First time crash cooler

[JimTheHick]

Hi all,

I'm taking my first stab at crash cooling just before bottling - in my garage.

I put two buckets out there yesterday, about 50F. Tonight it will be 35F.

I plan to bottle tomorrow. Is it ok for the buckets to remain tonight at 35F? Probably a dumb question. Just making sure. Obviously freezing would be bad. I won't let it get that far.

Thanks!

 

[ChaosStout]

As long as it doent freeze it will be fine.

 

[JimTheHick]

As long as it doent freeze it will be fine.

Awesome!

 

[BamaRooster]

Let us know how it turns out

 

[JohnnyO]

That should work out well. You'll find a tighter yeast cake with so much less sediment.

Crash cooling is one of the best steps I've taken in brewing. Even pro brewers ask if I filter my beer.

 

[McLompoc]

Is this an ale or lager?

 

[JimTheHick]

Is this an ale or lager?

Ale. It's been about 4 weeks in the primary. I just wasn't happy with the clarity, so I'm giving this a try.

 

[JimTheHick]

That should work out well. You'll find a tighter yeast cake with so much less sediment.

Crash cooling is one of the best steps I've taken in brewing. Even pro brewers ask if I filter my beer.

Great! I noticed a quick dropping of some lingering sediment at the top of the one in the glass Carboy.

 

[McLompoc]

Now you got me curious!?! Maybe I will try this with my stout. It has been at 62 for about a week in the primary after 62-64 for the first week. My garage will get down to the low 40's to high 30's this week, so I may give this a shot!

My brain swells with knowledge!

 

[JimTheHick]

Now you got me curious!?! Maybe I will try this with my stout. It has been at 62 for about a week in the primary after 62-64 for the first week. My garage will get down to the low 40's to high 30's this week, so I may give this a shot!

My brain swells with knowledge!

Thought I'd brew less in winter time. Now it's looking like the BEST season (better wort cooling, 60-65F basement for fermenting, crash cooling in garage).

 

[AleFred]

Thought I'd brew less in winter time. Now it's looking like the BEST season (better wort cooling, 60-65F basement for fermenting, crash cooling in garage).

yup(with hank hill's voice)

 

[ChaosStout]

I like to go 3 to 4 days at 40F Your ales get super clear then and If you have a lingering krausen that doesnt want to drop it works really well

 

[JimTheHick]

Faithful update:

I bottled Monday night and found that crash cooling worked FANTASTIC. I 'free-dry-hopped' a belgian ipa with pellets. Before crashing they were all floating in top. After 4 days there was no hop debris to speak of. All in a very compact secondary yeast cake. Plus drinking the beer out of the bottling bucket was better as it was COLD.

For my brown ale it cleaned it up a lot too, but there was still a persistent hazy layer at the bottom. I could actually see a new layer in the yeast cake from all the crap that settled out during cooling.

I'm hooked.

 

[Revlus]

Thought I'd brew less in winter time. Now it's looking like the BEST season (better wort cooling, 60-65F basement for fermenting, crash cooling in garage).

That's what I was thinking!! I'm near NYC, and my basement will get too hot (low 70's) for good fermenting temps. Not enough concrete in the basement.

 

[JimTheHick]

That's what I was thinking!! I'm near NYC, and my basement will get too hot (low 70's) for good fermenting temps. Not enough concrete in the basement.

Just do some Belgians in the summer. I made some really good beers with wy3522 ardennes. My basement is about 70