Primary complete, cold crash if not dry-hopping?

[APipeDream]

7 days of fermenting an Oktoberfest style Ale is complete and it is now moved to a secondary carboy. I have only done IPAs to this point where dry-hopping is done in the secondary. Should the secondary be at fermenting temp at this point or should I cold crash it now?

 

[BigMack]

I would check out BierMuncher's Oktober"fast" thread. I think the original recipe as well as all of the pages of feedback should be able to answer your question with a ton of people having brewed it in different ways.

 

[APipeDream]

I would check out BierMuncher's Oktober"fast" thread. I think the original recipe as well as all of the pages of feedback should be able to answer your question with a ton of people having brewed it in different ways.

Great thread so far, thanks!

 

[Skep18]

Generally speaking if your FG readings indicate fermentation is complete you can cold crash. I'd expand upon that by saying if you're secondary'ing that must mean your FG is on target so you can cold crash.

You only need to hold fermentation temp while fermenting. (Dry hopping temp may be a seperate discussion but isn't relevant here.)

 

[johngaltsmotor]

If fermentation is truly complete then all "secondary" is is extra time for yeast to clear up off flavors and floculate out. If you had good temperature control during fermentation then cleaning up off flavors isn't relevant. So all that's left is clearing, which cold crashing speeds up. The only negative to moving to cold crashing this fast is if you're not really done with fermentation. Did you check that with gravity readings or just watching the bubbles in the airlock?

I just kegged 10gal of an OctoberFast derivative last night that had been in primary for 4-1/2 weeks because I was in no rush (and had 900lb of new laminate flooring stacked in front of my fermenters). If it's not an IPA I tend to give my yeast plenty of time, even more if it's trying to emulate a lager.