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Crash Cooling

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FenwayFaithful

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 3, 2011
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Kalamazoo, Mi
Crash cooling 3 gal batch of traditional. Stabilize? With what? Let it get back to room temp? Can I bottle right after, or should I make sure fermentation is done? Planning on backsweeting.
First post, everyone has been very helpful over the past 3 months. Just been reading posts, working through my issues. Have 2 other batches going, sure I will need some guidance.
 
Welcome to the Forums!

It will help if you can provide more details of the recipe. SG, FG, yeast strain, pH, etc.

Usually after what we usually refer to as "cold crashing" you'll want to rack of the lees and stabilize using a combination of potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulphite. Then as the yeast warm up, they won't start up again when you sweeten. Even so, it is wise to wait a few weeks before bottling to be sure the gravity doesn't slowly start dropping. Also, if you backsweeeten with honey, it often adds some haze that needs to be cleared before bottling.
 
White Lab Mead Yeast( Liquid Vile). Started at 1.075, Put in cooler at .999. Seems really dry. Know I will backsweeten. But have read many cautions about grenades.
 
Yeah, 0.999 is pretty dry. Are you planning to rack off of the lees and use potassium sorbate and something like campden tablets? If not you are still risking having the new sugar being fermented by the yeast.
 
Since the yeast is well below the ABV tolerance level, you'll definitely be safer if you let it sit after backsweetening for several weeks to make sure there is not a slow drop in gravity.

To stabilize this I'd Add:
1) Potassium sorbate 1 gram per gallon
2) KMeta - if you can measure the pH and free SO2, I'd add enough so that after backsweetening, you have molecular SO2 of 0.8 ppm ( see vinocalc calculator). If you cannot measure the free SO2 and pH, I'd add 1.5 Campden tablets per gallon (or the equivalent 660mg in powder).
 
to add to the above...you add the kmeta (campen tablets or potassium metasulphide) before adding the potassium sorbate. you need to kill any backteria before adding sorbate otherwise some can eat the sorbate making it taste bad.
plenty of write ups on stablizing.

cold crashing gets the yeast to stop (or almost stop), let yeast drop (or make it drop using a fining agent), rack off as much yeast as possible. the less yeast left behind the less yeast there is to get up and going again.
 
Left in kegerator for 4 days. Dropped crystal clear. Much lees. Racked to clean carboy. Added Campden Tabs(1.5 per gal) and then Potassium Sorbate(1/2 tsp per gallon). Plan is to let it sit for a week, and then check SG daily for the next week. Planning to backsweeten most. WICKED DRY. But want to leave some to age, and see what happens. Suggestions? Thank you for everyones help.
 
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