When to cold crash?

[Tweedie]

So I have just kegged up my Mangrove jack Australian Pale Ale and also done 20 bottles for a mate who wanted some as A treat at Christmas.

With the bottles, do I now leave for a couple of weeks to condition And then put them in the fridge to cold crash or just go straight into the fridge for a couple of days and then out to condition them?

Thanks in advance

 

[Rodcx500z]

Leave them a couple of weeks at room temp, then in the fridge as and when you drink them

 

[Tweedie]

Cheers.... they are in the garage and will transfer to the fridge in a couple of weeks.

just in the fridge for a couple of days or longer?

 

[Rodcx500z]

Don't forget to sample after 2 weeks just to check they have carbed up ok

 

[Furry Shark Brewery]

Cheers.... they are in the garage and will transfer to the fudge in a couple of weeks.

just in the fridge for a couple of days or longer?

After bottling your beer, the bottles should be put somewhere warm (20c+ ideally) for at least 2 weeks (I do between 2 and 3) to warm condition, i.e. clear and carbonate. Then stick in the fridge to cold condition. Can start to drink 'em at that stage but will improve in the bottle and again should leave for another fortnight before attacking.

Possibly won't taste quite as good by Xmas as opposed to in a month's time.

 

[terrym]

Possibly won't taste quite as good by Xmas as opposed to in a month's time.

Why not?

 

[Furry Shark Brewery]

Depends on the beer but I find the sweet spot to be up to 2 months post cold conditioning. Beyond that I sometimes find that the carbonation level has noticeably increased and the aroma and flavour, still good, but not as good as when very fresh.

 

[Tweedie]

After bottling your beer, the bottles should be put somewhere warm (20c+ ideally) for at least 2 weeks (I do between 2 and 3) to warm condition, i.e. clear and carbonate. Then stick in the fridge to cold condition. Can start to drink 'em at that stage but will improve in the bottle and again should leave for another fortnight before attacking.

Possibly won't taste quite as good by Xmas as opposed to in a month's time.

I thought that they needed a few months to develop the flavours?i have been leaving kegs a couple of months to get the best from my brews. should I be diving in after 4 weeks and drinking ?

 

[Barley Rubble]

Cheers.... they are in the garage and will transfer to the fridge in a couple of weeks.

Unless your garage is heated, it wouldn't be warm enough to condition and carbonate the bottles properly. I would bring them indoors and put them somewhere where they will be around 20 to 22 degrees or so for about a fortnight, then transfer to the fridge.
As a tip I picked up from this forum, I always use at least one PET plastic bottle that has previously had a carbonated drink in it. You can tell when the contents are carbonated as the bottle will be firm when you squeeze it.

 

[An Ankoù]

With the bottles, do I now leave for a couple of weeks to condition And then put them in the fridge to cold crash or just go straight into the fridge for a couple of days and then out to condition them?

I must be missing something here. I'd always understood cold crashing to take place before bottling. Drop the beer to a few degrees above freezing in the fermenter for a day or so to encourage yeast and proteins to drop out, and then bottle. Having bottled, allow the temp to rise to allow conditioning and carbonation to take place. A good few weeks, in my experience, usually around six. After that the beer can be cooled or chilled according to the drinker's whim.

 

[Tweedie]

Unless your garage is heated, it wouldn't be warm enough to condition and carbonate the bottles properly. I would bring them indoors and put them somewhere where they will be around 20 to 22 degrees or so for about a fortnight, then transfer to the fridge.
As a tip I picked up from this forum, I always use at least one PET plastic bottle that has previously had a carbonated drink in it. You can tell when the contents are carbonated as the bottle will be firm when you squeeze it.

Cheers for that Im going to bring them into the utility as I have a cupboard I can store them in to keep them at 20 degrees.

i have always struggled with bottles but always done well with kegs so looking hoping this time to get a better result this time.

 

[Furry Shark Brewery]

I thought that they needed a few months to develop the flavours?i have been leaving kegs a couple of months to get the best from my brews. should I be diving in after 4 weeks and drinking ?

