantage, slight inconvenience to cold crashing. If the beer is to be kegged it is already cold so can go straight to force carbing. It it is being bottled or carbonated naturually in a keg, the beer needs to be brought up to room temp
before priming.

Some stuff is less soluble at cold temps (like proteins) and cold crashing will help it to drop out.

I don't see the need to cold crash before bottle conditioning, after all you're going to put yeast back in suspension when you bottle condition. For bottle-condioned beer I'd cold crash the bottles after they are carbed up, as in put a sixer in the fridge for a couple of days prior to drinking. It really doens't much matter if theres 1/8" or 1/4" of sludge at the bottom, either way you pour carefully and avoid it.

Dan, the beer does NOT need to be brought up to room temp before priming. I go from fridge directly to bottling bucket and it is fine. OBVIOUSLY you need to warm it up after you bottle it to let it bottle carb.

Lennie, it allows you to put clearer beer in the fridge. It is not just yeast you are dropping out of suspension.

To the OP just get it close to freezing for a couple of days, then pull it out and rack to your bottling bucket and prime and bottle it cold. Put it in a warm spot for 3 weeks or so and then chill and drink.

OHIOSTEVE said:

Dan, the beer does NOT need to be brought up to room temp before priming. I go from fridge directly to bottling bucket and it is fine. OBVIOUSLY you need to warm it up after you bottle it to let it bottle carb.

Lennie, it allows you to put clearer beer in the fridge. It is not just yeast you are dropping out of suspension.

To the OP just get it close to freezing for a couple of days, then pull it out and rack to your bottling bucket and prime and bottle it cold. Put it in a warm spot for 3 weeks or so and then chill and drink.

Click to expand...

OS.. Thanks. Didn't meant to put out bad info. I have kegged all my batches except one, thought bottling would need room temp beer into the bottling bucket first. Should have stuck to what I know about. Thanks for stopping me from spreading bad info!

I get that cold crashing clears the beer, but how does it (cold crashing) improve the taste of the beer? Also does it not limit the potential improvement that can be made during bottle conditioning?

I would think (but I am absolute NOOB) if you remove the proteins you are removing 'stuff' that the yeast can use to enhance the flavour during bottle conditioning.

It's more about clarity than taste. And, it's mostly yeast you're dropping -- any protein that hasn't already settled out in a week or two of fermentation isn't going to during a cold crash (unless you're crashing for weeks rather than days).

I have a cream of three crops on tap. This was brewed last year I think and has sat in the ferment room for months in primary. I cold crashed it in the primary and racked it to the keg and force carbed it quickly...It was OK but even with setting that long was hazy.. after a couple of weeks on tap it is clear and the taste has improved considerably.. the taste is " cleaner". Thats the best way I can describe it. This isn't the first beer I have had to improve with time in the keg. I can hold 13 kegs in the kegerator and have 6 tapped. I am gonna start dropping full kegs in on gas just to have em ready.