Dry ice to cold crash

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harrymanback92

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Hey guys, I had an idea: what if I got a plastic trash can, placed my 6.5 gallon glass carboy into the trash can and packed dry ice around the Carboy to cold crash it for a couple of hours (or even days?) before bottling?

I understand that dry ice is about -70F, so i would add in a relatively small amount to bring the over all temperature to around 30-36F(hopefully, I'm not an engineer so I haven't done my math or anything, I'm just talking about what I would like to achieve) to clear my beer up, and possibly even doing a, short, lagering process. To be clear, I will not be placing dry ice in the Carboy, and I won't be adding water to the trash can(or whatever you guys think would be an ideal vessel to do this in)

So, what do you guys think? I dont have the space for a freeze, my fridges won't hold a Carboy, and I don't like wasting water so I don't want to just submerge it in gallons of cold water(not being preachy, just not a wasteful person).

I'm brewing a steam beer and would like to add a brief lagering process to my brew. I use Cry Havoc lager yeast for my steam beer, which just does not drop out of suspension enough for me. I'm brewing another batch with SF lager yeast and will be (hopefully) trying this method of cold crashing with this batch.

Just wanna make sure I'm not gonna crack my Carboy, or have any major mistakes.

And the lid will be laid on top of the can ( not sealed on the can).

:cheers:
 
Cracking the carboy is a very real possibility given temperature extremes.

I also think you'll be surprised how inefficient dry ice is at cooling outside of a properly insulated vessel. I used to use it all the time. We had a freezer full.

A few gallons of ice water probably has significantly less overall environmental impact. Just keep swapping out frozen bottles. I'm currently working on a submersible pump, ice water bath, and temp controller setup.
 
With a temperature differential of 130 - 140F between the dry ice on the outside of the carboy, and the beer on the inside, I would think you would have a good chance of cracking the carboy. I may well be wrong, but I certainly wouldn't like to try it.
I think using regular ice in salted water (which would allow the coolant to maintain full contact with the carboy, and allow it's temperature to drop below 32F would be a lot safer, and probably more economical.

-a.

[EDIT] I must learn to type faster. [\EDIT]
 
You could put the carboy in a water bath and then add the dry ice. It would look cool and if enclosed, you could die happy. I would not use dry ice in an enclosed space.
 
Remember these safety precautions when you work with dry ice!
Guidelines for Safe Dry Ice Use

Use cotton gloves, towels, or potholders to move dry ice.
Use in a ventilated location.
Children should be supervised by an adult when using dry ice.

Handling

The temperature of dry ice is -109º F, cold enough to freeze skin cells and cause an injury similar to a burn. Always handle dry ice with protective gloves or a towel.
Storage

Store dry ice in an insulated container. Do not store ice in a container that is completely airtight. As the ice changes to CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas, it will cause an airtight container to expand and possibly explode.
Ventilation

Dry ice gives off CO2 into the air, so if dry ice has been in a closed car, van, or room for more than 10 minutes, open the doors and windows before entering. Otherwise, you will experience difficulty breathing. Leave the area immediately if you start to breathe quickly or have any difficulty breathing.

INTENTIONAL MISUSE OF DRY ICE MAY BE HARMFUL OR FATAL.
 
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