I'm Sooo Done with keg cold crashing

[JONNYROTTEN]

After always cold crashing in the primary bucket and never having any issue I started cold crashing in the keg after all the talk of oxidation. "If you don't crash under positive pressure your sucking in air and oxidizing your beer Blah Blah Blah" Well 4 batches later and dumping endless yeast/hop debris every time,this time was the worst. I filled this pitcher twice and still have yeast and hop every pour..So far that's TWENTY PINTS DOWN THE DRAIN and counting. Granted I was in a bit of a rush this time for a party and transferred at day 7 using us04.But I hit FG.That being said If I crashed in the fermenter it would have dropped out and maybe I would have lost a few pints at most...I'm going back to the tried and tested,never had a problem,good ol' crash in the primary.

This is a beer after filling this pitcher TWICE...what a waste of my first Zombie Dust

 

[mredge73]

Cold crash the primary after removing the blowoff. Why would you do it any other way?

If you do it in the keg you will need to do it with a modified (shorter or bent up) dip tube as to not pick up all the junk on the bottom.
I primary ferment in a 5 gallon keg with a modified dip tube, cold crash, and transfer batch after batch without any problems.

 

[agrazela]

How long were you cold in the keg before pulling those cloudy pitchers?

 

[cegan09]

Looks like you either flat out didn't give it enough time to finish fermenting (Just because it hit FG doesn't mean it doesn't need a day or two more to clean up), or enough time to settle out, or you just have enough sediment that you're going to be pulling it throughout the whole keg. Agree with modifying the dip tube if you're cold crashing in the keg.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

How long were you cold in the keg before pulling those cloudy pitchers?

24 hours and this was the clearest.Two solid pitchers of mud

 

[iijakii]

Did you move the keg? My experiences are if I cold-crash in the keg the first few pints are cloudy, but certainly nothing like you are having. The crappy thing though is that if you even so much as scoot the keg over it starts all over again.

 

[iijakii]

24 hours and this was the clearest.Two solid pitchers of mud

Yeah 24hrs isnt really enough time...wait another couple days before you dump 10 pints down the drain lol.

 

[agrazela]

24 hours and this was the clearest.Two solid pitchers of mud

Did you use any clearing agent?

When I use gelatin I expect it to clear in the cold keg in 3-4 days, but without gelatin (or anything) I expect it to take 2 weeks (or more).

I think you just went too fast.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Looks like you either flat out didn't give it enough time to finish fermenting (Just because it hit FG doesn't mean it doesn't need a day or two more to clean up), or enough time to settle out, or you just have enough sediment that you're going to be pulling it throughout the whole keg. Agree with modifying the dip tube if you're cold crashing in the keg.

It was rushed to be sure.That being said its been the same thing for the last four batches using 04 and o5 yeast.Cold crashing the fermenter I could always transfer around 10 days with loosing around a pint or two to sediment. Cold crashing in the keg after the same time has givin me endless muddy pours. If the remaining yeast/hops settle onto the yeast cake it wont effect transfer volume.If crashing in keg I get beer mixed with yeast/hops and loose a sh*t ton of beer.

 

[akthor]

8 days from primary to glass is ridiculous. As someone else said it's not just about FG. Even clear I bet that beer would haves tasted nice and yeasty. Sorry but the beer returns the time and effort you put into it. That looks like 8 day beer.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

8 days from primary to glass is ridiculous. As someone else said it's not just about FG. Even clear I bet that beer would haves tasted nice and yeasty. Sorry but the beer returns the time and effort you put into it. That looks like 8 day beer.

I know what your saying but I mostly brew double batch IPA's. Generally I'm out of beer on the first 5 gallons and do 10 day transfers.Then transfer the other 5 gallons 2 weeks or so later.The first batch always has the better fresher flavor.The yeast in suspension is the killer and cold crashing in the primary at near freezing has given the first batch a major head start while it carbs saving endless muddy pints.

 

[wilserbrewer]

A 24 hour cold crash is very optimistic as it takes almost 24 hours to chill a keg. When I want to go grain to glass asap, crashing the fermenter and force carbing the keg seems the quickest and best way.

I've gone grain to glass in 8 days but I was working overtime in the brewery to get it done, 5 days ferment, cold crash with gelatin and a burst carb gave pretty clear beer, yea I was in a bind to bring beer to a party...

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

A 24 hour cold crash is very optimistic as it takes almost 24 hours to chill a keg. When I want to go grain to glass asap, crashing the fermenter and force carbing the keg seems the quickest and best way.

I've gone grain to glass in 8 days but I was working overtime in the brewery to get it done, 5 days ferment, cold crash with gelatin and a burst carb gave pretty clear beer, yea I was in a bind to bring beer to a party...

