After fermentation is complete on Ales, would there be a benefit of cold crashing for a while before bottling, and if so how long? :cheers:
Yes, ales can benefit from a cold-crash - a couple days (and obviously longer) in the low 30s will help drop sediment and yeast and make it easier to rack off the cake without disturbing it.
My usual MO is to cold-crash my ales for at least 1 week once the primary ferment is done (i prefer 2 weeks for cold-crashing when time permits, but 1 week usually does the job).
I use US-05 as my house ale strain, which I’ve found to be pretty slow to flocculate out of a beer at any temp above 40°F or so. However, 7-14 days in the low 30’s F will settle out US-05 and most ale strains so you get a fairly clear beer in the bottle, but you’ll still have enough yeast to bottle-condition.
If you’re careful not to disturb the yeast cake much when bottling, your beer will be plenty clear once the bottles are carbonated.
Bklmt2000
I do every batch.
+1
I cold crash in carboy for few days at 33°F to allow any chill haze form, then add gelatin and leave it in the fridge.
The beer is usually crystal bright in 3-4 days, any time after which I’ll rack it to a keg and carbonate (although typically I’ll leave it for a few weeks or longer since I’m generally not in any rush…since pretty much any beer benefits from some cold aging).
In any case, the result is bright beer from the first pint to the last.
I usually rack to a keg, put on the gas and into the fridge. After a couple days the first pour is all the yeast from the bottom. Clear sailing after that.
I say it depends on the beer and what you want out of it. If you want pretty beer, then cold crash away. Be careful about doing it to early, or you may have a lot of diacetyl. Everything above is correct.
I usually make English style ales with a flocculant yeast (1968.) I get clear beer without cold crashing. I have also read and heard from an English brewing friend that you should not let the beer go below 50 if you want maximum flavor. Real ale is kind of like garden tomatoes. They lose some complexity when you chill them too much. Remember, the point of lagering is to smooth out the beer. I like some of those hearty ale flavors that seem to disappear when the beer is cold crashed.
[quote=“SA Brew”]I say it depends on the beer and what you want out of it. If you want pretty beer, then cold crash away. Be careful about doing it to early, or you may have a lot of diacetyl. Everything above is correct.
I usually make English style ales with a flocculant yeast (1968.) I get clear beer without cold crashing. I have also read and heard from an English brewing friend that you should not let the beer go below 50 if you want maximum flavor. Real ale is kind of like garden tomatoes. They lose some complexity when you chill them too much. Remember, the point of lagering is to smooth out the beer. I like some of those hearty ale flavors that seem to disappear when the beer is cold crashed.[/quote]
+1 I only cold crash if the beer is not clean and bright in the test tube. But a good secondary and not rushing the fermatation will always give you the best flavors. Cold crashing could knock you out of a compition but dropping out to much flavor of a ale.
A very good point. As such, I failed to mention in my post that after cold crashing and clearing, I serve all of my beers at 55°F (60° for things like Burton/Barleywine or RIS).
I totally agree that there’s no point at all in making good beer if i will be served too cold.
A very good point. As such, I failed to mention in my post that after cold crashing and clearing, I serve all of my beers at 55°F (60° for things like Burton/Barleywine or RIS).
I totally agree that there’s no point at all in making good beer if i will be served too cold.[/quote]
Dang that’s pretty “warm”. I usually only cold crash down to what I will be serving at, which is around 40-44F. Been thinking about serving warmer, but afraid of foamy pours with my 6’ lines.
[quote=“Beersk”][quote=“The Professor”]
A very good point. As such, I failed to mention in my post that after cold crashing and clearing, I serve all of my beers at 55°F (60° for things like Burton/Barleywine or RIS).
I totally agree that there’s no point at all in making good beer if i will be served too cold.[/quote]
Dang that’s pretty “warm”. I usually only cold crash down to what I will be serving at, which is around 40-44F. Been thinking about serving warmer, but afraid of foamy pours with my 6’ lines.[/quote]
Yeah, definitely not as cold compared to American custom, but to me it tastes better that way. Just a personal preference.
As far as my cold crashing well below serving temps, it’s simply to get the haze to form quickly and completely so it can fine out. I doing so, it assures that if I bottle some off to give away to friends (who will inevitably over chill them) the beer will be both bright and totally sediment free.
Regarding serving from the keg, I really don’t have much of a problem with foaming since I also generally carbonate at a lower levels (I don’t like overly fizzy beer).
Thnaks for the replies!! When you are reducing temperature do you drop the temp a few degrees each day like lagers, or can you get it down all at once. :cheers:
[quote=“brewhopper1”]Thnaks for the replies!! When you are reducing temperature do you drop the temp a few degrees each day like lagers, or can you get it down all at once.
:cheers: [/quote]
You’re wlecome :mrgreen:
Don’t know what the others do, but I just put it into the 33*F fridge and let the 60 year old Frigidaire do its thing.
My aim is to fine it after the chill haze forms completely…a matter of a maybe 3 days or so. But if your aim is simply to drop the yeast and the haze presence isn’t an issue, at that temperature the yeast drop is accomplished in a day and a half or so, depending on the yeast strain (my go-to house yeast of unknown pedigree & origin, which I’ve been using for the last 20+ years, drops out fairly quickly.
A medium to high flocculent commercial strain should behave similarly. And as SAbrew correctly stated, if you use WY1968 (or a similarly flocculent strain) you needn’t even bother cold crashing…it’ll drop bright on its own.
the only time to drop temps slowly is for a d-rest. to just clear the beer I just drop the temp in frig to cold crash temp.
