Beer Forum

I'm making Jamil's Evil Twin and I'm dry hopping it at 50F for about a week. They mentioned this in passing on Brewstrong as a way to get dry hop flavor and drop the yeast. Is this enough of a cold crash to worry about having to add a bit of yeast when I bottle? I'm pretty sure not, but I'd rather as a stupid question than have flat beer.
Bill

You should be fine unless you end up with an extended cold crash period (ie 1 mos) which I don't think you will because of the dry hopping. What was the OG and yeast used for this beer? Generally, if the beer was over 8% ABV (I don't think Evil twin is...) then you might want to consider adding fresh yeast at bottling and if you used a highly flocculent strain of yeast (like WY 1968 English ESB) then you also might consider adding back fresh yeast, but should have enough yeast left in suspension to finish the job.

You are correct, the OG was 1.066 and I used WLP-001. Cold crash / dry hop is going to be for a week. Sounds like you are saying there's no need for more yeast. Thanks

I've cold crashed my beers around 38F upward of 2 weeks and have had no problems with the amount of yeast needed to bottle carbonate. If you do end up aging or having your beer sit around for a few months, make sure not to overdue it on the amount of yeast you add back into the batch. The yeast will eventually autolysize and having too much dead yeast in your bottle will lead to off flavors over a long span of time. Even if your bottled beer looks crystal clear from cold crashing, if you let it sit around for a few weeks in your fridge chances are you will see some yeast sediment that has precipitated to the bottom of the bottle.

I wouldn't even really consider 50F a cold crash, I've only ever heard that used for dropping your beer to near freezing. Minor point but 50 degrees (or hell even 34) for a week is not going to make so much yeast drop that you can't carbonate.

I think it depends a lot on the yeast and how much flocculates out. I brewed a Kolsch earlier in the summer and gave it a 4 wk extended cold condition and there was still enough yeast to carb up (3 wks as opposed to 1-2 wks). That batch used the WL Kolsch strain.

Just as another example, I just recently bottled some apfelwein that had been sitting for 2 mo in my basement and it has carbed as well without any further additions. This one used Montrachet wine yeast.