Thermally shock yeast by adding ice in the fermenter?

[Brew_Meister_General]

I don't have a fridge cold crashing so I thought, using ice (sanitised/campden/pH 4.5) could be neat way to thermally shock the yeast into flocculating a day or so before bottling.

What do you recon?

 

[lumpher]

I reckon that, if you try it, you want to make sure the ice is sanitized somehow. VERY hard to do, so I wouldn't even try. I know you mention a plan to do that, but it's a risk, especially since bacteria could be inside the ice, and wouldn't be sanitized that way.

 

[Talgrath]

If I was going to do that, I'd put the ice around the fermenter, not in it...especially since that would dilute the beer. Maybe a combination of a damp towel and a bunch of ice in a big plastic tub. I'd also just do it overnight since things won't stay cold for very long.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Don't do this. Give it time, they'll fall out on their own.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I, also, would suggest against doing this. Besides the possible risk of contamination, you will be watering your beer down as well. If you don't have a refrigerator or other chamber to cold crash in, I like the idea from @Talgrath. Are you using buckets to ferment in? Are you using a water bath to maintain your fermentation temperature? If yes to both, then dump your water, refill with ice, rock salt and water. That should crash your temperature very quickly.

 

[JohnSand]

+1 to Give it time. I don't cold crash, I have very clear beer. Three to four weeks in the fermenter settles it out.

 

[renrutle]

+ 1 to waiting.

<disregard>
Water bears survive freezing
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280286/Meet-toughest-animal-planet-The-water-bear-survive-frozen-boiled-float-space-live-200-years.html
They also survive boiling so we may have to modify our entire brewing methodology.
</disregard>

srsly
While freezing does kill most microbes you would be better served by waiting a few days for the yeast to flocculate naturally.

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

Yeah it seems more effort than its worth really but maybe I'll try it once just to see. Cold shocking is meant to have a negative effect on the yeast in terms of metabolisation or something, but if its flocculating that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[JohnSand]

Let us know how it works out.