Cold Crashing without larger container

[Bananas_Gorilla]

Hi guys,

I'm about to move my lager from it's secondary fermenter to the bottles to carbonate. I'll be adding gelatin in before I bottle but I understand that cold crashing may be needed to clarify the beer.

I haven't large enough refridgerator space, don't have any large buckets or containers (nor can I source any in a realistic area) and there is currently a heatwave so I'm thinking of ideas to cold crash the beer. I have frozen some large ice cubes and had intended on sticking them in a sanitised plastic bag in the secondary and leave it to chill to 45F-7C if possible. Would this work do you think or would you advise to just use gelatin and bottle?

 

[bleme]

That would help cool it some but I doubt you could get it anywhere near 45F with that method. It also increases the chance of infection and oxidation. If you can't find a barrel, ice chest, or dig a pit, I'd just bottle as-is and choose to enjoy it.

 

[North_of_60]

If you can't find a barrel, ice chest, or dig a pit, I'd just bottle as-is and choose to enjoy it.

What bleme said. I’ve bottled and kegged beers of various styles with out cold crashing or fining and they all turned out good to great. I always use Irish moss or whirlfloc. The last two beers I cold crashed and used Gelatin and while they may be clearer, I don’t think they taste any better.

 

[tgolanos]

I'd bottle it, let them carb up for 2 or 3 weeks, and then bottle-lager them in the fridge. Put 6 at a time in there and give them 2 weeks at the coldest part of the fridge before you enjoy them.

 

[Toga]

If your bottling no need to cold crash. Only benifit to cold crashing is less yeast in suspension which will equate to just a hair less yeast at the bottom of each bottle after you bottle carb n condition.