cold crashing

So I searched the word and got tired of looking for my answer among all the treads.
I brewed shining star pale ale with us05 in my new freezer fermenting chamber temp stayed low to mid 60s throughout fermentation.
So my question is at what time do I start cold crash and should I slowly bring temp down, and to what temp do I want it down to?
I am on week 2 of primary and I follow the advice of these forums and always go 3 weeks primary before I bottle. Up until now all my beers are cloudy even with using Irish moss, that does not bother me because I know it does not effect taste but I want to attempt to make a clear beer for once:>)
Any advice always appreciated.

Thanks

The “crash” part means to drop the temp immediately - just put the fermenter in the fridge and let it sit a couple or three days. Most of my beers get 18 days in the primary including a week of dryhopping and then get cold-crashed and kegged at the 20-21 day mark.

I primary for up to a week then rack to a secondary for 12 days then cold crash for 3 days and keg I get some very clear beers.

Beer clarity is as much about patience as it is any particular technique. I have trouble keeping cloudy styles from clearing in my kegs after a month or two. Maybe you’re just not giving it enough time. Try cold crashing for a week after you’re sure it’s done, then bottle and leave at room temperature for a week, then leave it chilled in the fridge for at least a week or as long as you can stand. The longer you wait, the clearer the beer. Cold crashing helps, but time does the trick eventually…

+1, pretty much.
My timings are a bit different, but the one week in primary is about right…though someimes it is less, depending on what the ferment wants to do. More than a week in primary is certainly not needed if doing secondary, since you are still transferring enough yeast to do the ‘cleanup’ work that folks speak of.
Transferring to secondary is not a big deal, pretty routine, actually. It poses minimal risk if you keep everything clean, and results in a better finished product…at least to me. YMMV.

Of course, in the end it’s always right to do what works best for you and gives the result you want (or will settle for).
It’s all good if you make beer you like. :cheers:

+1, pretty much.
My timings are a bit different, but the one week in primary is about right…though someimes it is less, depending on what the ferment wants to do. More than a week in primary is certainly not needed if doing secondary, since you are still transferring enough yeast to do the ‘cleanup’ work that folks speak of.
Transferring to secondary is not a big deal, pretty routine, actually. It poses minimal risk if you keep everything clean, and results in a better finished product…at least to me. YMMV.

Of course, in the end it’s always right to do what works best for you and gives the result you want (or will settle for).
It’s all good if you make beer you like. :cheers: [/quote]

After all the talk the other week of not really needing a secondary, it is really nice to see a different point of view. I do think the beers I have done in a secondary have come out really clear…

[quote=“althiels”]
After all the talk the other week of not really needing a secondary, it is really nice to see a different point of view. I do think the beers I have done in a secondary have come out really clear…[/quote]

I agree re: different POV. I’m not staunchly committed to either view. I usually don’t do a secondary, but sometimes I do.

Regarding the effects of secondary on clarity, check out the experiment that the Basic Brewing guys did earlier this year. In a nutshell, they found that secondary clears beer faster while in bulk, but after bottling they could not see a difference.

[quote=“althiels”]After all the talk the other week of not really needing a secondary, it is really nice to see a different point of view[/quote]One thing you’re guaranteed in the world of brewing is the second (and third) opinion - just post about Summit hops and you’ll get “wonderful tangerine flavor and aroma” and “nasty onion garlic character”. A secondary is not like pitching healthy yeast - there’s no consensus on the benefits and plenty of counter-arguments. General ROT for brewing is to figure out what works for your own brewhouse and beers and then stick up for your opinion with facts (and hopefully specifics of your process so everyone can compare apples to apples).