Cold Crashing vs Whirlfloc or both?

[shetc]

Hi Brewmeisters,

My first homebrew (English Bitter) came out pretty good (to the extent that my neighbor keeps coming for a bottle or two). It is pretty cloudy though. For my next batch, will Whirlfloc be good enough to create a clearer beer, or is cold crashing better?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[dave1226]

Both!

 

[sweetcell]

double up. do both.

 

[BigFloyd]

1) Whirlfloc - 1/2 tab @ 10 min. I like to crush it in a baggie and sprinkle it in the boil.

2) After chilling the wort, cover the kettle and let things settle 15-20 min before transfer to fermenter.

3) Cold crash - I like to do 5-7 days at 35-36*F. Take care when moving the fermenter so as to not slosh the beer around.

4) Prime and bottle cold. It will warm up just fine in the bottles.

The result = nice clear beer and less yeast trub in the bottom of bottles.

 

[sweetcell]

1) Whirlfloc - 1/2 tab @ 10 min. I like to crush it in a baggie and sprinkle it in the boil.

2) After chilling the wort, cover the kettle and let things settle 15-20 min before transfer to fermenter.

3) Cold crash - I like to do 5-7 days at 35-36*F. Take care when moving the fermenter so as to not slosh the beer around.

4) Prime and bottle cold. It will warm up just fine in the bottles.

The result = nice clear beer and less yeast trub in the bottom of bottles.

excellent advice.

one thing i'd add, on #2 - letting the kettle sit after chilling allows the cold break to fall to the bottom of the pot. if you wait long enough, there will be ~90% clear wort sitting on top of a layer of break. leave the break material behind! do not transfer it to your carboy or bucket.

 

[shetc]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the clear advice!

 

[brew_ny]

both, cold crashing gets the yeast to drop out