Cold crash or no?

[PitRow]

Last time I brewed anything (~15 years ago) cold crashing wasn't a thing. Now I've been doing some reading up on it and think it might be a good thing, but I'm not sure.

I currently have 1 gallon of Summer Wheat that's up for bottling this weekend. I don't mind a little haze in a wheat beer, but I'm thinking if I could clear it up a little my wife might be more partial to it. So I'm kind of torn on whether or not I should cold crash, and if so, exactly how to go about it.

If I do go with it, should I just put it in the fridge tonight (my fridge runs about 36 degrees) and let it go until I bottle on saturday (or possibly sunday)? Do I need to let it warm up before bottling, or can I bottle it cold and let it warm up after bottling?

Thanks!

 

[kombat]

I don't know if such a short cold-crash would have much of an impact, but I doubt it could hurt. No, you don't need to warm it back up prior to bottling - just go ahead and bottle it cold. When calculating your priming sugar, however, use the warmest temperature the beer reached after the end of fermentation, not the current (cold) temperature of the beer.

 

[guitarguy6]

I usually cold crash with gelatin finings and let the beer warm up to room temp before bottling.

 

[PitRow]

I don't know if such a short cold-crash would have much of an impact, but I doubt it could hurt. No, you don't need to warm it back up prior to bottling - just go ahead and bottle it cold. When calculating your priming sugar, however, use the warmest temperature the beer reached after the end of fermentation, not the current (cold) temperature of the beer.

There seems to be quite a bit of debate about the amount of time to crash, I've seen everything from no more than 24 hours, all the way to 2 months, so I have no idea if 24-ish hours would do any good or not either, but I can't see it really hurting much. so for the priming calculation, would I use the temp that I'm planning on bottle conditioning it at, or the temp it's at now?

 

[PitRow]

I usually cold crash with gelatin finings and let the beer warm up to room temp before bottling.

I've heard a little bit about fining with gelatin, but I don't really know much about it, can you tell me a little more?

And do you rack the beer out of the fermenter to let it warm up, or move the fermenter out of the fridge? Seems that moving the fermenter would risk stirring up the trub and negate the whole reason for cold crashing.

 

[Homercidal]

I usually like to CC a couple of days, but mostly because I don't get around to bottling for that much time. I can't say I've tracked the settling yeast.

For a wheat beer I wouldn't bother, TBH. They are supposed to be somewhat cloudy and have a certain flavor profile. If your wife isn't a fan, maybe find a style she likes more?

 

[flars]

More of an education problem than brewing technique. Let your wife know that you are brewing to style. The haze is an important part of the style that you were able to achieve.
I never cold crash. At least three weeks in the primary results in a clear beer in the bottle, unless it is a wheat beer.

 

[PitRow]

I probably won't worry about it then. Thanks all!

 

[kombat]

so for the priming calculation, would I use the temp that I'm planning on bottle conditioning it at, or the temp it's at now?

The warmest temperature it reached after fermentation finished. It helps to understand the "why."

The reason is because your beer already has some CO2 dissolved in it. During fermentation, the yeast produced CO2 (and alcohol, bless their microscopic hearts). Most of that CO2 bubbled up and out your airlock, because CO2 is not very soluble in beer at ale fermentation temperatures. But a small amount of it stayed in solution.

When you're calculating how much priming sugar to use, the calculator asks for the beer's temperature so that it can account for the CO2 that's already in the beer, to avoid overcarbonating it by prescribing too much priming sugar. At colder temperatures, the beer can hold more CO2 in solution. However, once the yeast have stopped producing CO2, if you then chill the beer, it's not like the beer will "suck" additional CO2 out of the air and into solution. There's still only as much CO2 as was there at the warmer temperatures. So use the warmer temperature in the priming sugar calculator.

I've heard a little bit about fining with gelatin, but I don't really know much about it, can you tell me a little more?

Cold-crashing the beer causes any dissolved proteins to come out of solution and precipitate down (slowly). This is called "chill haze." Adding a prepared solution of gelatin can accelerate this precipitation and clear your beer faster.

Basically take 1/2 cup of room-temperature water and sprinkle 1/2 tbsp. of plain, unflavoured gelatin onto the surface (i.e., Knox brand, the kind in your grocery store). Do not stir. Cover the glass/cup with a sanitized piece of foil and wait 20 minutes.

Then remove the foil and microwave the cup 20 seconds at a time, until the temperature exceeds 150° F. Do not boil it or you'll have ruined it and have to start again. Once it has reached 150° F, stir it to ensure everything is completely dissolved (the water should be clear, with a very slight amber hue, and a ripply, distorted appearance) and gently pour into the already-chilled beer. Try to avoid splashing.