It was so thick this time at 24 hours It clogged the faucet twice so I disconnected it and stuck the pitcher under/at the tower and worked the pressure as it shot out mud like a fire hose.A primary cold crash would have eliminated that as you stated.I cant see how any longer time frame could make the crud any thicker.

 

[drgonzo2k2]

If you're concerned about oxygen intake during cold crashing, you don't have to go as far as cold crashing under pressure, just use your normal fermenter and attach a balloon filled with CO2 to the airlock. Works like a champ!

 

[petrolSpice]

If you're concerned about oxygen intake during cold crashing, you don't have to go as far as cold crashing under pressure, just use your normal fermenter and attach a balloon filled with CO2 to the airlock. Works like a champ!

Hmm... That's a good idea! But this would only work if your fermenter is 100% airtight.

Could you also use a CO2 tank with a regulator set to a very low pressure?

 

[day_trippr]

If you're concerned about oxygen intake during cold crashing, you don't have to go as far as cold crashing under pressure, just use your normal fermenter and attach a balloon filled with CO2 to the airlock. Works like a champ!

From my own experimentation, that would need to be a pretty darned big balloon.
It's an investment, to be sure, but after a couple of years use this solution has proven to be totally worth it...



Cheers!

 

[wilserbrewer]

It was so thick this time at 24 hours It clogged the faucet twice so I disconnected it and stuck the pitcher under/at the tower and worked the pressure as it shot out mud like a fire hose.A primary cold crash would have eliminated that as you stated.I cant see how any longer time frame could make the crud any thicker.

Well Jonny, of course when you rack mud to a keg, 24 hours later your gonna get mud out the tap.

A little patience may be needed, but I've come to realize that's not how your wired.

Better luck next time.
Cheers

Ps Are you racking carefully out of the fermenter or using a spigot and taking whatever flows to the keg? Careful racking helps a lot, if you are transferring part of the sludge cake all bets are off.

 

[mbobhat]

From my own experimentation, that would need to be a pretty darned big balloon.
It's an investment, to be sure, but after a couple of years use this solution has proven to be totally worth it...

View attachment 374986

Cheers!

That's pretty spiffy... I am impressed with the balloon expansion tank ya got here

 

[day_trippr]

That's pretty spiffy... I am impressed with the balloon expansion tank ya got here

They're more like the gas system equivalent of fuses.
If something were to go wrong I'd rather burst a couple of balloons than 11 gallons worth of glass

I run this with the low pressure gauge needle barely off the stop, somewhere in the tenths of a PSI, so the balloons just stand proud the whole time, as it takes around 3 PSI to start inflating them...

Cheers!

 

[drgonzo2k2]

From my own experimentation, that would need to be a pretty darned big balloon.
It's an investment, to be sure, but after a couple of years use this solution has proven to be totally worth it...

View attachment 374986

Cheers!

OK, well that is pretty impressive, but I use children's punch balloons. The ones with the big rubber band on the end. You can buy them by the 100 from Amazon for pretty darn cheap. I just fill them up using my CO2 purging wand.

 

[mbobhat]

so the balloons just stand proud the whole time, as it takes around 3 PSI to start inflating them...

Cheers!

Stand proud balloons...you are the envy of all erectile disfunction commercials and keep the terrorists at bay...

 

[Magnus314]

Where do you buy 160 oz pitchers? I'll take 2.

 

[nthammer]

Did you move the keg? My experiences are if I cold-crash in the keg the first few pints are cloudy, but certainly nothing like you are having. The crappy thing though is that if you even so much as scoot the keg over it starts all over again.

Yeah I have the same experience, maybe OP is not making a very clean transfer from carboy to keg..

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Yeah I have the same experience, maybe OP is not making a very clean transfer from carboy to keg..

I transferred with a auto siphon leaving all the cake behind.kegged as normal.Put in the kegerator,didnt touch a thing for 24 hours and pulled 20 pints of mud. Granted this was the worst keg crashing mud in 4 batches but they all lost me beer.Same exact method crashing in primary I only loose a couple pints. I never noticed any off flavors crashing in primary and only switched because of the new hype surrounding oxidation....going back to old method for sure.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Where do you buy 160 oz pitchers? I'll take 2.

7 measured pints so around 112 oz. No clue where the wife got it

 

[wishingiwasfishing]

I transferred with a auto siphon leaving all the cake behind.kegged as normal.Put in the kegerator,didnt touch a thing for 24 hours and pulled 20 pints of mud. Granted this was the worst keg crashing mud in 4 batches but they all lost me beer.Same exact method crashing in primary I only loose a couple pints. I never noticed any off flavors crashing in primary and only switched because of the new hype surrounding oxidation....going back to old method for sure.