I have zilch experience of kegging and only experienced with bottle conditioning. First off, whether and to what extent beer will improve with age really depends on the type of beer. A barley wine will have longevity as well as needing time to develop, a raspberry wheat beer, not. Bottled beer most of the time will have residual yeast (unless you have a very fancy set up, which will likely mean you also keg) which will drive what happens in the bottle. After a while the flavour, aroma, mouthfeel, carbonation etc will deteriorate from the optimum. But until it does the yeast enhances, in my opinion, the quality of the beer. In a homebrew environment that generally makes for earlier drinking.

I am just going from my experience, and the beer style is another key consideration. I love Proper Job and have a pretty good clone recipe, honed over many attempts, including using yeast St Austell’s Brewery very kindly gave to me. I saved a bottle from an excellent batch for my brother. What with C-19, we never met up and I drank it after 5/6 months. It was crap and nothing like the nectar it was at 2 months. By comparison, I had a last bottle of Dusseldorf Altbier recently that was 8 months old and it was pure silk, the best one. Just lovely. I put that longevity down to extended lagering. I will be making that one again and exercising restraint!

Basically, follow your palate. That’s the best test. In terms of bottled ales, experience tells me to sup (in most cases) within circa 3 months from bottling.

 

[Furry Shark Brewery]

I must be missing something here. I'd always understood cold crashing to take place before bottling. Drop the beer to a few degrees above freezing in the fermenter for a day or so to encourage yeast and proteins to drop out, and then bottle. Having bottled, allow the temp to rise to allow conditioning and carbonation to take place. A good few weeks, in my experience, usually around six. After that the beer can be cooled or chilled according to the drinker's whim.

Agree. I think the OP was asking for advice on conditioning, rather than, as mentioned, cold crashing.

 

[Harbey]

It's generally the hoppy beers that need drinking fresh. Oxygen gets to them and the hops lose their flavour or, in very hoppy beers, turn the beer a nasty colour.

As mentioned above, the stronger, darker beers generally need more time to develop flavour and mature.

 

[eyuptm]

I have zilch experience of kegging and only experienced with bottle conditioning. First off, whether and to what extent beer will improve with age really depends on the type of beer. A barley wine will have longevity as well as needing time to develop, a raspberry wheat beer, not. Bottled beer most of the time will have residual yeast (unless you have a very fancy set up, which will likely mean you also keg) which will drive what happens in the bottle. After a while the flavour, aroma, mouthfeel, carbonation etc will deteriorate from the optimum. But until it does the yeast enhances, in my opinion, the quality of the beer. In a homebrew environment that generally makes for earlier drinking.

I am just going from my experience, and the beer style is another key consideration. I love Proper Job and have a pretty good clone recipe, honed over many attempts, including using yeast St Austell’s Brewery very kindly gave to me. I saved a bottle from an excellent batch for my brother. What with C-19, we never met up and I drank it after 5/6 months. It was crap and nothing like the nectar it was at 2 months. By comparison, I had a last bottle of Dusseldorf Altbier recently that was 8 months old and it was pure silk, the best one. Just lovely. I put that longevity down to extended lagering. I will be making that one again and exercising restraint!

Basically, follow your palate. That’s the best test. In terms of bottled ales, experience tells me to sup (in most cases) within circa 3 months from bottling.

Furry Shark, would you mind sharing your PJ recipe? I, too, love the stuff!!

 

[Furry Shark Brewery]

Furry Shark, would you mind sharing your PJ recipe? I, too, love the stuff!!

Sure, no problem.

It’s an AG recipe and I use a Grainfather. Circa 23 litre recipe. This generally comes out at around 6% abv.

Grain bill
Maris Otter 5.4kg

Hops (pellets and no hop spider)
Cascade 62g
Chinook 36g
Willamette 69g

Mash 90 mins
Boil 90 mins

Start of boil 10g Chinook and 10g Willamette
30 mins from end 13g Cascade, 10g Chinook and 10g Willamette
15 mins from end 20g Cascade, 7g Chinook and 20g Willamette
Flame out add 29g Cascade, 9g Chinook and 29g Willamette

Good 5 min whirlpool. Fermentation for 2 weeks at circa 18c.

I use a combo of PJ bottle harvested yeast and yeast that St Austell‘s Brewery kindly gave me following a tour in 2018. I have used Wyeast Thames Valley Ale to tasty effect and for a completely different tasting beer but nevertheless very smooth and more punchy caramel, Wyeast American Ale yeast.