Temp variation while cold crashing

[Coastalbrew]

Morning everyone,
My first batch of all grain brew is almost ready to bottle and I am considering trying to cold crash for the first time. I don't have a dedicated fridge for the purpose and my fermenter won't fit in my kitchen fridge. So I am considering putting the fermenter out in my garage for the next few days. Daytime temps will be in the high 40's to mid 50's F and night time temps will be in the 30's. Will these temps and conditions work to cold crash, or will the temp variation be detrimental to the brew?

After about 3 days I would bring the brew back inside and let it come to room temperature for the last few days before bottling.

Thanks!

 

[JohnSand]

I haven't tried this, but I think it should work. Let us know.

 

[Coastalbrew]

Will do

 

[Smellyglove]

You'll most probably stir up some of the sediments when bringing it back in, and leaving it "hot" for a few days doesn't help, you'll be almost back to scratch comparing to just letting it sit where it is for a few days.

Either go all inn, or don't waste your time trying, sort of. sounded harsher than intended.. CC is in many cases not necessary.

 

[day_trippr]

I'm not sure about ^that^. When I drag a cold-crashed carboy out for kegging there invariably is some disturbance but it settles so quickly when hovering around 34°F that it's truly not an issue. If left alone I'd expect (without any proof to this point) the trub to remain compact and stay there even as the beer warms - with the caveat that if there are fermentables remaining all bets are off...

Cheers!

 

[Coastalbrew]

I'm not sure about ^that^. When I drag a cold-crashed carboy out for kegging there invariably is some disturbance but it settles so quickly when hovering around 34°F that it's truly not an issue. If left alone I'd expect (without any proof to this point) the trub to remain compact and stay there even as the beer warms - with the caveat that if there are fermentables remaining all bets are off...

Cheers!

Even without cold crashing in the past I've never had much issue with the trub getting overly disturbed when I have moved the fermenter around for bottling. Usually anything that does get stirred up settles again by the time I'm done with my prep work and ready to rack into the bottling bucket. As far fermentables, I haven't taken a reading, but it's been in the primary now for 3 weeks so I would expect it to be finished by now.

I guess we'll see.

 

[HTH1975]

I'm not sure about ^that^. When I drag a cold-crashed carboy out for kegging there invariably is some disturbance but it settles so quickly when hovering around 34°F that it's truly not an issue. If left alone I'd expect (without any proof to this point) the trub to remain compact and stay there even as the beer warms - with the caveat that if there are fermentables remaining all bets are off...

Cheers!

^+1

I cold crash in a fridge in our cellar, then carry the fermenting bucket upstairs into the kitchen. There is ‘some’ movement in the yeast-cake, but it settles back down if I leave it a couple of hours (it’s already cold, so the yeast/proteins tend to drop back down easily).

I also use Brausol for fining - it works a treat and also removes chill haze. This compacts things quite nicely too.

I syphon off the top of the FV into a bottling bucket with priming sugar-solution and around 1g of fresh yeast. Job done.

 

[Coastalbrew]

So I bottled the batch yesterday after trying the cold crash garage method. I couldn't tell an appreciable difference in the clarity. Still pretty hazy. But it tastes good and to me that's all that matters.
Cheers !

 

[WestMichBrewer]

So I bottled the batch yesterday after trying the cold crash garage method. I couldn't tell an appreciable difference in the clarity. Still pretty hazy. But it tastes good and to me that's all that matters.
Cheers !

You're cold crashing to get the yeast to go dormant and settle out of the beer - helps clarity and possibly minimizes yeasty flavors in the finished product.
I don't think the fluctuating temperatures would do any damage to the beer (assuming the yeast has already completed the fermentation) but maybe won't be as effective.
I don't bother cold crashing all my beers, but for lagers I cold crash a few days and then use gelatin fining during kegging.