Cold crash
Term from the Brauwerkstatt brewing glossary, category “Fermentation and yeast”.
Explanation
Chilling the beer hard for 1–3 days after fermentation, to about 0–4 °C (32–39 °F). Yeast and haze settle quickly and the beer clears. Enough yeast still stays in the beer for bottle conditioning. Careful: as it cools, the airlock can suck liquid back into the beer.
Test your knowledge
What is a cold crash?
- Chilling the beer hard before packaging so that yeast and haze settle
- Freezing the yeast
- Heating the wort suddenly
Show answer
Correct: Chilling the beer hard before packaging so that yeast and haze settle. At temperatures around 0–2 °C (32–36 °F), yeast and protein drop out faster and the beer becomes clearer.