Crashing with a Better Bottle and Other Stuff

Northern Brewer General
1

I have my first 2 “Better Bottle” batches just about ready to move into kegs (maybe another 7 days on the yeast) and I’m not sure how to move forward. Normally at this point I would move my glass carboys into my fridge to crash out the yeast, then move the carboys onto a table and rack into kegs.

However, I’ve read that the Better Bottles will collapse inward if you put them in a cold fridge. Should I just rack into the kegs to crash and just blow out the sediment with the first pour? How are people doing this with Better Bottles?

Also, I’ve had about a 2 year break from brewing and now it seems like a lot more people are clarifying with gelatin. When I was last brewing it seemed common wisdom was that you didn’t need a clarifying agent if you cold crashed. How come everybody is doing it now? And can I use gelatin in a keg and blow it out with the first pour or will it clog up the works?

Another thing is we thought clarifying a hop bombed IPA was self-defeating (i.e. - would ruin the hop character) but I’ve seen references to people doing that now too. Does it not strip the hop aromas and flavors?

Thanks for your thoughts!

PS - The forum also seems to have about 1/4 the traffic. Where did everybody go?

2

I use better bottles also, but I find that as you handle them and yer airlock is in place, you may suck the fluid from the locker into yer brew!!! I did remove the topper covering the stem before moving it around. I haven’t cold crashed with the better bottle, only glass, along time ago. I feel that it will create a vacuum as it cools and suck the fluid in again…. I have been getting away from airlock,- or sometimes referred to as a bubbler, now I put a 1/2" hose over the nipple on the corks for a better bottle and into a 1/2 gallon bucket with water… Also I do finish in kegs now. I don’t want to handle any more than nessecary . Sometimes gelatin, most times not… Just what I’ve found…. Sneezles61 :blah:

3

You could soak a piece of cloth in vodka and rubber band it to the top. It will give some protection to the nasties in a fridge although there is less to worry about with a finished beer. That said I also cold crash in the keg.

About the slow down on the forum. It’s getting to be summer so everyone has gone outside. It usually slows down a little this time of year.