Cold Crash, best practice?

[OlsBean]

I'm still very new brewing and I've got my 5th kit (Festival Landlords Finest Bitter) getting near to finishing in the Primary FV and I wanted to Cold Crash it to help with clearing it, especially as the temperature is perfect here at the moment to do this.

As I am going to be putting this into a Pressure Barrel I was wondering what the best method to go about this is.

Leave it in the Primary FV, Cold Crash and then after a couple of days transfer to the PB?

Transfer to a Secondary FV, Cold Crash then transfer to PB after a couple of days?

Transfer to the PB then Cold Crash it in the PB for a couple of days before bringing the temp up to Carbonate?

Or something else?

Any advice or help would be very much appreciated.

Happy New Year All.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Cold conditioning, or cold crashing as our colonial cousins have named it, promotes settling of the sediment.
I cold condition the FV after fermentation is complete; at this time of year, in my brew shed, I simply power down my brewfridge and crack open the door.
After cold conditioning for a few days I transfer it to the next vessel (bottling bucket or keg).

 

[GerritT]

How about: leave it in the Primary FV, Cold Crash, transfer to Secondary, Cold Crash, and then after another couple of days transfer to the PB. The clearer it is when it goes into PB, the better I'd think. You gonna lose an extra pint in secondary, but that's mostly trub anyway.

That kit, is that grain or extract by the way?

 

[Bigcol49]

How about: leave it in the Primary FV, Cold Crash, transfer to Secondary, Cold Crash, and then after another couple of days transfer to the PB. The clearer it is when it goes into PB, the better I'd think. You gonna lose an extra pint in secondary, but that's mostly trub anyway.

That kit, is that grain or extract by the way?

Hi!
Many members prefer not to transfer to a secondary vessel.

 

[GerritT]

Hi!
Many members prefer not to transfer to a secondary vessel.

I know, I was merely making a suggestion.

 

[Robin54]

Hi!
Many members prefer not to transfer to a secondary vessel.

Never got this secondary FV business. Its just another vector for possible infection. My beer is crystal clear after only one day in the bottle.

 

[foxbat]

Never got this secondary FV business. Its just another vector for possible infection. My beer is crystal clear after only one day in the bottle.

It was what the experts originally recommended. John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff have since corrected themselves on that. Transcript here. I'm a nobody when it comes to brewing so when those two say don't do it, I'm not going to do it.

 

[OlsBean]

How about: leave it in the Primary FV, Cold Crash, transfer to Secondary, Cold Crash, and then after another couple of days transfer to the PB. The clearer it is when it goes into PB, the better I'd think. You gonna lose an extra pint in secondary, but that's mostly trub anyway.

That kit, is that grain or extract by the way?

It's an Extract, One of The Festival Premium Ale Kit Range "Landlords Finest Bitter" I've also got the "Golden Stag Summer Ale" from the same range (Xmas Present) but I have not started it yet.

 

[Robin54]

It was what the experts originally recommended. John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff have since corrected themselves on that. Transcript here. I'm a nobody when it comes to brewing so when those two say don't do it, I'm not going to do it.

respect for Ex-Spurts

 

[OlsBean]

Thanks for all the advice, I think I will just Crash it in the Primary FV for 3 days then transfer and prime to the barrel as normal. Is it worth adding some Finnings before Cold Crashing it?

 

[terrym]

Yer don't need finings. Gravity and time will do the same job

 

[Robin54]

Thanks for all the advice, I think I will just Crash it in the Primary FV for 3 days then transfer and prime to the barrel as normal. Is it worth adding some Finnings before Cold Crashing it?

You don't need finnings either.

 

[GerritT]

Ever tried Irish moss?

 

[Robin54]

Ever tried Irish moss?

only in a hanging basket:lol:

 

[HAHB]

I generally cold crash in the FV once fermentation is complete, with the addition of some gelatin to help things along nice and quickly. Generally happy after 24 hours with that approach, and straight into the keg.

 

[MyQul]

Never got this secondary FV business. Its just another vector for possible infection. My beer is crystal clear after only one day in the bottle.

I'm of the opinion secondary's do have their place but like many other things, it's a case of right tool for the right job. For clearing your beer a secondary isnt the right tool as many people (inculding yourself) dont use one and get crystal clear beer without it.
But you can use a secondary for things like dry hopping and if you want the absolutely minimum amount of yeast in your bottles

 

[ExpatBrewer]

Never got this secondary FV business. Its just another vector for possible infection. My beer is crystal clear after only one day in the bottle.

I abandoned the practice a long time ago. The only difference I ever observed was the reduced amount of yeast sediment sitting in the bottom of the bottles after time spent in a secondary. That to me is of little consequence in practice; 1mm sediment or 3mm, it doesn't really matter and I'd sooner avoid the extra step and extra infection risk associated with a secondary.

 

[private4587]

my question about cold crashing is not about 2nd fermentation but rather bottling and carbonation. I am still puzzled at what temp to enter in the various calculators that appear online?

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I usually add priming sugar using the Brewer's Friend calculator, using the current temperature of the beer, then keep the bottles at the original fermentation temperature for a minimum of two weeks.

 

[terrym]

my question about cold crashing is not about 2nd fermentation but rather bottling and carbonation. I am still puzzled at what temp to enter in the various calculators that appear online?

The calculators work on the basis that beer is saturated with CO2 at packaging, and acknowledge the fact that the colder the beer gets the greater it's capacity to hold CO2.
If you have fully fermented out at 20*C say and to all intents no more CO2 is being produced, and then go on to chill the beer for a few days before packaging at the lower temperature, the amount of CO2 present in the beer at the time of packaging should not have changed since it was at 20*C (where's the CO2 going to come from?). So you use 20*C. However, if the beer is still fermenting as you cool it this is not the case, so in theory you should use the temperature at which the fermentation stops and CO2 is no longer generated which of course is difficult to predict. That's why its important to allow the primary to finish before you crash cool.