[Lazy Ant Brewing]

What is the difference between cold crashing in a primary fermenter only without racking to a secondary and "crashing" the beer inside refrigerated bottles? Would I gain anything?

I brew the darker ales from browns to porter to stouts and really care more about flavor than clarity.  I've been using some liquid ale yeasts that almost "weld" the traub to the bottom of the bottle so the sediment stays there.

As a novice brewer, I always fear the possibility of contaminated brew and try to minimize contact with the brew as much as possible.  I generally give the yeast about 2 1/2 weeks to do the heavy lifting before I take a gravity reading.  If it's where I expect it to be, I will prime and bottle without further gravity readings. I realize that's not recommended for fear of bottle bombs, but so far it's worked well.

I also don't rack to a secondary for fear of again having another opportunity for infection and oxidation.

[HoosierBrew]

What is the difference between cold crashing in a primary fermenter only without racking to a secondary and "crashing" the beer inside refrigerated bottles? Would I gain anything?

If you crash in primary you'll drop a fair amount of sediment that would otherwise end up in your bottles. I know more sediment will result from bottle conditioning but it'll be noticeably less overall. You say you're not really concerned with clarity but the hazy sediment also detracts from flavor before it drops. Yeast in suspension can give beer a bitter, tart character that's unpleasant. Just my $0.02  .

[Lazy Ant Brewing]

Thanks.

More comments please.

[mindbender]

As long as this isn't a beer you're turning around quickly so there would still be significant amounts of yeast and/or proteins left in suspension, you're okay to package and let the sediment continue to drop out in the bottle.  Packaging quickly then opening too early may lead to a noticeable yeasty flavor.  Just be aware that after you've given them enough time to clear up, those bottles still need to be handled with care as the larger amount of sediment can be stirred up more easily than you might be used to.  One other comment is that you may want to explore other clarifying options such as gelatin, biofine, polyclar etc post fermentation.  Just follow the manufacturer instructions and proper sanitation procedures and your chances of any oxidation or infection is negligible.

[stpug]

Based on what you've said about the beers you brew, your process, and yeast strains you use, I don't see much to be gained by primary-only cold crashing vs bottle crashing. I suspect a scant amount more sediment in the bottle but don't think that would contribute in any significant way to the overall flavor or presentation of the beer. All opinion of course.