I just cracked a bottle of a pale ale that has been in the fridge for probably three weeks and was amazed at the clarity! This same beer has been much cloudier in the past since I typically only move 6 or so at a time from the basement (cellar temp) to the fridge. Generally, the ones in the fridge only chill for a few days before I drink them.
I’ve been busy and just got back from vacation, so the ones in there now have been there for a few weeks.
After seeing the remarkable clarity, I am temped to put all of my bottles into the keezer in the garage, which is currently lagering an Oktofest.
My only hiccup is that I fear the “aging” process will halt or slow down at colder temps…especially for the Coffee Oatmeal Stout sitting down there.
Generally to clear it, get it as close to freezing as possible. When everything drops out then at serving temp there won’t be any (or as much) chill haze. Your cellar temp is good for aging but not as good at clearing so I would do both. Your Stout won’t be near as noticeable so no worries.
As stated above, the darker the beer the less you have to worry about clarity. The cooler the temps the slower the aging process. On my beers that need aged I do both a bulk aging and a cold aging to get sediment to drop out.
So what I’m hearing is that for the majority of mid-range ABV ales, let them sit in the cellar after bottling to carb up and age for several weeks, maybe a month or two, and then throw them in the keezer to chill until I’m ready to drink?
I am running a business of self storage Wynnum West
. I think it is good to store beverages, including wine, into cold storage. Even most of the wine sellers in Wynnum West used to store wines with cold storage either rented out or personal one.
