quick cold crash question

[defenestrate]

two brews ago i forgot to add whirloc to my beer, resulting in a little more haze than i wanted. i had never tried cold crashing before, but i figured since its been below 40 degrees every day for the past week and goign to be for a while, i figured i'd try it-so right now the beer is in the garage at about 50 degrees, its been in there since wed. and dropped a couple degrees everyday. it was in the primary for 10. i tasted at the transfer and it was decent but tasted like it could use more time.

now, will transferring at ten days put a halt on any aging benefits? i guess what im getting at the beer might be clearer but still taste "green". i've been reading up on threads about cold crashing and the jist i've been getting from most of them is that i should have waited a little longer before cold crashing ( i planned on doing it for another 10 and then bottling) would i be better off bringing it back inside, letting it work for about a week at 65 degrees, then crash it for 3-4 days before bottling?

which leads me to my next question. i assume im going to have to repitch some yeast before bottling if they are all in the bottom of the carboy-how much would be sufficient for bottling?

much obliged fellas

 

[Yooper]

two brews ago i forgot to add whirloc to my beer, resulting in a little more haze than i wanted. i had never tried cold crashing before, but i figured since its been below 40 degrees every day for the past week and goign to be for a while, i figured i'd try it-so right now the beer is in the garage at about 50 degrees, its been in there since wed. and dropped a couple degrees everyday. it was in the primary for 10. i tasted at the transfer and it was decent but tasted like it could use more time.

now, will transferring at ten days put a halt on any aging benefits? i guess what im getting at the beer might be clearer but still taste "green". i've been reading up on threads about cold crashing and the jist i've been getting from most of them is that i should have waited a little longer before cold crashing ( i planned on doing it for another 10 and then bottling) would i be better off bringing it back inside, letting it work for about a week at 65 degrees, then crash it for 3-4 days before bottling?

which leads me to my next question. i assume im going to have to repitch some yeast before bottling if they are all in the bottom of the carboy-how much would be sufficient for bottling?

much obliged fellas

Cold temperature slows aging of beer quite a bit, so normally when someone cold-crashes the beer, they do it at the very end of secondary, or after a long time in the primary. You actually WANT the yeast to stay active for a while, cleaning up any off flavors that the yeast produced during fermentation. One thing I wouldn't do is fluctuate the temperatures, though. If you bring it back in for aging, then chill it again, I would think that's not very hospitable for the yeast. I'd let it be for a while, then bring it in and bottle it and let it age in the bottle at room temperature.

There isn't any scientific reason for it, but it just seems like lagering it for a short period, raising the temperature for aging, then chilling it again, then raising it for bottling, etc, wouldn't keep the yeast happy.

 

[defenestrate]

Cold temperature slows aging of beer quite a bit, so normally when someone cold-crashes the beer, they do it at the very end of secondary, or after a long time in the primary. You actually WANT the yeast to stay active for a while, cleaning up any off flavors that the yeast produced during fermentation. One thing I wouldn't do is fluctuate the temperatures, though. If you bring it back in for aging, then chill it again, I would think that's not very hospitable for the yeast. I'd let it be for a while, then bring it in and bottle it and let it age in the bottle at room temperature.

There isn't any scientific reason for it, but it just seems like lagering it for a short period, raising the temperature for aging, then chilling it again, then raising it for bottling, etc, wouldn't keep the yeast happy.

that all makes sense. at this point i feel that i might just end up with some cloudy beer-no worries.....next time i'll make it easier on myself and NOT forget the whirloc:cross:

do you think i'll be able to get it carbed up properly by bringing it in, letting it warm back up to 65 and then bottling? or should i pitch some yeast? if so about how much?

 

[Yooper]

that all makes sense. at this point i feel that i might just end up with some cloudy beer-no worries.....next time i'll make it easier on myself and NOT forget the whirloc:cross:

do you think i'll be able to get it carbed up properly by bringing it in, letting it warm back up to 65 and then bottling? or should i pitch some yeast? if so about how much?

Oh, it should carb up just fine! I make lagers, and even after lagering for 6 weeks at 34 degrees, it still carbs up. Unless you freeze the beer accidently or otherwise damage the yeast, it should not be a problem carbing up.

 

[defenestrate]

very good. im excited to see how this one comes out after the crashing and bottle aging then most likely crashing once again in the bottles.