So I’m totally new to home brewing and am learning so much on these forums! But I’ve searched and have yet to find out how to, and why to cold crash my brew. I literally know nothing about brewing other than I’ve done my first batch yesterday, which was from an extract and it seems like everybody else knows their stuff here when it comes to cold crashing.
So, with that said, I’m guessing there are other newbs out there afraid to ask the question:
What is the process of cold crashing my brew, and what is the purpose?? Can I do it in the fermentation bucket? It seems the reason is to clarify it before bottling, but are there other benefits and do those outweigh just going straight from fermentation to bottling?
Thanks again for all your help and God bless!
brew_newb
Cold crashing is exactly that, to help clarify your beer. But it also smooths things out by getting tannins and Polyphenols to drop out. It especially useful for dry hopping or using other post fermentation additives.
You can do it in your bucket. Be careful with water in your airlock/blowoff as it will create negative pressure and suck air into the fermenter.
Copy that. So there is a benefit. But what’s the process? Do I just stick my bucket in the fridge for a certain amount of time? Or is it a little more scientific than that? Again, I know nothing of the process so if you’ve got a specific process that’s bullet proof, I’d love to glean your wisdom!
Be careful because if you follow me you will be considered a nut! I still believe in ‘secondary fermentation.’
But yeah, just stick your fermenter in a cold spot around 32°. Us Americans call it ‘cold storage’ but Germans call it ‘lagering.’ For an ale you just won’t do it near as long. A week is plenty.
Do not add more yeast, the secondary is basically just to give the beer more time to let yeast and stuff drop out and get a more clear beer. It’s debatable if the secondary is worth the effort or just leaving it inprimary for more time. Personally I do not ssecondary unless I want ti reuse that yeast before the beer clears.
You boldly ask the questions we dare not ask! I guess we all got “brew kits” as stocking stuffers and really want to take it further than just a gallon of Mr. Beer.
You’ve come to the right place to feed your addiction you will get a lot of good advice here. My advice is brew a lot. Don’t waste time on secondary for a regular beer or ale. I don’t touch my beer after I pitch my yeast untill it’s ready to keg or bottle. Spend that time brewing another batch. If your doing 1 gallon brew once a week, 5 gallons twice a month, 10 gallons once a month is about right.
Thanks everyone! I have this bad feeling I won’t need to worry about cold crashing anyway as my beer is now bubbling only once every 80 secs after 4 days of fermenting at 65 degrees. Does it sound like it’s going bad? I’m so afraid of this thing going going south. I know everyone has probably lost at least one batch but to lose the first is a kick in the pants!! I’m gonna hold out and pray all works well, but the anxiety is getting the best of me!
There’s an acronym you will soon learn: RDWHAHB- Relax Don’t Worry Have A Home Brew.
After 4 days it is quite typical for active signs of fermentation(airlock bubbles, temperature rise, thick krausen) to slow or disappear. BUT… that’s just the active signs. The yeast are still at work, slowly and uneventfully finishing the fermentation process, cleaning up after themselves and settling to the bottom. It’s perfectly acceptable and even beneficial after 5-7 days, to raise the temperature by 5 degrees or so to keep the yeast active. After a minimum of 10-14 days, take an SG reading. Repeat a day or 2 after that. If they are the same, then it’s OK to start thinking about your next stage; bottling, kegging, or racking to a cold conditioning vessel.
I’m just using the yeast pack that came with the kit. It’s currently sitting at 64 degrees which is right where it should be according to the directions. So that said, I’m gonna bottle this stuff in another week and hope for the best!! Thanks for your help folks!
It’s easy to get carried away trying every single tip or technique you read but just going by the directions is the place to start along with good brew day notes. That way if something does go wrong you’ll be able to pinpoint the issue. But as everyone else has said definitely RDWHAHB and welcome to the forum.
I’m really not an uptight person loopie_beer, this is just all new to me and so it seems like there’s SO MUCH emphasis on the science of making beer by the veterans, that it’s a bit unnerving to know how much I really don’t know about the process. I just want to make good beer and enjoy the process but am a bit of a perfectionist and have a whole stinking lot to learn before I feel confident that all will turn out fine. I’m a craftsman by trade and I know that there’s a learning process with any new aspect to my job. Same with beer I assume. There will be times I mess up as that’s part of the process. It’s just being ignorant of the process that kills me. BUT I WILL PREVAIL!! Thanks again and God bless!
I get that I suffer the same affliction. Just remember that it won’t kill anyone, you’ll probably make beer just as good as any you’ve had, and that you will get better. As a tradesman I’m sure you had a lot to learn and had to learn it over a period of time, as well as trial and error. YOU WILL PREVAIL!
The problem with being a craftsman, is that it’s the wrong attitude. There’s a saying, “Brewers make wort, yeast makes beer” you craft the medium, but ultimately have to to trust the yeast to make the best of it. You have to give them the best medium, (recipie) make sure you have enough workers (starters) and the best working environment (temp control) but ultimately the yeast are in control of the timing. Don’t rush them; give them the time they need.
The most important ingredient in the beer is patience. Do not rush.
Just like in the trades there are a lot of people on here that sweat the whys and how’s and then the rest of us that do our own thing and go from expierience. Making beer is pretty damn simple just keep stuff clean and keep your temps in the 60’s and you will make great beer. If you get into mashing there is a itltle more to think about but still not complicated .
I still believe in ‘secondary fermentation.’
