Cold Crashing and Ramping begginer questions

[edwardjls]

Just want some advice on cold crashing and ramping.. At the moment, I am working on a Dry Irish Stout.. I am going to let ferment in primary for three weeks then secondary for another 3 weeks.. At the moment my primary is fermenting at 18 degrees c. When I rack to secondary is there a time when I should bring the temperatures up to help clean up the by-products? And since I am going to keg this 5 gallon batch.. should I cold crash it before I transfer it over? I was thinking of cold crashing it for the last three days of secondary... Any advice is appreciated..

Ed

 

[Smellyglove]

No need for a temp ramp, three weeks is plenty of time for that kind of beer (yeast).

Do what you've asked about in regards of cold crashing. Works well.

 

[Cyclman]

Primary is to complete fermentation, secondary is a "bright tank" as Pro brewers would state, to clear the beer.

Siphoning carefully from primary, most homebrewers avoid secondary. Unless you're adding wood, fruit, etc., where you don't want the beer sitting on the yeast for months. Some think primary is OK even for months. Getting beer off the yeast is important in a pro brewery with high pressure in a huge fermentation tank, maybe not so critical for home brewing.

 

[Yesfan]

Is there any benefit cold crashing, ramping, secondary, etc for a dark beer like a stout? I brewed an Irish stout recently and don't even remember using a whirlflock addition. Three weeks in primary and kegged it went. I can understand for a pale ale or blonde, but as black as stouts are, is it worth the time?

 

[Puddlethumper]

Is there any benefit cold crashing, ramping, secondary, etc for a dark beer like a stout? I brewed an Irish stout recently and don't even remember using a whirlflock addition. Three weeks in primary and kegged it went. I can understand for a pale ale or blonde, but as black as stouts are, is it worth the time?

Your beer will effectively cold crash when you keg it and chill it to serving temperature. The only disadvantage to cold crashing in the keg instead of a secondary vessel is that you'll get more yeast/protein trub in the first pint or two you pull.

I would disagree with an earlier comment that "most" home brewers avoid secondary. It would have been more correct if he had said, "many" avoid secondary. There are many who continue to use a secondary as a bright tank as mentioned above. The longer you leave your beer in contact with the yeast the more impact the yeast will have on the finished flavor of the beer. Whether this is good or bad depends on what tastes good to you.

To my taste dark and full-flavored ales benefit from a longer conditioning than most lighter colored beers. As matter of practice I almost always move the beer off of the yeast after primary fermentation is complete. An APA or cream ale goes straight to the keg. Beers that need longer conditioning are racked into a 5 gal. carboy filled to the neck to avoid oxidation. There it conditions for as many weeks as needed to allow the flavors to marry and develop. Most of the remaining yeast and proteins in suspension will settle out during this period. Then keg, chill and serve.

Cheers!

 

[Yooper]

A dry stout is generally fairly low OG, and I don't think it needs 6 weeks in a fermenter before packaging. I would probably leave it in the fermenter maybe 10 days or so, ramping the temperature at the very end to ensure no diacetyl (depending on the yeast strain used). At that time, it could be packaged, or racked to a carboy if desired.

 

[Puddlethumper]

A dry stout is generally fairly low OG, and I don't think it needs 6 weeks in a fermenter before packaging. I would probably leave it in the fermenter maybe 10 days or so, ramping the temperature at the very end to ensure no diacetyl (depending on the yeast strain used). At that time, it could be packaged, or racked to a carboy if desired.

^^^ go with this ^^^^

 

[Yesfan]

For those that ramp their temps, how high to do you go? I usually do a three week primary fermentation, then I just rack to a keg and call it a day.