Cold crashing

[tritch]

Hey everyone, I know what cold crashing is and I want to try it to get some more clarity in my beers. The only problem I have is that I ferment upstairs but the only place I would be able to cold crash is downstairs in an unfinished basement. The basement is too cold to ferment in and I do not have a fermentation chamber (and can't get one for a while at least). Also, there is a lot of dust ect down there so I can't bottle downstairs so I would have to move my bucket back upstairs to bottle. I am worried that all this added movement will just shake up anything that fell out of suspension and that it would effectively cancel any benefit of cold crashing. Would it still make sense to try it or am I better off just not cold crashing? (I have the patience now to leave beers to ferment for 3 weeks so I don't think I am just not giving it time to clean up.)

In short, Should I still cold crash if I will need to move the bucket a lot between cold crashing and bottling?

 

[DennisinIowa]

I move my buckets all over the house, I call it temp control. Just move bucket to your bottling place the day before bottling and it will work.
D

 

[philosofool]

I wouldn't move it a whole day ahead of time, that's too long because some of the precipitated material from the cold crash (chill haze compounds) will redisolve in the beer. However, once these are well precipitated, the re-settle pretty quick after a jostle, so move it, wait an hour, then rack to your keg or bottling bucket. You will probably move a little bit more sediment, but not so much that you shouldn't do it.

 

[Ole_Smoky]

Maybe pick up a cheap used fridge online and put it somewhere upstairs. I have a fridge in the basement I use, I ferment upstairs where its warmer then move into the fridge in the basement to cold crash and keg/bottle straight from the fridge. You could do the same thing but keep it all upstairs.

 

[C-Rider]

Hey everyone, I know what cold crashing is and I want to try it to get some more clarity in my beers. The only problem I have is that I ferment upstairs but the only place I would be able to cold crash is downstairs in an unfinished basement. The basement is too cold to ferment in and I do not have a fermentation chamber (and can't get one for a while at least). Also, there is a lot of dust ect down there so I can't bottle downstairs so I would have to move my bucket back upstairs to bottle. I am worried that all this added movement will just shake up anything that fell out of suspension and that it would effectively cancel any benefit of cold crashing. Would it still make sense to try it or am I better off just not cold crashing? (I have the patience now to leave beers to ferment for 3 weeks so I don't think I am just not giving it time to clean up.)

In short, Should I still cold crash if I will need to move the bucket a lot between cold crashing and bottling?

Totally off topic, but as a kid I use to spend summers at my Uncles place in Lake Mahopac and I remember the "name" Brewster. Sounds like at good place to be BREWing beer.

 

[ol-hazza]

Another way to improve clarity is to use gelatin finnings, not everyones up of tea but i think its pretty good.

Has the added advantage of helping stick sediment to the bottom of the bottles so you get a clearer pour.

As far as moving the cold crashed beer goes i think it is better than not cold crashing and moving, but not iseal. Just be gentle with it and you will be fine

 

[joshesmusica]

Do you not bottle using a bottling bucket? You could just transfer to your bottling bucket, then move that upstairs. Another option is the way you sanitize your bottles. For example, I bake mine in the oven with squares of foil wrapped over the top. Then keep those on until I'm pouring the beer into the bottles, then immediately capping the beers. If you employed some variation of this, it wouldn't be any problem to bottle down there.

 

[JimRausch]

I cold crash(and usually use gelatin) out in my garage a week before I plan on bottling. Then the day before, I move the bucket back inside to the area where I do my racking to the bottling bucket. I figure the 12-24 hours give anything that may have been stirred up due to jostling a chance to resettle. I'm pretty sure that chill haze proteins and yeast won't redisolve once they've settled out.
It works for me.