Hi, i’ve got some beer that i need to condition for a while. Dubbel - 2-3 months, Quad 9+ months, Barleywine 6+ months. During this time (9 months) my room temps will go from low 60’s to upper 80’s…are these conditions ok? I am getting a chest freezer soon that i intend on keeping at 60 - 65, would this be a better place to store my treasure?
maybe this would be better…have freezer around 62 while active fermenting then up to 68ish?
With bulk conditioning I don’t think this will matter as much. If you are bottling first, obviously you would want to keep the temps up to 70* or it will take forever to carb. If bottling conditioning you could use a basic ceramic heater to keep the room warm o the beer carbs up.
Temp swings over a season, a few months, or even a few weeks aren’t a huge deal when trying to age beer. One of the things that happens to beer (or wine, or spirits) as they age is the esterification of the alcohol (IIRC). That is what is responsible for making an old ale with a little bit of an edge on it a few weeks after brewing turn into an awesome figgy, pruney, slightly sherry-y drink with a pleasant warming a year later. That happens in a big range of temperatures.
All that being said, I would probably not store beer in the 80’s. Is there a cellar you could find somewhere? Especially if for long term aging, I might lean on a friend who I could trust in exchange for a few bottles that has a good location for long term storage with less severe temps.
[quote=“Pietro”]Temp swings over a season, a few months, or even a few weeks aren’t a huge deal when trying to age beer. One of the things that happens to beer (or wine, or spirits) as they age is the esterification of the alcohol (IIRC). That is what is responsible for making an old ale with a little bit of an edge on it a few weeks after brewing turn into an awesome figgy, pruney, slightly sherry-y drink with a pleasant warming a year later. That happens in a big range of temperatures.
All that being said, I would probably not store beer in the 80’s. Is there a cellar you could find somewhere? Especially if for long term aging, I might lean on a friend who I could trust in exchange for a few bottles that has a good location for long term storage with less severe temps.[/quote]
i don’t really know anyone that has anything better than my conditions. it seems that you are leaning toward the “cellaring” side…i’m not as concerned with that aspect as much as i am the bottle conditioning of brews that i have just put in bottles. I feel (correct me if i am wrong) that beers that i would like to age (a quad for example) would be just fine in my freezer set around 60 - 65 for quite some time AFTER they have completed their 6-9 months bottle conditioning time. If i am mixing terminology, forgive me, i’m a noobie. But during their conditioning time, I think they would like temps above 70 but (as you said) below 80. I guess bottom line question is…after i bottle a beer and it requests conditioning time (be it 2 weeks or 9 months) what temps would these beers prefer? BTW - thank you for your input
i have not yet thought of bulk conditioning, i’m new to the hobby and want to put out as much beer as possible (without buying more stuff - i have 3 fermentors already, not very interested in buying "secondary’s just yet)(P.S. - just bought a big ass freezer). could be a possibility in the future though. my biggest concern with the temps is the heat…in the summer I set my thermo right at 80 and some areas get a little warmer than that. so in july i’ll have maybe 84 in my beer room or 60-65 in my freezer…
thank you for your reply
After yor beer has carbed up it would be more beneficial to keep them at cellar temps to age. If you can fit them in your temp maintained freezer that is where you would want to keep them.
