Cold crash before dry hop

[chocotaco]

I apparently lost my whirlfloc supply so I wasn't able to use it for my batch. It just finished fermenting and it looks like mud at this point. I will probably have to cold crash for a couple of weeks to get it to clear up, and I don't want to lose all the dry hop aroma while that's happening.

Any experience with cold crashing to clear it up, THEN bring it to room temp and dry hop and THEN cold crash again for a couple of days before kegging? Any downside to doing this?

It's been less than two weeks since fermentation started but even if I give it another week out in the open, I doubt it will clear up much without refrigeration. I did use clarity ferm but I doubt that will make up much for the lack of whirlfloc.

 

[spark_plug]

I would personally dry hop before any cold crashing, then cold crash and use gelatin to clear it. Usually after 3-4 days, it will be clear. But you can only add gelatin after the beer has been cold crashing for 24 hours. If you add gelatin to warm beer your results will not be satisfactory.

 

[edin88]

I don't think cold crashing interferes with dry hop aroma. The only beer I ever dry hopped is still a hop bomb on the nose 3 months after I brewed it (and it wasn't even that hop heavy). The hop aroma HAS deteriorated over time, but the fact that it was so potent right after I cold crashed it goes to show that cold crashing didn't interfere with the hop aroma.

I just don't know if the cold makes the hop smell drop out the same way it does yeast and larger particles. We're talking about hop oils right? Water density decreases as temp goes down, so maybe the hops oil stay in suspension even better at colder temps? Which is why IPAs should be stored cold? I don't know, science isn't my thing, but I'd say cold crashing won't in any way make your dry hopped beer less hoppy smelling