Question about cold crashing

[masaba]

I brewed my first batch this past Friday, an oatmeal stout recipe kit from Brewer's Best. It is now fermenting at 64 degrees in a 6.5 gallon bucket.

After reading a lot of the advice on these forums I have decided to not use 'secondary' fermenting it (as the recipe said to do), and instead I will just leave it in the bucket for about three weeks. I would like to try cold crashing. Is it as simple as just putting the bucket in my fridge for a day or two before bottling? I'm lucky enough to have a full-sized beer fridge with plenty of space in my basement.

 

[Peyope]

Does your fridge get to 38-40 degrees? If so, yes. I let it sit for 4 days. Some crash for a week. Some less. Considering it's a stout and clarity probably isn't the most important attribute I'd say you'll be okay no matter what you do.

 

[sikkingj]

Keg your beer after fermentation and stick it outside for a week (assuming colder temperatures) and it will cold crash for you.

If you don't keg, stick your primary outside for a week after primary fermentation has ended (4 weeks) and leave the trub behind when you siphon into your bottles.

The best of like, cold crashing is the bomb!


Sent from the window of an airplane...

 

[Munchkin]

It is as simple as just putting it in the fridge for a few days. Id recommend at least 3 days to make it worth while. If you have to move it out of the fridge to rack, try to be as careful as possible and let it sit for abit afterwards to drop any sediment you may have disturbed. Being this is a stout I wouldnt worry that much about it.

 

[masaba]

Thanks for the advice. Since this is my first brew, I am worrying about everything. I don't have a keg system yet, but my wife has been asking what I want for Christmas

 

[metanoia]

Two days is a good minimum, I just did that with a brown ale and the beer I drew off was pretty clear. It's certainly a good strategy for cleaning up your beer.