Cold crashing and bottle conditioning

[El_Exorcisto]

It seems to me that if you are bottle conditioning, then cold crashing before bottling would be pointless. I figured since the beer will cloud back up during the carbonating fermentation, it would be easier and make more sense just to chill your bottles of beer a couple days before drinking. Is my thinking wrong?

 

[El_Exorcisto]

Anyone?

 

[humblesea]

you could cold crash before bottling, there would just be less yeast for bottling so it would need more time to carbonate in the bottle but there would be less yeast sediment in your bottle. But if you don't care about sediment in your bottles then you don't really need to cold crash before bottling

 

[BendBrewer]

Yeah, I don't understand the difference between cold crashing a keg and putting it in the keezer.

 

[Wakadaka]

Well lets say you just bottle without cold crashing and you get some number of yeast lets just say its 10 in with your bottles. those 10 will settle out when you cold condition bottles, but they are still in your bottles, and you will have to avoid it in your pour, and leave more in the bottle. If you cold crash you might get 3 yeast in the bottle. They might take a bit longer to carb up (I haven't really notice it taking any longer, but I have only cold crashed one batch), but there will only be 3 yeast that will have to settle in the bottle, and therefore less chance of it making it into your pour.

Personally I have been doing long primaries, and have gotten very very little yeast in the bottom of my bottles, and much much clearer beer. My bottles have a light dusting on the bottom that gets very compressed to wear I can flip my bottles and it isn't disturbed. even when they are warm. I have some clear bottles that I can see perfectly through even if I flip them over and shake them.

So yeah it will all settle, but the less the better IMO because you don't have to worry about getting any in your pour, and you get more beer per bottle.

and those numbers above are all just for the sake of description. Don't think there are 10 yeast cells in your bottle or anything like that

 

[AnOldUR]

Yeah, I don't understand the difference between cold crashing a keg and putting it in the keezer.

Cold crashing is done at near freezing temperatures, not serving temperature. It not only drops out the less flocculant yeast, but also takes break material and hop matter with it. If it's not done before transfer it's not cold crashing, it's simply refrigerating. Is cold crashing better? You decide. Regardless, it is what it is. Dropping to near freezing before transfer.



edit:
Ever notice that the last pints drawn from a keg are the clearest? That's because you've sucked all the crap from the bottom and enough time has passed that what's left has eventually dropped and formed a hard cake in the bottom of the keg. Cold crashing speeds up or may eliminate that process.

 

[ders]

I have never done a cold crash before but it sounds like something I would like to do as I am used to getting thick yeast cakes at the bottom of my bottles. I understand what cold crashing does, however I want to make sure that if I cold crash before bottling, my yeast will still re-activate after I bottle. In other words, I cold crash, prime, bottle, and then let sit at ferm temps again and the beer will bottle condition just fine?

Thanks!