How do you cold crash?

[slym2none]

Are all of you guys kegging? Is there still enough yeast for bottle conditioning if you cold crash and then hit the beer with gelatin?

As a bottler - yes, there is plenty of yeast left for carbonating the beer after cold-crashing.

 

[slym2none]

Of course, all this concern goes away if you succumb to kegging. Just rack to keg and chill.

Put the keezer/kegerator in the garage.

Brew on

Some of us don't have room nor money for such set-ups. Let us have our bottles and not try to always try to make us feel bad for not kegging (not saying that is happening here).

In my head, I sometimes say to myself "Look at all the trouble and expense some people go just to carb their beer and get it in a glass. I just let time & nature take its course and enjoy the fruits of their labour." - but I don't go around saying that every time someone shows off their kegs/keezers/whathaveyou. Why?

It gets annoying having to hear it, I'd imagine.

 

[aprichman]

My probe is on the outside of the carboy. When it's time to crash, I take off the airlock, place sanitized foil and set it to 0.0C. I add gelatin the next day. Keg a day or two later.

Crash cooled and ready to keg.View attachment 290004

Hey Gavin, can you tell me more about adding gelatin? I'm dry hopping my current 2.5 gallon batch and thought a cold crash w/ gelatin would be helpful for fining.

Have you ever used this method when bottling? If so, do you just prime and bottle at the cold crash temperature?

 

[Gavin C]

Hey Gavin, can you tell me more about adding gelatin? I'm dry hopping my current 2.5 gallon batch and thought a cold crash w/ gelatin would be helpful for fining.

Have you ever used this method when bottling? If so, do you just prime and bottle at the cold crash temperature?

Sure thing

I cold crash in the manner I previously described and usually two days later add gelatin as follows.

1: Sanitize a beaker
2: Collect ~100ml of cold water in it directly from the refrigerator's water dispenser

Knox Gelattin and Cold water in Sanitized Beaker

3: Sprinkle 1/2 tsp on the water and allow it to bloom for ~10 minutes (I cover it with sanitized foil during this time)

Add gelatin to cold water

Bloom

4: Heat it in the microwave to ~160F in 15 second bursts with a swirl after each 15 seconds
5: the gelatin solution will now be clear

Clearing Gelatin solution

6: Remove foil covering from carboy and add gelatin without splashing. I pour the gelatin through the sanitized stainless steel turkey baster I use to collect gravity samples. Its tip sits below the surface of the wort.

I do not shake or agitate the carboy at all.

7: Two days later I rack clear beer to the keg

Racking to the keg

I don't bottle aside from filling ones directly from the keg for giving to folks and competitions etc so can't say how it impacts that. From everything I have read you should have no concerns whatsoever. There are still countless millions of yeast in suspension ready and able to feed on the priming solution and adequately carbonate the beer. Cold crashing and gelatin finings will not prevent that. May take a little longer.

Hope this helps.

 

[aprichman]

Sure thing

I cold crash in the manner I previously described and usually two days later add gelatin as follows.

1: Sanitize a beaker
2: Collect ~100ml of cold water in it directly from the refrigerator's water dispenser

Knox Gelattin and Cold water in Sanitized Beaker View attachment 294029

3: Sprinkle 1/2 tsp on the water and allow it to bloom for ~10 minutes (I cover it with sanitized foil during this time)

Add gelatin to cold waterView attachment 294030

BloomView attachment 294031

4: Heat it in the microwave to ~160F in 15 second bursts with a swirl after each 15 seconds
5: the gelatin solution will now be clear

Clearing Gelatin solutionView attachment 294032

6: Remove foil covering from carboy and add gelatin without splashing. I pour the gelatin through the sanitized stainless steel turkey baster I use to collect gravity samples. Its tip sits below the surface of the wort.

I do not shake or agitate the carboy at all.

7: Two days later I rack clear beer to the keg

Racking to the kegView attachment 294033View attachment 294034

I don't bottle aside from filling ones directly from the keg for giving to folks and competitions etc so can't say how it impacts that. From everything I have read you should have no concerns whatsoever. There are still countless millions of yeast in suspension ready and able to feed on the priming solution and adequately carbonate the beer. Cold crashing and gelatin finings will not prevent that. May take a little longer.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the writeup Gavin, just a couple of clarifying questions (no pun intended )

1.) Do you have any recommendations for heating the gelatin without a microwave? I was thinking 10 minute bloom in sanitized pint glass -> transfer to saucepan and heat to 170F -> transfer back to sanitized pint glass -> transfer to beer

2.) After you add the gelatin, do you keep the beer at cold crash temperatures?

 

[The_Bishop]

170 is too high. I shoot for somewhere around 155, and would not exceed 160.

 

[Gavin C]

Thanks for the writeup Gavin, just a couple of clarifying questions (no pun intended )

1.) Do you have any recommendations for heating the gelatin without a microwave? I was thinking 10 minute bloom in sanitized pint glass -> transfer to saucepan and heat to 170F -> transfer back to sanitized pint glass -> transfer to beer

2.) After you add the gelatin, do you keep the beer at cold crash temperatures?

1)Use a a stove as you describe but don't heat that high as the gelatin will be rendered ineffective. No need to go as high as 160F. I'm usually 150-160. I should have been more clear on that.

I would pour it from the pot directly into the FV. No need for a beaker/pint glass if you are using the stove. Just heat it slowly for control and swirl it. Once it's clear it's done.

2)Yes