Cold Crashing

[browning348]

I keep seeing this term and I'm wondering if it literally means to put in a fridge a stop fermentation? If so, I started some apple cider in November with store bought organic cider, brown sugar, and ec1118 that has been in the fridge for about 4 weeks and it is still fermenting. Any suggestions?

 

[TeeJo]

Yeah, let it run it's course and then bottle it.

Trev

 

[DoctorCAD]

Its not to stop fermentation (although it will slow it way down) but to remove some acids that tend to form wine diamonds when wine is chilled.

Stoping fermentation is really hard.

 

[HebrewedsoIbrew]

Isn't the point of cold crashing to do it after fermentation so it clears faster?

 

[DoctorCAD]

It helps clearing, but it also traps CO2 gas in the wine.

 

[bernardsmith]

I'm no chemist but I think brewers "cold crash" in order to allow proteins to drop out. Wine makers - and cider is made from fruit and so is a wine - has no protein and when vintners "cold crash" they typically do so in order to allow certain acids (tartaric acids) to precipitate out. These crystals will form in chilled wine creating "diamonds" which wine makers - and drinkers - typically view as a flaw. As DoctorCAD suggests , storing wine under very cold conditions can encourage particles - such as yeast - to drop out of suspension , thus clearing the wine, but since wine makers typically allow their wines to age, "cold crashing" is not routinely done except to remove tartaric acid from wines. I don't think that cider has a great deal of tartaric acid - it is malic acid rich. And cold temperatures slow fermentation but don't necessarily stop it - I sometimes allow my bread dough to rise in the fridge... But as I say, I am not a chemist and my understanding may be completely upside down.

 

[browning348]

I think I may just take it out, rack it, and see how it is in a few weeks.