Cold crash Captain's Ration Stout

[Rick Crane]

After 4 weeks in the primary carbouy i decided to cold crash today. I dropped the temp in the the freezer to 33 and put a baloon over the airllock.

This is the second time I cold crahed and my 5th all grain brew. The baloon filled up at first, and as the temp dropped the baloon deflated. After some time the baloon inflated again. I kept opening the freezer to look, beacuse I cant help looking all the time during the process.
When the ballon was deflated and the temp was down I removed it and water from the airlock went into the beer. I'm not too concerned about it though. I put the baloon on again with the temp steady at 33 degrees F and it inflated again,I find it interesting to watch. The carboy is 7 gallons and there is about 5 gallons of beer inside. I dont really have any questions or probelms. Just drunk on SNPA and posting because im a looser and do not have any friend, lol.

 

[lumpher]

Why are you putting the balloon condom on the airlock? In 15 years of brewing, I've never done that when cold-crashing. Just cold-crash slower. The reason the balloon fills up is called off-gassing. Perfectly normal.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

That's an, uh, odd looking balloon you got there bud...

 

[day_trippr]

Whatever tickles one's...fancy...I suppose

 

[Rick Crane]

Why are you putting the balloon condom on the airlock? In 15 years of brewing, I've never done that when cold-crashing. Just cold-crash slower. The reason the balloon fills up is called off-gassing. Perfectly normal.

Someone on a forum, somewhere said the baloon will keep oxygen from entering the FV when the tempurature drops and airpressure changes inside the carboy. I think it is also to keep water in the airlock from being sucked in too, or maybe I was suppose to remove the water from the airlock.

I am kinda wondering why the baoon inflates as I would expect it to deflated, and to remain deflated.

 

[Rick Crane]

Why are you putting the balloon condom on the airlock? In 15 years of brewing, I've never done that when cold-crashing. Just cold-crash slower. The reason the balloon fills up is called off-gassing. Perfectly normal.

Thanks! for the off gassing expanation. Slower is better i guess. I dropped the temp to 40 first and then to 33. I used this paticular balloon as it folds over when the freezer lid is down.

 

[Rick Crane]

That's an, uh, odd looking balloon you got there bud...

It folds over when the freezer lid is down.