Hey guys
Im brewing a chocolate porter, hopefully in the style of Boulder Brewings Shake Chocolate porter. I am adding cholaca and cacao nibs, and want to rack on top of these additions in a secondary carboy. I hope to find out what equipment I need to purge with CO2 (in another thread) before transfer. My question is should I cold crash in primary before transfer, or after sitting in cholaca and nibs in secondary for a few days before bottling?
Thank you
Cold crashing is typically the last before packaging. I only (attempt) to do it on lagers though. I don’t really have the right equipment for it.
Paul
I’d suggest cold crashing after your additions in secondary have had time to spread their goodness throughout the carboy.
Awesome sir, Thats kind of what I was thinking! Thank you
I agree, just with “primary” replacing “secondary” and the “secondary” being taken out behind the wood shed.
Yeah, you really don’t have any requirement to transfer into a secondary. You can add the extras into the primary and cold crash it after a few days. This saves steps and avoids adding more oxygen.
I’m with ya on the “no secondary” input, just didn’t object to getting it off the yeast in case the additions want to sit for longer than a few days.
So just pour in the cholaca, and the cacao nibs? I need to stir it around and mix it in? Im purchasing a Co2 setup and racking cane, along with a keg for it. So racking from primary into a secondary wouldnt be an issue as i will purge the second carboy, and then rack with co2. I like the idea of reducing any trub and residual yeast etc by using the secondary. I know most people dont, but with that equipment, I dont think I have high chance for oxygenation?
Just gently pour in the liquid and the nibs and seal the fermenter back up. There may be a little extra fermentation kicked off by whatever sugars are being added, but it’s definitely not a great idea to let oxygen in.
It may be controversial (or maybe not, as it seems like most homebrewers have come around on post-fermentation transfers) but I don’t think you’ll see any difference in clarity between a fermenter that was racked twice and one that was racked once, all else being equal. It’s just another point in the process where you inevitably introduce oxygen and microbes, however small the amounts.
+1, especially in a Porter! 
That sounds the best way to do it.