It sounds like this batch was cold crashed for 24 hours, were the other batches cold crashed for the same 24 hours or a different length of time?

Have you crashed for any other length of time, what were the results?

Dan

 

[sonofred]

8 days fermenting and 24 hours cold crashing will result in exactly what you have there. Give the yeast a chance to clean itself up next time. 10-14 days in the fermenter would be better, but it still won't clear after 24 hours crashing even with finings. Patience is key.

 

[fatherdan]

you already know the answer. time.

why do folks want to complicate things with all this oxidation talk?

 

[AF1HomeBrew]

I've been using the Clear Draught system when I transfer from the fermenter to a keg. If there is any yeast collected in the keg it will show up when the keg is near empty on that last pint. http://www.clearbeerdraughtsystem.com/

 

[drgonzo2k2]

I think folks talking about fermentation time here are barking up the wrong tree. My ZD clone (and all of my super hoppy beers) are done fermenting (and cleaning up after themselves) in 7 days, every time, period.

That's with a healthy yeast pitch, temperature controlled fermentation, and a ramp from low>high fermentation temp after 5 days.

Then I dry hop for 2 days, followed by 2 days of cold crashing at 33-34F, fining with gelatin after the beer hits 50F.

If you rack to your keg properly after that you will have very clear beer.

Racking to a keg after dry-hopping without cold crashing is problem #1.

Cold crashing in the keg without a shortened dip tube is problem #2.

Only cold crashing in the keg for 24 hours is problem #3.

 

[Terek]

8 days from primary to glass is ridiculous. As someone else said it's not just about FG. Even clear I bet that beer would haves tasted nice and yeasty. Sorry but the beer returns the time and effort you put into it. That looks like 8 day beer.

i do 9 days grain to glass all the time, like 95% of the time. 7 days in fermenter, then 24 hrs cold crash, then 24 hours force carb. i have never have cloudy beer like that, and it tastes just fine.

 

[g-star]

24 hours and this was the clearest.Two solid pitchers of mud

Just tell people is a New England IPA, and they'll love it

 

[hobomoto]

I just swap my air lock for a solid rubber stopper when cold crashing in primary... seems to work just fine!

 

[hobomoto]

I transferred with a auto siphon leaving all the cake behind.kegged as normal.Put in the kegerator,didnt touch a thing for 24 hours and pulled 20 pints of mud. Granted this was the worst keg crashing mud in 4 batches but they all lost me beer.Same exact method crashing in primary I only loose a couple pints. I never noticed any off flavors crashing in primary and only switched because of the new hype surrounding oxidation....going back to old method for sure.

If you are not pushing your beer from primary to the keg with co2 then you probably shouldn't worry about O2 exposure by cold crashing in primary... you are probably exposing it much more with your autosiphon kegging method...

 

[treacheroustexan]

If you weren't having any issues before I don't know why you would switch to a different method. I definitely don't think I would have made it 20 pints in though.. I would have stopped 2 or 3 in lol. I never cold crash, but after a few weeks in the kegerator you can read a book through my beer. Time, as everyone else said.

 

[iijakii]

I just swap my air lock for a solid rubber stopper when cold crashing in primary... seems to work just fine!

Do you not notice the air rush when you remove the stopper? I tried that once and when I pulled it out it splashed as if I had dropped a rock into my carboy. Unless you are letting it rise up to the same temp before removing it that's going to happen from the vacuum.

 

[hobomoto]

Yeah I get the little in rush of air when the vaccuum is broken. Never so much as to splash any of my beer, I can't imagine that happening.

I don't mind the small amount of o2 coming in at that time because I'm transfering pretty quickly under co2 to a purged keg. The exposure time is minimal and its heavily diluted by the large amount of co2.

Figure its at least better than that same volume of air being in my fermenter for the whole 48 hr cold crash... and swapping for a solid stopper is easy peasy.

 

[hobomoto]

Also, I just had a thought about your beer splashing... I break the vaccuum slowly so it doesn't really rush in all at once violently or anything.

Still, its such a small volume of air that comes in I'm surprised it was able to splash your beer.

 

[specharka]

From my own experimentation, that would need to be a pretty darned big balloon.

It's an investment, to be sure, but after a couple of years use this solution has proven to be totally worth it...



View attachment 374986



Cheers!

I wouldn't deny the efficacy of this method, but wouldn't it just be easier to ferment in a keg with a shortened dip tube?

 

[day_trippr]

In a word, no.

In more words, the resulting payoff would be significantly lower volume than my goals - which is to end up with 5.25 gallons of totally clear beer in the keg...

Cheers!