AG End of/Post Fermentation Process

[Will_the-new-brewer]

Hey guys/gals,

I've been brewing for just over a year now (mostly extract) and as I am transitioning into AG brews (7 so far), I continue to refine my processes. My particular question today evolves around the end of the fermentation process and beyond. To provide a baseline of what I brew...I am not a huge hazy beer fan (except an occassional Hefe). I like blonde ales, amber ales, belgian tripels, and a hefe from time to time.

I am looking for input on my processes, regardless of yeast and beer style:

As the beer is done fermenting, I raise temp for diacytel rest (68-72F) for a few days, then cold crash. As the beer reaches approx 50F, I add gelatin solution (1/2 tsp gelatin with 1/2c of water...microwaved in 5 sec intervals until 155F). After gelatin, I continue the cold crash to 30s for another 36-48 hrs. I transfer to bottling bucket, then to keg.

I'll take any input, but specifically:
I am doing the diacytel rest properly? Is it needed?
Is cold crash/gelatin a process I should do with EVERY beer (other than hazy)?
If the above is yeast/beer style dependent, is there a good resource for me to read about what yeasts/beers to do it with and which ones not to?

 

[Jag75]

The only thing that stands out to me is why are you transferring to a botteling bucket to transfer to a keg ? Only thing I could think of is your using carboys without a spigot . If i were you i would get spigots asap and start doing closed transfers . You could cold crash and then keg without exposing your beer to o2.

 

[McKnuckle]

Agreed. No reason to have a vessel in between primary and keg during the transfer, even without a spigot. That's what an auto-siphon is for. Auto-siphon in the carboy, hose from auto-siphon to liquid QD attached to keg's liquid out port. Pump it up and fire away.

 

[Jag75]

Never even thought of auto siphon to Qd . Nice idea!

 

[Alex4mula]

I don’t add gelatin to wheat and darker beers but I cold crash all. I do closed co2 transfers from carboy to keg. Many videos on that. No difference in this between AG and extract btw.

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

The only thing that stands out to me is why are you transferring to a botteling bucket to transfer to a keg ? Only thing I could think of is your using carboys without a spigot . If i were you i would get spigots asap and start doing closed transfers . You could cold crash and then keg without exposing your beer to o2.

I have a spigot on my fermenter; however, I am afraid of getting debris in my keg. I also get my gravity checks from spigot--whatever residual wort does come out just sits in there getting gross until it is time to keg so I am worried of putting some bad stuff in my keg.

I have a sterile siphon starter, but muscle memory took over after my first use and I chunked everything in sterilizer solution. It doesn't work and I am waiting on another one to come in.

 

[McKnuckle]

I think you’re over complicating this a bit. All you need is a small spray bottle of Starsan. After you take a sample from the spigot, just spray the opening with sanitizer and you’re done. No more accumulating mung.

Use the spigot for transfers! Your bottling bucket introduces more infection risk and tons more oxygen exposure, offsetting any minimal issue with the spigot.

 

[DVCNick]

I've only been at this for 15 batches total, but I've yet to cold crash anything (I wouldn't mind trying this sometime though). I siphoned a few times, but then I got a BMB with a spigot, and I much prefer that. Now I have two of them in rotation. With the siphon, IMO there is actually a lot more stuff to keep clean, and it is a relative PITA to use. With the spigot, I take it off and soak in PBW after every batch, so it is clean prior to the next use. I'll admit that I usually only take a gravity sample as I'm kegging now (I always leave it long enough to be sure fermentation is done, save for something that went horribly wrong... no issues yet), and many might consider that bad practice but I've had no issues so far. If I wanted to take a gravity sample prior to that I'd go in the top with a wine thief like I did with the glass carboy.

So, the outside of the spigot starts clean and doesn't see any beer until I'm draining into the keg. I hit it with some sanitizer, but, you are going to be chilling immediately anyway, so anything that makes it into your keg is not going to grow very well at ~38 degrees or whatever you have your kegerator at. Or that is my theory at least.

If you get hops or other stuff in the keg (I do try to avoid it, but I'm sure some makes it anyway) it will cold crash out to the bottom and after the first little bit of beer to initially flush the line, I've never had any solids make it into my glass.
ymmv.

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

I think you’re over complicating this a bit. All you need is a small spray bottle of Starsan. After you take a sample from the spigot, just spray the opening with sanitizer and you’re done. No more accumulating mung.

Use the spigot for transfers! Your bottling bucket introduces more infection risk and tons more oxygen exposure, offsetting any minimal issue with the spigot.

LOL...so you talked me into it. I just so happened to need to keg today and set up a hose to transfer. Unfortunately, I don't have the right hose/spigot/liquid QD. In my case, the hose didn't fit spigot (5/16" ID). I will have to figure out the best way to set this up to fit spigot and liquid QD. I will search out those videos you referred to.

 

[Jag75]

You need 3/8 OD and 1/4 ID . Put the end in hot water then force onto the QD . Then you can heat up the other end and put it on the spigot . Do that a couple times and it will go on a little easier .

 

[McKnuckle]

Just one warning if/when you use a racking setup with the quick disconnect... If there are dry hop particles in your beer, the poppet can easily clog. It's a pain in the ass if that happens. So I suggest just plain tubing off the auto-siphon into the keg's opening in that scenario.

 

[kh54s10]

I only sometimes cold crash. I have yet to do a closed transfer. I autosiphon from my better bottles or buckets straight into the keg. I don't have and won't any spigots on my fermenters. They are cheap plastic and I would worry (probably needlessly) of breaking one. I also worry about the grunge in the spigot. (maybe needlessly) I have only used gelatin once, didn't notice much difference.

I would go for the closed transfer, but get the step in the bottling bucket out of the sequence.