5 replies to this topic

[SchwanzBrewer]

I have two carboys. I have a beer in each of them. I am not doing any secondaries. Could I cold crash in a swamp cooler before bottling? Just add a bunch of ice a couple days in a row then rack to the bottling bucket? Does this seem like a reasonable plan? What do you all do when you are not using a secondary? I have no room in the fridge for carboys for cold crashing. Also, I think I want to harvest the yeast on Beer #3, anything special to do for this?Cheers,Rich

[Deerslyr]

I have two carboys. I have a beer in each of them. I am not doing any secondaries. Could I cold crash in a swamp cooler before bottling? Just add a bunch of ice a couple days in a row then rack to the bottling bucket? Does this seem like a reasonable plan? What do you all do when you are not using a secondary? I have no room in the fridge for carboys for cold crashing. Also, I think I want to harvest the yeast on Beer #3, anything special to do for this?Cheers,Rich

I don't use a secondary... and typically I don't cold crash the beer at all. If it's been in the primary long enough, then it will for the most part have settled out. I just rack either directly into the keg or into the bottling bucket.As for harvesting the yeast, sanitize a mason jar, lid and o-ring. Leave just enough beer in the carboy so that you can swirl and integrate the beer and yeast cake (this makes it easier to pour out) and then pour it into the mason jar. Don't tighten the lid all the way, and then put in it in the fridge. Usually after a few days, I'll tighten the lid down. You will also begin to see stratification occurring after a few days.

[MtnBrewer]

Also, I think I want to harvest the yeast on Beer #3, anything special to do for this?

Either drop more wort on top of the yeast cake or save it in Mason jars for the next batch. Nothing really special to do it. Just sanitize a jar and pour the yeast into it. Loosely cover and store in the fridge until you use it. If it's older than a couple of weeks when you reuse it, make another starter. If it's older than a couple of months, throw it away and start with new yeast.

[Recklessdeck]

I have two carboys. I have a beer in each of them. I am not doing any secondaries. Could I cold crash in a swamp cooler before bottling? Just add a bunch of ice a couple days in a row then rack to the bottling bucket? Does this seem like a reasonable plan? What do you all do when you are not using a secondary? I have no room in the fridge for carboys for cold crashing. Also, I think I want to harvest the yeast on Beer #3, anything special to do for this?Cheers,Rich

Generally when cold crash it takes 4-7 days in the fridge for everything to precipitate, and I fear that it might take a lot of ice to keep a swamp cooler at 30-40F for that long.I assume the reason you want to cold crash is to get clearer beer? Clear beer is great, but not necessary by any means. If you aren't doing any secondaries and don't have fridge space for cold conditioning, you are eliminating two of the best methods of clearing the beer.

[Stuster]

The beer will clear with time in primary just as it would in secondary (the beer doesn't know which vessel it's in after all ). Just leave the beer a few more days and then rack to a bottling bucket. Easy and works.

[Deerslyr]

The beer will clear with time in primary just as it would in secondary (the beer doesn't know which vessel it's in after all ). Just leave the beer a few more days and then rack to a bottling bucket. Easy and works.

The beer will also clear in the bottle or the keg via cold conditioning... I find that some of the most brilliant beer is coming from the last third of the keg or the last 12 pack in bottles.