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Cold Crashing Question

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N

nukemjk

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 18, 2010
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So its 3 weeks into my mead making and I am getting ready to cold crash it in the next week or so to start the stop fermentation process (after I plan to rack into sorbate/sulfates to ensure it is stopped. My question is how much of a drop in SG should I expect for a month long or so stay in the fridge. I would like to end up with a SG of 1.020.

Sg's have trended as follows:
Date SG SG Change
2/12 1.134 0 (Pitched yeast)
2/13 1.132 2 (Fermentation starts ??)
2/14 1.121 11
2/15 1.110 11
2/16 1.102 8
2/17 1.093 9
2/18 1.087 6
2/19 1.079 8 (Appears to be when primary fermentation ended ??)

2/20 1.075 4
2/21 1.071 4
2/22 1.067 4
2/23 1.064 3
2/24 1.061 3
2/25 1.058 3
2/26 1.055 3
2/27 1.052 3 (Racked into 5 gal carboys)

3/5 A 1.037 15 (7 days..approx 2.1/day)
3/5 B 1.037 15

So for the last week its been going at just over 2 units per day. If this continues for the rest of the time how soon do you think I should put it in the fridge to cold crash it if I would like to end up at 1.020. I was thinking 1.025 or 1.023. I was just wondering if anyone else might have some data as to what kind of drop they have seen during a stay in the fridge...if any. Thanks a head of time for your help!

If you need a little more info, I used a mix of different honeys I had left over and used K1V-1116, rehydrating it with goferm and following the Nutrient Addition Schedule thats in the guides, as well as airated for the first three days.

Ohh and I apologize if the log is a little to extreme, I spent ten years as a chemist in the navy and I am a chem major in college at the moment...so its kind of in my blood!
 
if your fridge is any good it should get it down past minimum temp within 24 hrs. i would be inclined to put it in at 1.020. you can always add more honey, its hard to remove the honey ;)
i would rack then put it back in the fridge and see if anything drops again. try to get rid of as much yeast as possible.

the info is good, it shows how the change is getting less as it ferments. typically ferments slow way down at the end.
 
I've only cold crashed once, but I did it with a gallon of cyser and it dropped 0.001 before it stopped. So...not much. If you've got a large volume it might drop a little more before it chills down.

Per your notes about "primary fermentation ended?", no it didn't. The terms "primary" and "secondary" are really misleading, we ought to stop using them but they're so easy to say. Fermentation is over when the SG stops dropping, it's just that easy. Any "stages" to it are just things we say to get it straight in our own heads. Different people will use the same terms to different effects, and beer people use them differently than wine people. :rolleyes:
 
ChadK said:
Should I, as a beer person who recently discovered mead, be offended here? :mad: ;)
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Naw, being offended is too damn much work :). Just be aware that there are differences in terminology and practices between beer and winemaking, just like there are differences between making wine and mead. We'll often ask if someone came from a beer background when they post up their first recipe and they boil the hell out of everything, use irish moss, don't plan to aerate after they pitch, and expect to bottle it within weeks. <shrug>

Then we know where you're coming from and can make suggestions aimed at someone who already knows fermentation but knows a different side of it, rather than aiming our suggestions at an absolute beginner level where we have to explain the term "racking"... ;D
 
Chevette Girl said:
Naw, being offended is too damn much work :). Just be aware that there are differences in terminology and practices between beer and winemaking, just like there are differences between making wine and mead. We'll often ask if someone came from a beer background when they post up their first recipe and they boil the hell out of everything, use irish moss, don't plan to aerate after they pitch, and expect to bottle it within weeks. <shrug>

Then we know where you're coming from and can make suggestions aimed at someone who already knows fermentation but knows a different side of it, rather than aiming our suggestions at an absolute beginner level where we have to explain the term "racking"... ;D
Click to expand...

Okay, I admit that, had I not been too broke to do anything other than a JAOM, I woulda probably made at least some of those mistakes--maybe--after all, there is a mead chapter in The Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

But as it happens, I was able to peruse the fora here and learn all about the differences from y'all. And now soon as I have the money (Sorry, my Milk Stout is first,) I'll do mead right.
 
ChadK said:
Okay, I admit that, had I not been too broke to do anything other than a JAOM, I woulda probably made at least some of those mistakes--maybe--after all, there is a mead chapter in The Complete Joy of Homebrewing.
Click to expand...

Heck, I've been doing things wrong all my life, why stop now...

I'm seriously considering picking that book up, apparently it's on sale this month at my brew store.
 
ChadK said:
Okay, I admit that, had I not been too broke to do anything other than a JAOM, I woulda probably made at least some of those mistakes--maybe--after all, there is a mead chapter in The Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

But as it happens, I was able to peruse the fora here and learn all about the differences from y'all. And now soon as I have the money (Sorry, my Milk Stout is first,) I'll do mead right.
Click to expand...

Sadly Papazian's Mead chapter is sadly outdated and he includes boiling the honey, acid additions, etc. Great Beer book though.
 
TAKeyser said:
Sadly Papazian's Mead chapter is sadly outdated and he includes boiling the honey, acid additions, etc. Great Beer book though.
Click to expand...

While this is true, I know lots of folks who got into mead because of that appendix. Overall it's done a lot of good, despite the advice about the process (which was state-of-the-art when it was first published). Even Ken's book is behind the current best practices, but that's unavoidable when putting things in print.
 
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