Cold crashing not clearing up beer

I'm trying to cold crash my most recent batch of beer and it doesn't seem to be clearing up. I've had it in the fridge at about 34*F for 3 days. It fermented for about 6 days at 66*F and I let it sit for another 9 days before I put it in the fridge. I can see a lot of the hop trub has fallen and there is only a little bit floating on top of it, but the beer itself actually looks more cloudy than before. My original plan was to take it out tomorrow evening to bottle so I could brew a new batch on Saturday.

Is 3-4 days not enough time to give it? It's my first time cold crashing so I'm not sure what to expect.

Sounds like chill haze to me. What's your method of cooling after the boil?

TheZymurgist said:

Sounds like chill haze to me. What's your method of cooling after the boil?

Click to expand...

I put my aluminum kettle in a sink full of ice and add cold water. I can get it chilled to pitching temp in less than 15 minutes, at least on partial volume extract boils like this one.

I also used whirlfloc in the boil, added at the last 5 minutes. I know you don't really need it with extract brews, but I was just trying it to see if it would help, or if it had any negative effects. Figured I'd rather try it on yellow fizz water than a good IPA!

Did you have any steeping grains? If i remember from what i read correctly, chill haze I'd caused by a tannin-protien combo that precipitates at cooler temps. poor a bit in a glass and wait for it to warm up. If it clears up, then at least you've diagnosed your problem.

6 days fermenting and 9 more days, even with cold crashing is not enough time for it to clear up IMO, do you keg? If so you can throw some gelatin finings in and keg it, let it sit for another 2 weeks

Matt3989 said:

Did you have any steeping grains? If i remember from what i read correctly, chill haze I'd caused by a tannin-protien combo that precipitates at cooler temps. poor a bit in a glass and wait for it to warm up. If it clears up, then at least you've diagnosed your problem.

Click to expand...

Nope, this is about as basic a kit as you can get, except for maybe a Cooper's kit. It was a 20 minute boil kit from Midwest.

If you need the fermenter and the problem is chill haze, you could go ahead and bottle. The chill haze will clear up in the bottles after 2 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator.

RUNningonbrew said:

6 days fermenting and 9 more days, even with cold crashing is not enough time for it to clear up IMO, do you keg? If so you can throw some gelatin finings in and keg it, let it sit for another 2 weeks

Click to expand...

Well, it's been almost 3 weeks total (brew day was 8/25). It was actually 16 days now that I think of it, before I put it in the fridge. I normally go at least 3 weeks in the primary but this it is a really "small" beer. I think the OG was like 1.040 and it finished around 1.011.

I don't have a real keg, but this will be going into my Tap-a-Draft. The problem is I don't have a bottling bucket as I rack it from the spigot on my fermenter. I guess I could add the finings to the TAD bottles and just divvy it up between them.

Since I don't have a bottling bucket and this is in the primary, can I add gelatin to the primary before bottling, or would I pour it into my Tap-a-Draft bottles and rack the beer on top of it? I'm assuming the latter since I can't really see it doing anything if I dump it in the primary.

Thanks.

The gelatin might cause the yeast to settle out so I wouldn't recommend using it before bottling

RUNningonbrew said:

The gelatin might cause the yeast to settle out so I wouldn't recommend using it before bottling

Click to expand...

So, can I add it to the primary and expect it to work? I guess I can add it to the primary and let it sit another day.

I bottled my beer a few hours ago. It was actually much clearer than I thought it was. I have a Cooper's fermenter and it got really "foggy" from being in the fridge. When I took my hydrometer reading it was pretty clear. Just FYI, in case somebody else tries to cold crash with a Cooper's fermenter.

goodsuds said:

I bottled my beer a few hours ago. It was actually much clearer than I thought it was. I have a Cooper's fermenter and it got really "foggy" from being in the fridge. When I took my hydrometer reading it was pretty clear. Just FYI, in case somebody else tries to cold crash with a Cooper's fermenter.

Click to expand...

Good points for those who think it's not as clear as it really is. Sometimes you beer in the fermenter will look darker, AND a bit murkier than it you think it should be, because you envision it in your glass.

Hydro samples are pretty indicative of the final color and clarity in some cases.

goodsuds said:

I also used whirlfloc in the boil, added at the last 5 minutes. I know you don't really need it with extract brews, but I was just trying it to see if it would help, or if it had any negative effects. Figured I'd rather try it on yellow fizz water than a good IPA!

Click to expand...

I usually add the whirlfloc with 15 minutes left in the boil instead of 5 minutes. I have also used gelatin after the beer has been cold crashed w/o no significant bad impact on bottling a day later.

msa8967 said:

I usually add the whirlfloc with 15 minutes left in the boil instead of 5 minutes. I have also used gelatin after the beer has been cold crashed w/o no significant bad impact on bottling a day later.

Click to expand...

From what I've read, boiling the whirlfloc longer than 10 minutes will denature it.

goodsuds said:

From what I've read, boiling the whirlfloc longer than 10 minutes will denature it.

Click to expand...

I usually throw mine in anywhere between 15 and 5 and haven't had a problem yet. Maybe I'm just lucky

Re: whirlfloc, from the Midwest website:


YMMV