Crash cooling?

Should drink more · Post by **Should drink more** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:38 pm

OK I'm coming to the point in my new improved brewing method / equipment that I need to keg the beer. It's in secondary at the moment with some Isinglas finings at 21 deg. I have heard on this forum that some people will chill for a couple of days to help it drop clear.

Is this a good idea and how low should I go?

Post by **Aleman** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:49 pm

In the commercial world they drop it as low as the cooling plant can take it . . . I'm hoping to get to somewhere near 5C with my lager . . . . it depends on how effective I can make the temporary insulation on the FV

Should drink more · Post by **Should drink more** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:39 pm

Does it make a difference that this is an ale? Also it's in a chest freezer so presumably I could even set it solid.

Post by **Aleman** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:46 pm

Should drink more wrote:Does it make a difference that this is an ale? Also it's in a chest freezer so presumably I could even set it solid.

It makes no difference to ale or lager, try and drop it to around 2C for a week. Normally you do this as the end of primary for a couple of days, to help excess yeast drop out before transferring to a conditioning tank.

Try not to set it solid . . .I've got that T shirt multiple times

It can have interesting results when it thaws . . . . last time was with my keg beers and they 'stratified' leaving the most alcoholic portion at the bottom of the keg (where the dip tube draws from) . . . .Of course I didn't drink any (as distilling is illegal in the UK

), but had to remove the kegs and invert them to mix the beer up.

agentgonzo · Post by **agentgonzo** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:26 pm

Plus all the CO2 comes out of solution when it freezes. You don't want that.

SiHoltye · Post by **SiHoltye** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:50 pm

Chilling is used as a method of clearing some of the suspended yeast from a beer, often before secondary conditioning from what I've heard. Isinglass is superior at removing yeast compared with chilling IMHO, and quicker too

.

Is your beer clear now, after Isinglass? If so why bother doing anything, just keg it. If it's not clear it could be proteins and not yeast, and chilling won't shift 'em. Time should improve things, so you could keg and leave to mature. Not a helpful comment since presumably you used finings in the first place to speed things up.

If you're comfortable using Isinglass (sounds like you are) you might do as I do and use Aux finings 2 days before the Isinglass. This, in my experience, can be done in the same vessel, I do it all in the primary FV.

7 days ferment, 2 days with Aux, 2 days with IG, transfer clear beer to corni and force carb.

I'm holding my breath now as admin and others pick my comments to bits!

But anyhoo, that is my procedure and it presents clear beer on racking. Good luck. Oh, any chance of a pic of the brew as it is now (post IG) to see how clear it looks?

SiHoltye · Post by **SiHoltye** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:51 pm

PS, you can use Aux and IG either way round if not in the serving vessel yet. Just ensure 2 days betwwen them or they'll cancel each other out.

Should drink more · Post by **Should drink more** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:29 pm

Thanks SiHoltye, my last couple of brews seemed stubbornly cloudy/hazy and so in the last few weeks I have been trying to learn all I can from this forum about how to improve all the stages of my brewing process. The story so far with this brew is 7 days in primary and I racked it into secondary yesterday. It was a still cloudy so I added the IG. It was only after that that I thought about the cooling. I haven't looked at it so I don't know if the IG is working or not. I wondered if cooling it was a best practice and if it would help with the IG.

For better or worse it's at 7 deg now. Fingers crossed.

SiHoltye · Post by **SiHoltye** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:34 pm

I dunno about the optimium temp for IG, good question. Wouldn't be too concerned but a little chilling might be helpful after ferment is complete, whilst the fining takes place.

Post by **Aleman** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:43 pm

Generally Aux finings are added as cooling occurs, and Isinglass added and the beer allowed to warm up . . . I don't think this is a hard and fast rule I suspect it just happened to fit in with brewery practice

mysterio · Post by **mysterio** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:02 pm

last time was with my keg beers and they 'stratified' leaving the most alcoholic portion at the bottom of the keg (where the dip tube draws from) . . . .Of course I didn't drink any

I don't think freeze-distilling is illegal (or is it)?

I've done this plenty of times anyway, once with a Helles which froze and made something like an immature Maibock that I had at Paulaner Brauhaus. I actually didn't realise what had happened until the other half defrosted.

agentgonzo · Post by **agentgonzo** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:35 am

mysterio wrote: I don't think freeze-distilling is illegal (or is it)?

I think any kind of distilling or production of liquor above ~15%ABV is illegal without a licence.

Jim's Beer Kit

Practical Homebrewing

HomeBrew Forum

Sponsored by BREW-SCHOOL

Crash cooling?

Crash cooling?