What is the cold break?

[trainfever]

Ok, so Ive waited long enough. I figured out that flame out means when you turn the heat off, be it natual gas, propane or electric, correct? So then, what is the cold break? Ive seen this a few times but could bever figure out what it was.

 

[flyangler18]

Actually looks pretty frightening when you see it- all kinds of glop.

 

[trainfever]

Would this happen when using an immersion chiller or doesnt the IC cool the wort fast enough?

 

[flyangler18]

Would this happen when using an immersion chiller or doesnt the IC cool the wort fast enough?

Well that depends on the temperature of the water running through the IC. I use a submersible pond pump and ice water with my IC and I get a spectacular cold break. Now that the seasons are changing and temps are falling, my tap water does just fine.

 

[PseudoChef]

It's proteins precipitating out of solution (becoming unnative/unfolded from their desired state) due from the extreme shock of going from boiling to cold:

 

[Sager Brewing Co.]

You don't necessarily need an IC to get good cold break. My first two brews where done with just a cold water bath, not even ice, it took awhile to cool down but I still got cold break.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

PseudoChef's picture is worth a thousand words.
In general the faster you cool the wort to your pitching temp, the better.

 

[Bob]

Yup. Cold break is simply coagulated proteins and other matter. Icky looking, but harmless. In fact, a good cold-break formation is crucial to reduction of chill haze precursors.

Bob

 

[trainfever]

So then cold break is neither a good thing nor a bad thing?

 

[olllllo]

I'd rather see it than not.

 

[Brewsmith]

So then cold break is neither a good thing nor a bad thing?

It's a good thing. Leaving the protiens in suspension can lead to haze as well as other stability problems. You want to get out as much as possible with lagers for flavor reasons.

 

[bhs668]

On this subject, fairly a newbie, drinking my first batch with my second in the secondary and third in the primary, I just spend lots of time daily reading and not bothering to ask questions. However, I'm sure I've read that cold break will occur if you get the wort cooler to below 70 degrees. Is this correct? I usually get my wort down to 80, top off with water to 5 gal and usually end up 72-75. If I have read correctly from one post that you get cold break cooling to under 70, is that too cool to pitch yeast?

 

[scinerd3000]

no....i usually pitch at the same temp that im fermenting at. usually around 70

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Cold break is formed by the rapid decrease in temperature, not by the absolute temperature itself. I bring my wort down to 65 for my ales before pitching.