Beer Forum

So I just recently got a fermentation fridge and two-way controller and now I can do some methods I had only dreamed about, such as cold crashing.

However, a few questions.

1. What exactly does cold crashing do?
2. How cold for how long?
3. Will it work on both lagers and ales?
4. If the beer warms up again to bottle condition will this cause problems?

Thanks for all the help. I used to think I was a good brewer but once I started listening to the BN I realized how much I dont know.

Spurtrax wrote:1. What exactly does cold crashing do?
2. How cold for how long?
3. Will it work on both lagers and ales?
4. If the beer warms up again to bottle condition will this cause problems?

1. Drops the yeast so you can transfer a cleaner beer
2. I usually cold crash for a day or 2 at 40 F, which is the temp that I will carbonate in my kegerator.
3. Yes, but I've only done ales
4. I don't think so. I worry if I'm going to bottle after cold crashing, there wouldn't be enough yeast to carbonate, but the BN'ers here said it would be ok.

the amount of yeast is plenty...I have lagered a beer for 4-5 weeks at 35F and didn't add any other yeast and it carbed just fine

Just to add a bit to what has been said already...
I prefer to cold crash as low as I can go without freezing the beer. Around 30-32f for 2-3 days works for me. If I remember correctly it will start to freeze around 27-28f.
Cold beer also absorbs the co2 easier than room temp beer. (so I have always been told)
Cold crash at 32f, transfer to keg, hook up co2, wait, drink, passout, hangover, repeat.

What if the beer gets warm again after bottling. Is this a problem.

Teachme wrote:What if the beer gets warm again after bottling. Is this a problem.

Letting the beer get warm again later isn't a problem - actually, for bottling, you'll want to let it get warm again to help the bottle conditioning. You just want to avoid cycling the beer between hot and col multiple times over and over.

It should be noted that keeping your beer warm speeds up the aging process and can also speed up any contamination that might be in there (i.e. spoils faster). So if you have the means, after the bottle conditioning has been completed (2-3 weeks), keep your beer cold to improve its shelf life.

Best of luck.

-Okt

So if I ferment at 66f then crash at 32f then bottle condition at 68f then store at 40f am I not cycling up and down multiple times or can the beer take more.

Teachme wrote:So if I ferment at 66f then crash at 32f then bottle condition at 68f then store at 40f am I not cycling up and down multiple times or can the beer take more.

You'll be fine. That's a pretty normal set of tempurature swings.

-Okt