cold conditioning

is cold conditioning the secondary really that helpful and how should I go about it? I am a stickler for clear beers, dont want much stuff floating around in there. If I did, I would have taken up fish tanks instead. I've added gelatin to my secondary and it seems to be pulling loads of yeast out of solution, and will be careful when I rack into my bottling (primary) bucket as well. Do I put the secondary in a fridge for a few days prior to bottling or do I bottle and then throw some in the fridge after 2 weeks. I'm confused.

Yeast is not what makes a beer cloudy, unless you are drinking beer that is greener than green. Yeast makes beer cloudy while there is something for the yeast to eat in the liquid. Once the food is gone, then the yeast settle down to the bottom, leaving behind clear beer.

What gelatin and other finings are supposed to get rid of is protein chains and other microscopic stuff that tends just to float around forever. So at this stage, if you've added your finings, let things settle down, and once you are sure that the specific gravity has stabilized, you are ready to bottle.

Lagering proper, (cool long term fermenting, with a specialized yeast) does give lighter bodied, crisper beers, but you should be able to generate CLEAR beer with ale yeast 2 weeks and secondary and 3 in bottles. If you are brewing with an ale yeast, further time in a cool secondary won't hurt as long is the beer remains airlocked, but it isn't going to be the difference on whether your beer is clear or not. That was decided by chemical action long before.

Sasquatch said:

That was decided by chemical action long before.

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now there is some helpful info. cheers!

DrV, that's why the all-grain guys here are so careful in how they treat their wort - boil it just right, steep it just right, cool super quick, etc. All has to be done correctly to keep the fuzz out of the final product. And it's this end of the brew that really makes the difference for clarity. I just did a kit pale ale, and it's not really clearing all that well, and I don't expect it ever will. Luckily, I don't care a rat's hind end.

Once in the bottle you can give each one a spin or two the day after bottling, or every day if you'd like.. This creates a tornadic activity in the bottles and things settle out sooner...

homebrewer_99 said:

Once in the bottle you can give each one a spin or two the day after bottling, or every day if you'd like.. This creates a tornadic activity in the bottles and things settle out sooner...

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dear god man! you might break one! dont suggest such things in a beer-lovers forum!