I am getting some mixed results with extended bottle conditioning, but I’m not sure if it is the style or the inside temperatures. I’ll start the conversation on the “temperature” side.
I have cases sitting at between 62 and 75 that have never been cooled for the 3-8 weeks since bottling. Will this temperature range affect the outcome on the “negative” side"?
Discussion?
I keep my bottles in that same temp range, and haven’t had any bad effects with bottles up to 2 years old. The most significant effect I’ve noticed with extended aging is mellowing of hops. In the fall of 2011 I brewed a Pliny the Elder clone, which at the time was so overpowering I could barely finish a glass. By May 2012 it still had a decent hop aroma, but the bitterness was negligible, and I could hardly distinguish it from a pale ale I had going at the same time.
Are you “crashing” any of these at colder temps before storage?
Are you “crashing” any of these at colder temps before storage?[/quote]
Nope. After bottling I keep them in my fermentation closet at 62 degrees for 3 weeks, and then I move them to the another closet where there’s more space, usually 60-75 or whatever room temperature happens to be.
Most beers if you age long enough will eventually fall prey to oxidation, and higher temperatures accelerate this. Slightly cooler temperatures would be ideal for REALLY long term aging, but anything resembling room temp is reasonable. I’ve kept beers in my basement for years, and although eventually the become noticeably past their prime, I’ve never had one “go bad”. 8 weeks is nothing.
I leave mine in the basement at 60-62 for 4-6 weeks to condition and then drink them as soon as possible…Why have beer around for more than 6 months unless it’s a RIS or something dark that will last? In that case…I still would want to drink them in less than a year or just a little after.
I will add though some beers NEED more time…as in months to mellow. I do a lot of IPA’s so I have yet to run into that problem 
