Crash cool...How and why and where and who?

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DrDuckbutter

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i have searched for "crash cooling" can anyone just breifly explain the how to of this. I assume you do it to stop yeast fermentation and possibly to drop the yeast to the bottom of your fermenter quicker???

Thanks
I appreciate any help
 
HOW= GET IT COLD! like in the fridgerator....the colder the better.
Why = Drop the crap that's in suspention!
Where = ANY place that will fit your fermenter and is below say....45F?
Who = Anyone that wants to clear their beer, mead, wine or cider.
 
Crash-cooling will help the yeast flocullate and fall out of suspension faster. Combined with a fining agent like gelatin or isinglass, it can dramatically clear the beer. Crash-cool after fermentation is finished and you've let the beer sit on the yeast for several weeks. I crash-cool in my keezer if I have the room, usually around 37-39 degrees for a minimum of 3 days, but usually it goes weeks if I rack to the keg and cold-condition.
 
Well, no. It doesn't work to halt fermentation. Fermentation would just start up again when it warmed up. It works to help clear the beer by dropping out particles that can cause chill haze, as well as other proteins and some yeast that cause cloudy beer.
 
Well, no. It doesn't work to halt fermentation.

I have heard of people indicating that they are going to try and stop fermentation...in a cider...by crash cooling when the desired sweetness level is reached. That scares the hell out of me! I'm in 100% agreement with Yooper. Crash Cooling is NOT a reliable means to stop fermentation.
 
I typically crash cool in primary and then rack to the keg to get the clearest beer. Crash cooling is also a great time to add gelatin if you decide to go that route.
 
so i could just keg it, then let it "crash cool" for a few days then hook up the co2??
thanks

like Yoop said, you could do that. BUT I would crash cool n the fermenter, THEN trasnfer. This leaves all the sediment behind. Leaving no chance for it to get stirred up while drawing pints.
 
yeah, if i had room in the kegerator for my primaries (without removing both kegs!) i'd definitely crash cool in the primary. the more you leave behind the better.

given what i'm working with though, i just let the beers clear on their own in the primary (for normal gravity non-belgians that takes about three weeks) then keg them and keep them cold for a week at least. i hook them up to the gas at the beginning of the week so that they're pretty well carbed by the end. if you do this you don't want to use the "shake the keg" carbing method, as it'll mix up all that stuff you crashed out.

after a week in the cold the first pint usually has some sediment (though not enough to make it unappealing to my tastes) and then it's crystal clear beer til the last pint, which gets cloudy again.
 
I've been told that crash cooling the beer will kill a higher percentage of the yeast than if you cool 5 degrees per day. I keep the beer (ale) on the cool side of the recommended temperature during the most vigorous part of the fermentation and then allow it to warm to 70 degrees after a few days. I keep it warm all the way through the secondary and into the kegging. Some beers I keep warm until they are done aging in the keg, before I slowly cool them down. If you're lagering a lager beer, cool it 5 degrees per day after kegging and let it sit at 34 degrees for a few months. You need the yeast during the aging process to finish the beer, so you want to be nice to it and nurture the yeast. Crash cooling harms the yeast so I don't do it. My beers are clear enough and I care more about the taste and the smoothness that comes from a finished beer. I'm no expert but I think my beers are better now that I don't crash cool them any more.
 
can someone explain "adding gelatin", how much? and do you add it when you crash cool? and what is the best way to add it (dry, or mixed with water?)
thanks
 
If I crash, can I still bottle and prime in the usual fashion expecting the yeasties to be vital enough for the co2 process?
If so, I'll do it this thursday to my weak ipa...
hehe
 
so gelatin makes particles (non yeast?) fall out of suspension? or denatured proteins, etc...
now if you used irish moss or whirfloc in the boil would it still be advantagous to use gelatin in the secondary or is that overkill??
 
so gelatin makes particles (non yeast?) fall out of suspension? or denatured proteins, etc...
now if you used irish moss or whirfloc in the boil would it still be advantagous to use gelatin in the secondary or is that overkill??

Kettle finings work to coagulate proteins that form during the hot and cold breaks. If these proteins make it into the fermenter, they will quickly settle out as trub- and many will try to keep as much of the break material in the kettle. Fermentation produces more proteins and general goopiness that will settle out after some time- finings in secondary will encourage these proteins to coagulate out of suspension in those vessels just like kettle finings do so in the kettle. Consider it a one-two punch.
 
If I crash, can I still bottle and prime in the usual fashion expecting the yeasties to be vital enough for the co2 process?
If so, I'll do it this thursday to my weak ipa...
hehe
Any advise?
 
Guys,

when crash cooling before bottling do you crash cool the primary and then rack to the bottling bucket?

My biggest ? is can the beer sit in the bottles in the basement or does it need to stay cold after you crash cool?
 
yeah, if you can do it most people prefer to crash cool in the primary. best to leave as much behind as you can.

and yes, if you're carbing naturally you'll need to warm the bottles up in order to get them to carbonate (assuming this is an ale). 3 weeks at 70 degrees is a general rule of thumb but each beer is different. once they're fully carbed you can store them either warm or cold but cold will preserve the beer better and cause it to clear more.
 
So crash cooling will leave enough yeast in suspension to still be able to bottle carbonate?

I've got 5 gallons of apfelwein that is ready for bottling. I wanted to carb half of it, and leave the other half still. Could I crash all of it for a couple of days, then go about my plan without any issues?
 
I'm glad I found this thread. I was searching for an answer to a question and came across this discussion.

I have a beer that's been in the primary for 8 days. I want to keg this beer and have it ready for Christmas eve. (10 days from now.)

My OG: 1.049
Target FG: 1.012-1.015
Yeast: Safale 05

I just checked the Gravity tonight and it's 1.012. (The hydro sample tasted outstanding by the way!) :mug: My plan was to cold crash it by putting the primary in the fridge for a couple of days then transfer it to a keg and let it carb for a week. I know this is rushing it a little bit. But I really want to serve this beer on Christmas Eve.:eek:

Question: Even though it is at the target FG, their is still a nice kreusen [sp?] on top. Should I proceed as planned? Or should I leave it in the bucket for a few more days and then go the force carb route? Will the kreusen fall out when I chill it? I don't mean to hijack the thread but I'm running up against the calendar here.

Thanks
 
Given the time constraints, your first plan is probably the best.
The FG might drop another point if you gave it a week, but that isn't as important when kegging.
 
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