What's the best temperature to chill to after fermentation?

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guypettigrew
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What's the best temperature to chill to after fermentation?

Post by guypettigrew » Mon Nov 20, 2017 9:53 pm

My FV is a SS chronical with a cooling coil. The coil is linked to a Maxi 110 so it's possible to accurately drop the temperature in the FV to a couple of degrees centigrade or thereabouts.

Is there an ideal temperature to drop the beer to? I want to be able to easily harvest the yeast out of the valve at the bottom of the cone. Plus I want beer as clear as possible going into the keg.

Usually I cool to 7C for 36 hours or so, but often find the yeast is really slow to flow from the cone and then leaves loads behind because it's pulled a channel through the heap of yeast at the bottom. I then have to spoon it out and into my yeast storage bottle.

Thanks.

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Fil
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Re: What's the best temperature to chill to after fermentation?

Post by Fil » Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:46 am

i think you may want to drop some of the yeast out earlier before its compacted down into a mud?

if you leave it all till the end it can set into a very firm plug that can resist the meager pressure that the beer sat on top provides to push it out.

for the chill at the end of primary the colder the better to effect the best drop out for a clear beer to keg,

Compared to industrial conicals, the home variety have huge drain valves in comparisson and managing the flow out of a butterfly valve can be tricky blind. some folk have sourced triclamp sight glasses to sit under the conical and before the bottom valve to provide a visual indicator of state when dumping trub and yeast. (this can require leg extensions to accommodate the greater depth.. )
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Secla
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Re: What's the best temperature to chill to after fermentation?

Post by Secla » Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:57 am

yup done wait until you have crashed and the yeast has compacted until you try to harvest it.

I find 4 degrees for a few days is enough to drop most thinks out of beer

guypettigrew
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Re: What's the best temperature to chill to after fermentation?

Post by guypettigrew » Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:04 pm

Thanks. If I understand correctly you're suggesting harvesting the yeast before fully cooling, yes?

How would you do this? Harvest at fermenting temperature then cool right down, or harvest at (say) 12C then cool to (say) 4c before kegging?

Your thoughts on the details of the process would be appreciated.

Guy

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Re: What's the best temperature to chill to after fermentation?

Post by jaroporter » Thu Nov 23, 2017 11:48 am

guypettigrew wrote:
Mon Nov 20, 2017 9:53 pm
What's the best temperature to chill to after fermentation?
serving temperature!

but yeah, from what i understand, not all of the benefits of conical fermenters scale down to homebrew level. at commercial volumes and fermenter dimensions there is a lot greater pressure from the mass of the wort that helps to dump they yeast.

Fil's point about dumping some of the yeast and trub early is a good one that mirrors commercial practise too, so would be worthwhile considering if you don't do that already. added bonus of harvesting cleaner yeast too..
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Re: What's the best temperature to chill to after fermentation?

Post by orlando » Thu Nov 23, 2017 6:49 pm

If you are harvesting once fermentation is completely over I suggest cooling to circa 12 c to encourage the yeast that do the clearing up to flocculate, then dump. After that getting as close to zero as you can is ideal. This is unlikely if not impossible with a Maxi 110 using water rather than Glycol. I find getting it to less than 5 is possible, more so in winter. I can pressurise my fermentors so at a pinch I can chill then dump but wouldn't recommend it.
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Secla
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Re: What's the best temperature to chill to after fermentation?

Post by Secla » Thu Nov 23, 2017 7:01 pm

You will get yeast settling throughout fermentation not just all when you crash cool.
Also to avoid blow wing a hole through get yourself a truck clamp hose barb. The narrower outlet will slow the flow and help stop blue through

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