Cold crashing question

[astyler]

I've had my first batch in a secondary for nearly two weeks. Can you cold crash it if you're going to bottle (and need the yeast to carb), or is that only for kegging+forced carbing?

If so, for how long (with bottling in mind)?

 

[wreckinball9]

I wouldnt cold crash it if you are going to prime it. You dont want to risk having too few yeast left in the brew. if it needs more clearing just leave it in the secondary a little longer.

if you are set up to force carb in a keg then by all means go ahead and cold crash.

 

[Rezilynt]

I have never had a problem with bottle carbing after cold crashing.

 

[reim0027]

Would it make more sense to cold condition the bottles instead? This will get the yeast out of suspension after they have carbonated the bottles.

 

[garbs]

I'd also like to hear more about this as the time is coming for me to consider the same thing.

 

[KayaBrew]

I wouldnt cold crash it if you are going to prime it. You dont want to risk having too few yeast left in the brew. if it needs more clearing just leave it in the secondary a little longer.

if you are set up to force carb in a keg then by all means go ahead and cold crash.

I don't think this is correct. I cold crash all my ales and have never had a problem with carbing. I carb with the standard corn sugar/2 cups of water/boil and cool method. Cold crash your beer...it's A-OK!

 

[garbs]

Here's a n00b question...even if you do cold crash and get a lot of that yeast out, will it reproduce in the bottle to consume the priming sugar? Will cold crashing actually make a bottle conditioned beer clearer in the long run?

 

[SkylerChaBro]

Why not just cold crash it after the yeast have primed the beer?

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Why not just cold crash it after the yeast have primed the beer?

Because the idea is to get all the leftover proteins to settle out before bottling. Not only making the beer more clear but leaving less sediment in the bottle. If you feel your not getting enough yeast left behind you could always pitch a small amount when you prime. But, then your back to having more sediment in the bottle.

 

[nosmatt]

ok, i have done this the last 4 brews.

do NOT let those who have not done it scare you.


ABSOLUTELY cold crash for a week PRIOR to bottling.

it is carbed in 4 days, just like always.

funny enough, i did my first mr beer brew (2 cans of hopped lme, and a puch of booster) fermented @ room temp (~69*f) for 3 weeks. put in my fridge @ 36*f for 7 days before i got around to bottling. transfereed to bucket with 2.5oz of dextrose, and bottled.

just put one in the freezer an hour ago, took out after thiry mins, no haze what so ever. this was at 68-69* and stuck the the freezer, right @ the outlet for ~ 20 mins. poured into glass, and ZERO haze. clear as hell. not sure i like it yet, but it only bottle conditioned for two weeks. (and im effed up on buorbon sour mash right now).
honestly tho, carbed up perfectly, and is super duper clear.
i cold crash EVERY brew in the primary after three weeks.
it's carbed, and it is clear, clear, clear.
dont be skeered. it WILL carb.
i did a 5 gallon batch and stuck it in the garage for 5 days @ a temp of 21* to 29* and it carbed up, and is clearer than i could expect... i forget my wirfloc tab in that one too.
try it for yourself.

 

[reim0027]

Other than reduced sediment in the bottle, is there any other advantage to cold crashing before you bottle?

 

[Viejo]

Yeah, I can put any of my bottle-conditioned beers in the fridge for 30 minutes and they'll pour crystal clear. But if I leave them in the fridge for a day, they cloud up with a protein haze. My question is: Will cold crashing before bottling reduce/eliminate the chill haze?

 

[Viejo]

I meant the freezer for 30 minutes. Duh. Why is it my errors only show up after I post?