When to cold crash/condition

[GhostShip]

Now I have a brew fridge just about finished, I'm almost ready to start another kit, but there's one thing that's got me totally confused.

I had always thought that cold crashing takes place after secondary fermentation and lasts for a week or two before the beer is returned to room temperature for drinking.

However, I read somewhere recently that some people cold crash after primary fermentation and when that's complete, they return to the warm for secondary fermentation.

Could any experienced brewers on the forum (of which I know there are many) please give me their thoughts on which way they do it and for how long. If it can be done either way around, what's your preference and why? Though my kits are generally fine now, they never seem to be clear and I'm wondering if that's because I'm doing it all wrong.

Many thanks for any help/thoughts.

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Cold Crashing is used if you want to stop the yeast working ....some use this for cask called racking gravity ... slowing the yeast 3/4 degrees before FG. Or it's just used to clear and clean up a beer before the next conditioning process .great for home Keging so you have a nice clean Clear beer ready for priming naturally or forsed with Co2

 

[xozzx]

I leave mine for around 2 weeks in primary at fermentation temperature then cold crash to about 0.5C for 4 or 5 days (it takes about a day for the beer to drop to 0.5C). I then remove the FV from the brew fridge and bottle or keg. If bottling I then leave the bottles to warm up to room temp, leave for 2 weeks then move out to the cold.

If dry hopping then I would add these about 3 days before cold crashing.

Note that when you cold crash, as the CO2 above your beer cools it will draw in air through the airlock or if you have a blow off tube it will suck in your liquid. For my next brew I plan to capture CO2 in a gas bag during fermentation then re-attach this before cold crashing so it will draw in the CO2 rather than air.

 

[Graz]

I only cold crash when I've dry hopped with pellets. Gets the hop debris to drop to the bottom and sit fairly compacted on top of the yeast. So at the end of two weeks primary fermentation I put the hop pellets in, 2 - 3 days after that I set the fridge as low as it will go. After 12 hours or so give the FV a few taps to encourage any hops that are still sitting on the top to drop out. Then after 24 - 48 hours I siphon it either into the keg or bottling bucket (batch prime & bottle). It then goes back in the fridge and back up to 20°C to secondary ferment / prime for a few weeks. Then I just move it somewhere cooler until I'm ready to drink it.

 

[rank_frank]

I cold crash in primary when the fermentation has stopped. That's when the gravity hasn't changed for a couple of days. After 2 or 3 days cold in primary I transfer to another bucket, add gelatine and return to 1C for another week or two before kegging and force carbonating.

 

[GhostShip]

Is the gelatine to clear the beer?

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Is it's a quick great way to clear your beer.... also Time and the cold is a longer way to clear... pick what's great for your patience....
cheers Matt.

 

[hichaechoc]

I used to cold crash but found I needed to fine as well - now I just fine. I'd only bother to cold crash if I had an issue with using fining agents - a level teaspoon of gelatine dissolved in hot water and added to 23 litres does it for me.