Crash cool chocolate stout?

[Wezzel]

Hi All,

I recently made a double chocolate stout. After 16 days in primary I've just racked off to a clean FV and dumped in roasted cocoa nibs and vanilla pods that have been soaking in vodka for the last week.

I intend leaving the nibs in for at least 5 days but my question is should I then crash cool or will that affect the chocolate flavour or aroma? It's a stout so I'm not as concerned about clarity as I am with pale ales.

[Wezzel]

Don't all shout at once

I'm going to crash cool anyway. I'm sure it won't hurt.

[Bad 'Ed]

Why would crash cooling affect aroma? Are you worreied chocolate and vanilla particulates drop out of suspension? It's not like you're going to see them throwing a haze in a stout anyway so just don't crash cool.

I doubt it will hurt either way.

[6470zzy]

Not necessary to cold crash, but it wont harm anything.

Cheers

[Wezzel]

I did wonder about the flavour particulates dropping out but wasn't really sure. As I didn't use finings in the boil I thought I would crash cool it for a couple of days anyway to clear some of the suspended yeast etc. prior to bottling.

The cocoa nibs have been in for 5 days and I also used cocoa powder in the mash so it is pretty chocolatey.

Watch this space

[BigMouth]

Hi Wezzel,

I have a chocolate orange vanilla porter conditioning in bottles for the festive time. I put that into cold crash for a week just as I do for everything.
I didn't use nibs just cocoa powder in the boil.

I find cold crashing for a week always works for me. Even if the practicality is put to crash one saturday, work all week and bottle next saturday. I have a fridge at 1 Celsius in the garage for cold crash.

And my dad is a stickler for clarity - even the darkest get held to the light and examined on pour.

[wezzel01]

Great. Thanks BigMouth