Crash Decision — Decision Aid¶
FUERST WIACEK Version 1.0 | Reference — when to advance a tank to soft crash | Frequency: as triggered (per fermentation cycle)
Purpose¶
Crash FV X if ready appears as a daily check on Wednesdays and bridge days. It's a decision task: the brewer reviews each fermentation tank that's approaching FG and decides whether to advance the Botec recipe to soft crash today, or wait another day.
This page is a decision aid, not a procedure. The actual advance happens in Botec under Fermentation Management — Step 06.
The Decision Tree¶
Tank is at Botec Step 06 — Fermentation, VDK?
├─ NO → Cannot crash. Wait until recipe reaches step 06.
└─ YES → Continue.
Final Gravity confirmed?
(Two consecutive daily readings: today equals or exceeds yesterday)
├─ NO → Do not crash. Continue daily monitoring.
└─ YES → Continue.
VDK Pass confirmed by 4-eyes?
├─ NO → Do not crash. Repeat VDK tomorrow. Check ferm temp / yeast health.
└─ YES → Continue.
Off-flavours noticed in sample?
├─ YES → Do not crash. Flag to team immediately. Investigate.
└─ NO → CRASH GO
│
├─ Beer is dry-hopped warm (West Coast)?
│ └─ YES → Step 07 Soft Crash (temp stays at 20 °C) → Step 08 Ready for Dry Hop → DH at 20 °C → expect hop-creep retest before final crash.
│ └─ NO → Beer dry-hopped cold? → Step 07 Soft Crash → Step 08 Ready for Dry Hop at cold temp.
│ Non-hopped beer? → No soft crash — cold crash starts immediately.
│
└─ Advance Botec recipe past Step 06.
Required Conditions (must all be true)¶
| Condition | How to verify |
|---|---|
| 1. Recipe at Step 06 (Fermentation, VDK) | Botec recipe screen — see Botec Navigation |
| 2. Final Gravity confirmed | Two consecutive daily Plato readings: today ≥ yesterday. See Fermentation Monitoring. Typically Mon + Tue readings. |
| 3. VDK Pass | 4-eyes sensory pass per VDK SOP. |
| 4. No off-flavours | Subjective check during VDK sample evaluation. Any flag → stop. |
If any one fails, do not crash today. Repeat tomorrow.
What Happens After "Crash GO"¶
You're advancing the Botec recipe out of Step 06. Where it goes next depends on the recipe:
| Beer style | Next step | Why |
|---|---|---|
| West Coast (warm DH) | Step 07 Soft Crash → Step 08 Ready for Dry Hop | Temp stays at 20 °C — dry hop happens warm, not cooled first |
| Hoppy beer dry-hopped cold | Step 07 Soft Crash → Step 08 Ready for Dry Hop | Beer cooled to dry hop temp before addition |
| Non-hopped beer | No soft crash — cold crash starts immediately | No dry hop step; skip straight to cold |
The brewer manually advances Step 06 → 07. The rest is automatic in the recipe until the next manual gate (Step 08 Ready for Dry Hop, or Step 13 Swap Glycol Valves).
Hop-Creep Edge Case (Warm Dry-Hopped Beers)¶
For West Coast / warm dry-hopped beers, the standard crash decision is followed by an additional crash decision after the dry hop:
- First crash: same as above (FG confirmed + VDK pass) → Step 07 Soft Crash (temp stays at 20 °C).
- Dry hop added per Dry Hopping SOP.
- Hop creep retest: dry hop enzymes can restart fermentation. After dry hop, FG and VDK must be re-confirmed before Botec advances past Step 09 Dry Hop.
- Recipe stays at Step 09 until both pass again.
If hop creep is suspected (FG dropping, VDK failing) — do not advance. Continue monitoring. Discuss with brewmaster.
See Fermentation Management — Step 08 / Dry Hop note.
Common Errors and Fixes¶
| Error | Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Crashed before VDK pass confirmed | Beer drops to cold; diacetyl yeast no longer active to reduce it | Cannot reverse easily. Discuss with brewmaster — may require warming back up + holding to retry VDK reduction. |
| Crashed before FG confirmed (gravity still dropping) | Stuck fermentation risk; off-flavours from cooling fermenting beer | Warm tank back up if practical. Otherwise discuss disposition. |
| Crashed despite borderline VDK | Diacetyl in finished beer | Discuss with brewmaster. May require extended yeast contact + warming. |
| Did not crash on time, beer overshoots | Yeast autolysis risk after FG; off-flavours | Monitor for autolysis flags. If detected, escalate. |
Daily Operational Pattern¶
The Crash FV X if ready task is a daily review, not a guaranteed action:
| Day | Typical action |
|---|---|
| Tue | First check after Mon FG reading — most tanks not yet ready |
| Wed | More tanks at FG; many crash decisions made here |
| Thu | Continued — some tanks may have moved on to dry hop step |
| Fri | Final crash decisions before weekend (no monitoring Sat/Sun without staff in) |
If a tank is borderline on Friday and the next monitoring is Monday, discuss with the brewmaster before deciding. A weekend in stuck-ferm or borderline-VDK state is risky.
Quick Reference Card¶
Use this when reviewing tanks for the daily Crash FV X if ready task:
| Check | Tank ready to crash? |
|---|---|
| Botec Step 06? | ✅ / ❌ |
| FG confirmed (today's Plato ≥ yesterday's)? | ✅ / ❌ |
| VDK pass (4-eyes)? | ✅ / ❌ |
| No off-flavours in sample? | ✅ / ❌ |
All four ✅ → Advance Botec Step 06 → 07. Log in fermentation spreadsheet. Any ❌ → Wait. Repeat tomorrow.