I’m guessing there isn’t a consensus here, but how cold do you do it and for how long? I have a chest freezer and a temp. controller FWIW.
justin- depends. if you’re cold crashing before bottling to improve clarity…give it a week. i cold crash before fining and do it for 4+ days…schedule depending. then i add my gelatin and keg. cold crashing and conditioning is beneficial to your beer, so as long as you can and are willing to go…your call.
Set to 32, wait 2 days, transfer to keg.
+1 to the above. I crash a couple days ~ 32F. And on beers I plan to fine, the beer needs to be cold first to use gelatin or Biofine anyway.
+2
2-3 days at 32 and keg
I go from the fermenter straight to a keg, into the kegerator to carb and cold crash at the same time.
Any problems with the Star San freezing in the airlock?
yep it can. if im dropping temp for lagering 30F ambient i use booze in the airlock.
Should I be measuring ambient for this or actual temp?
Doesn’t matter. The beer will equalize in less than 2 days. I take the probe out of the styrofoam and go ambient so my freezer doesn’t burn out.
Ok. Just thought the beer may freeze at some point. Alternatively I was concerned w my chest freezer running for so long if it’s measuring the beer.
Measure ambient. If you measure the beer, the freezer will run for hours before it hits temp.
You have to go quite a bit below 32 to get beer to freeze.
If you’re cold crashing, the fermentation is done and you don’t need an airlock. I just seal the fermenter before crashing.
How’s that Denny? The Speidels don’t seal. Foil?
Foil or a solid rubber cork. Or the screw on cap. I just pull the orange bubbler top off and cover the bubbler in foil tightly. Then set my temp to 30. When my temp reaches 30 I add the gelatin, rock the fermenter a little to kinda stir the gel. Then I leave it alone a few days or till I’ve got time to package.
That or a solid stopper (which is what I use for my buckets.)
I just use cheap vodka in my airlocks, doesn’t freeze:)
I typically just cover the hole with a rag soaked in StarSan. Or leave my blow off tubes in the container under a soaked rag.
Depending on your airlock you can get suck back from the temp drop and find your airlock nearly empty with its contents in your beer.