And do you rack the beer out of the fermenter to let it warm up, or move the fermenter out of the fridge?

Just move it out of the fridge and up onto an elevated surface so you can rack it into the bottling bucket. No need to let it warm up.

Seems that moving the fermenter would risk stirring up the trub and negate the whole reason for cold crashing.

So do it carefully.

 

[PitRow]

The warmest temperature it reached after fermentation finished. It helps to understand the "why."

...


So do it carefully.

Thanks for the great clarifications!

 

[jordanchampine]

Thanks for the great clarifications!

Pun intended?

I cold crashed for the first time on my last brew and was happy with the results.

 

[PitRow]

Pun intended?

Absolutely!

 

[Dixon9717]

I cold crash for no more then 3 days and am always satisfied with the results.

 

[joshesmusica]

When you're calculating how much priming sugar to use, the calculator asks for the beer's temperature so that it can account for the CO2 that's already in the beer, to avoid overcarbonating it by prescribing too much priming sugar. At colder temperatures, the beer can hold more CO2 in solution. However, once the yeast have stopped producing CO2, if you then chill the beer, it's not like the beer will "suck" additional CO2 out of the air and into solution. There's still only as much CO2 as was there at the warmer temperatures. So use the warmer temperature in the priming sugar calculator.

just wondering if you would agree upon a few concepts:
1) there is still co2 in the head space of the fermenter (changing depending on shape of fermenter of course) even at the time that you would cold crash.
2) co2 solubility increases as temperature of the beer decreases.
3) the art of force carbing (if you do no shaking and don't have a co2 stone) is essentially adding co2 to the headspace of the keg and expecting it to dissolve into the beer.
4) same concept of why people suggest to chill a bottled beer for a 2-3 days before consumption, so the co2 in the headspace will dissolve into the beer.

 

[kombat]

just wondering if you would agree upon a few concepts:
1) there is still co2 in the head space of the fermenter (changing depending on shape of fermenter of course) even at the time that you would cold crash.

Yes. After cold-crashing, it will be a mix of CO2 and air, since air will be sucked into the fermenter as the air and liquid inside cools and contracts.

2) co2 solubility increases as temperature of the beer decreases.

Yes.

3) the art of force carbing (if you do no shaking and don't have a co2 stone) is essentially adding co2 to the headspace of the keg and expecting it to dissolve into the beer.

No. "Force" carbing implies pressure. Simply adding CO2 to the headspace does nothing. It must be under pressure exceeding regular atmospheric pressure.

4) same concept of why people suggest to chill a bottled beer for a 2-3 days before consumption, so the co2 in the headspace will dissolve into the beer.

No. You don't need to chill a beer for "2-3 days" for the CO2 to go back into solution. Think about it. When you buy a beer from the store, you don't have to chill it for "2-3 days" for any CO2 to go back into solution, do you? Of course not. You just chill it for a couple of hours (or 20 minutes in the freezer), and it's ready to drink, right? What's the difference? Why would homebrew behave under a different set of gas laws? It's all the same.

 

[joshesmusica]

No. "Force" carbing implies pressure. Simply adding CO2 to the headspace does nothing. It must be under pressure exceeding regular atmospheric pressure.

ok, but you're still adding co2 to the headspace in the end right? even if it is more than regular atmospheric pressure.

No. You don't need to chill a beer for "2-3 days" for the CO2 to go back into solution. Think about it. When you buy a beer from the store, you don't have to chill it for "2-3 days" for any CO2 to go back into solution, do you? Of course not. You just chill it for a couple of hours (or 20 minutes in the freezer), and it's ready to drink, right? What's the difference? Why would homebrew behave under a different set of gas laws? It's all the same.

i actually agree with you on this one. just wanted to make sure you didn't believe that crap too. there will be some that dissolves back into the beer from the headspace, but it's so minimal it doesn't make a difference unless you're chilling it for over a week, probably more. it's way force carbing takes so long if you're not doing anything besides just adding the co2 and pressure.

in the end, though i think it's pretty safe to say (according to the facts about co2 dissolving from headspace) that cold crashing will dissolve some of that co2 back into the beer. but it is so minimal that it's best to type in the temperature at which you fermented.
but that should be the average temp during the main part of fermentation. taking the idea about how minimal co2 will dissolve back into the beer during cold crash, the same concept applies to a diacetyl rest. there won't be too much that releases at this point, since most of the co2 has been created and bonded with the compounds of the beer. some will release, but not much as it's not a sudden change in pressure.