Crash Cooling

[Micah]

Ok. So in reading a thread on Kolsch I viewed more than a few people talking about "crash cooling" I know I can look it up in the brewing bible ect... but really what is this and how is it accomplished as I do not have a freezer adequate for lagering. can this be done in the bottle? how long does this take?

 

[IrregularPulse]

Crash cooling is just chilling the beer at refridgerator temperatures. It can be done in the bottle and is done in the bottle when you put it in the fridge. The benfit to doing it before bottling is that all the sediment it clears out has to drop. If it's still in a carboy or bucket, that all gets left behind. If not it's in the bottles. There will still be plenty of yeast for carbonation. Try Crash cooling with a packet of Unflavored Knox gelatin (search this forum for gelatin for procedure) and you'll have beer as clear as any commercial example.