Finning and Cold Storage

[Surly_goat]

Do you guys cold storage and gelatin everything or just lagers?

I'm thinking more for Pale ales, IPAs and DIPA. Obiously not stouts or New England or Milkshake IPAs.

Cold storage standard practice 2 weeks at 4c(40f) while carbonating good for most non lagers?

 

[RM-MN]

I store my ales at room temp and given time they become crystal clear. Then I refrigerate what I intend to drink for a couple days or more and the protein chill haze settles too. Gelatin speeds up the process but it isn't strictly necessary.

 

[Jtk78]

For the ale styles you mentioned,
I will cold crash to about 34F and fine with gelatin in the carboy. Total cold storage time is about 3 days before going to keg.

 

[jack13]

Only on crisp, clean beers (so pilsners and such), or beers that I just decide I want clear. IPA's, and definitely DIPA's, are more appealing to me cloudy.

So for things I want clear:

I do a few days at 32...32 being the coldest temp I'm confident will not freeze the beer at all (even if the very bottom gets a tad colder).

I use gelatin because it's very cheap ($8 for a lifetime supply), and very easy, esp. if you don't worry about getting it too hot or even boiling it a bit when you prepare it.

I cold crash/gelatin in the keg, figuring it's going in there anyway and so seems the easiest way to avoid exposure to air via suckback. Having said that, I'm way impressed by some of the clever ways folks here have invented to avoid suckback of air during cold crash!

 

[Jtk78]

... I'm way impressed by some of the clever ways folks here have invented to avoid suckback of air during cold crash!

Here's how I did it.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/fermonster-back-suck-back-closed-transfer-fix.646893/

 

[Surly_goat]

Here's how I did it.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/fermonster-back-suck-back-closed-transfer-fix.646893/

That looks like a good idea. I suspect I can cold crash 5 gallons in 30 minutes to an hour so I was just gonna leave the hose out of my blow off jar. This will be my first try on this system so we will see what happens. I've seen the Mylar balloon way too and I liked that for sure.

 

[CavA3R4]

I've never bothered whether it was a lager or ale and everybody I know that has had my beer has never commented about the color.
I've had only one guy who did not like any homebrew or microbeers. He was/ is a miller lite fan. what can I say?

 

[Home_alone1]

I just keged a kolsch yesterday that I fermented for 10 days , I then crashed it to 32 and had the worst chill haze I’ve seen yet , I fined with gelatin and let it sit for 2 weeks at 32 , the result was crystal clear beer. One of the carboys cleared after a few days but the second carboy took almost the whole time to clear , im not sure why. I’ve learned patience and time are your friend . I only do this to my kolsch , I don’t brew laggers yet and my favorite beer is Hefeweizen so no fining for that one , and I prefer my Saison to have a cloudy look to it.