what is cold crash?

What is the purpose of cold crashing? What does the process entail?
Thanks

What he said. I try to leave it for three days. Makes it very easy to transfer the beer with little or no sediment.

Does this effect carbonation in anyway since this is done before bottling? Guessing any remaining yeast will go dormant, then become active again while conditioning at room temp to process the priming sugar? I am close to bottling my first batch, and curious. If I'm way off on this, let it be known, I have broad shoulders.

EHV said:

Does this effect carbonation in anyway since this is done before bottling? Guessing any remaining yeast will go dormant, then become active again while conditioning at room temp to process the priming sugar? I am close to bottling my first batch, and curious. If I'm way off on this, let it be known, I have broad shoulders.

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The yeast will go dormant but there is plenty left in suspension so carbonation should not be a problem. As the bottles warm up, the yeast will become active give them 3 weeks at room temperature and you should be good to go. If not wait another week.

Can we bottle cold or should it warm up first?

Cold helps keep the yeast cake stay nice and hard so less solids end up in your bottle, but like kh54s10 said, let them warm up to room temperature after bottling and give them a good 3-4 weeks there to carbonate.

I've bottled after a couple days of cold crashing and the only effect was that it took a bit longer to carb up. I did leave the carboy on the counter for a full work day to warm back up before bottling.

The temperature of the beer when you carbonate affects the amount of sugar you should use.

McGarnigle said:

The temperature of the beer when you carbonate affects the amount of sugar you should use.

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Only partially correct. The highest temperature your finished beer was held at after fermentation finished is what you use for calculating priming sugar needs. Not the temperature of the beer when you bottle. It's all about the CO2 remaining is suspension. When beer sits at a warmer temperature the CO2 is released out the air lock. Unless you introduce new CO2, it will remain at that level.