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Cold conditioning ales


Sven

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G'day all,

 

Just finishing off my Lemon-Zest Weizen primary fermentation and was thinking about cold conditioning?

 

Is it worth my while dropping it down to 4-5 degrees for 4- days) in the primary, then raising the temp back to 20 degrees and racking and bottling?

 

That is what I would do for a lager or pilsener but I'm not sure about an ale.

 

Sven

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Yes.. colder if you can get it..

 

I recently racked a (big) beer off the cake before cold conditioning and you seriously would not believe how much yeast has dropped out of it due to cold conditioning.

 

I have my temp controller set to 2'c with a 2'c variance so the maximum temp it can get to is 4'c before the fridge kicks in again.

 

Do it if you can, your beer will be clearer and you will get less sediment in the bottle.

 

Yob

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I suppose technically it is, I mean, you're conditioning it in the fridge which is cold. It just doesn't reduce the amount of yeast in the bottle like it does when you CC in the fermenter. I need to find myself a space in the fridge that I can store my beer so it can sit in there for a week or two before I drink it. Might investigate that on the weekend.

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suggest to her that you are willing to get a small bar fridge to keep your beer in and she can get her fridge space back.. I said that and currently I have 4 brewing fridges and beer is still in the food fridge [lol] [lol] [lol]

 

 

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Yeah I am looking forward to moving out of this tiny house then I will be getting a brew fridge and a fridge for kegs [biggrin] And Otto yeah thats why I thought it isn't exactly cold conditioning removing the yeast but it does make the yeast solid on the bottom of the bottles so minimises yeast in the beer. Can't wait for a brew fridge [biggrin]

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secondaryyeast.jpg

 

This is the yeast thats dropped from secondary I usually dont rack but I was treating this beer special.. Its almost pure yeast that has dropped out of solution after I racked it from primary onto 60g of Hops and Cold Conditioned it Last Friday.

 

Ive had that much trub from a primary ferment [bandit]

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Essentially all live yeast but it's come from an 8% IIPA so is likely to be a little unhappy.

 

Yeast selected from secondary tend to be more attenuative and less flocculent so you can end up with a 'dusty' beer with yeast that won't want to *drop out of solution. Also it was a 1075 beer so I don't have anything same or stronger gravity to pitch it onto so will probably let it go.

 

Yob

 

*edit

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Is it worth my while dropping it down to 4-5 degrees for 4- days) in the primary, then raising the temp back to 20 degrees and racking and bottling?

 

Sven

No need to raise the temperature back up after CC, or to rack it off. Just bottle it.

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Essentially all live yeast but it's come from an 8% IIPA so is likely to be a little unhappy.

 

Yeast selected from secondary tend to be more attenuative and less flocculent so you can end up with a 'dusty' beer with yeast that won't want to *drop out of solution. Also it was a 1075 beer so I don't have anything same or stronger gravity to pitch it onto so will probably let it go.

 

Yob

 

*edit

 

Interesting just was curious cheers

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I put my ales into the fridge a week prior to drinking and usually are crystal clear

 

I do the same, but a lot of the time I just end up sticking them in the freezer to cool quickly.

This seems to do the exact opposite, making what might have been a fairly clear beer into a cloudy one.

Anyone have any idea what's happening in the bottle that causes this?

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Thanks Paul. Do you see any benefit to cold conditioning any beers?

 

Hell Yes. Always. Yes.

 

Admittedly I do not brew wheat beers and the title of the topic says Ale [rightful] So my previous posts stand [innocent]

 

 

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