I've heard some brewers talking about cooling the beer over a longer period (couple of days) to avoid chill haze, and was wondering if there was any evidence to suggest that this is more effective at reducing chill haze than a sudden cold crash?
it takes hours to go from 68 f to 32-33 F
If you use this method you don't need a diacetyl rest so you will be sliding from somehwere near 50 °F, not near 60 °F.
Yes, there is a reason for this, It makes better beer. See Kunze.
Cold crashing can shock yeast into producing some off flavors/compounds you don’t want in your beer. It depends on the yeast and other variables.
If you do a diacetyl rest on a lager there’s no reason to cool slowly over a long period. 5* per day is what I’d recommend. That slow cooling is critical for traditonal lager brewing where ferments don’t get above say 50. Lager yeast has the ability to work and consume diacetyl and other off flavors at much lower temps. Slowly cooling 1-2* per day keeps the yeast in suspension and working even lower than 40*.
If you pitch enough yeast there’s zero reason to do a diacetyl rest. I’ve never made a lager with diacetyl and often they never get above 47 or 48. I also have no desire to produce a 4 week lager personally.
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