Cold Crashing Questions

[GarageBrÜr]

I am considering cold crashing with gelatin my Porter I have in primary right now as opposed to letting it sit in secondary for another few weeks. I live in Wisconsin and don't have space in a fridge to handle this and wondering if I properly seal the carboy, can I just let it rest in my garage or outside for 2 days to handle this? Temps will be high 20s low 30s.

 

[stieg000]

I would cold crash it overnight and keg it. I don't secondary anything anymore unless I'm adding wood, nibs or fruit.

 

[cmybeer]

Being from MN the risk is letting it drop too far and it freezing (ask me how I know this) which is not recommended. Also, with beer in general big temperature changes are not ideal so having it go from daylight temp to nighttime again isn't ideal.

What's your goal for using gelatin in a porter? I've used it in the past to clarify lighter beers so they look nicer but that is less of an issue with a porter.

 

[GarageBrÜr]

Being from MN the risk is letting it drop too far and it freezing (ask me how I know this) which is not recommended. Also, with beer in general big temperature changes are not ideal so having it go from daylight temp to nighttime again isn't ideal.

What's your goal for using gelatin in a porter? I've used it in the past to clarify lighter beers so they look nicer but that is less of an issue with a porter.

Using gelatin just to drop as much particulate as possible out for a cleaner taste. That and since I'm not thinking of going to secondary, just helping it happen faster that's all.

 

[balrog]

I am worried about temps below 27°F at which "beer freezes".
This is of course a MASSIVE generalization as %ABV alcohol makes HUGE difference in freeze temp.

But below 25° might be troublesome.

 

[GarageBrÜr]

I am worried about temps below 27°F at which "beer freezes".
This is of course a MASSIVE generalization as %ABV alcohol makes HUGE difference in freeze temp.

But below 25° might be troublesome.

If I kept it in my garage, it likely wouldn't drop below 30°. It's supposed to warm up a little bit over the next week or so, which is around the same time it's going to be done in primary.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Let's assume you bottle, since cold crashing for kegging is a given either before or after transferring it to the keg.

Chilling your fermentation vessel causes thermal contraction of the liquid beer and gas-filled head space. The negative pressure pulls in air, including the dreaded oxygen. Oxygen causes oxidation of various beer components, which is bad for beer flavor, generally speaking.

For this same reason, it's better to NOT use a secondary vessel. The beer picks up oxygen during the transfer and even more from the headspace in the secondary vessel.

After fermentation completes, it does not need to stay refrigerated. Leave it at room temp for as much time as you feel is needed to let the yeast drop (days, weeks, months).
Even without clearing in the fermenter, it will clear in the bottle or keg regardless, so all you're really doing is reducing a little sediment in the package.

Skipping secondary is something everyone who's followed kit instructions needs to unlearn. Anything that increases oxygen exposure post-fermentation is a bad thing. Same goes for cold-crashing without a system or device to prevent air ingress.

Cheers