What temperature is best for bottle conditioning?

[unkapete]

What temperature is best for bottle conditioning?

I have some Kolsch and Cascadian Dark Ale ready to bottle. Is 62 degrees F ok for bottle conditioning?

[elkdog]

[quote=“Unkapete”]What temperature is best for bottle conditioning?

I have some Kolsch and Cascadian Dark Ale ready to bottle. Is 62 degrees F ok for bottle conditioning?[/quote]

Should be fine. It’ll take a bit longer than it would at 70.

[mullerbrau]

I’d definitely start it at 70 and hold it for at least a couple weeks.

[deliusism1]

Bottle conditioning should be done in whatever the temperature range is that’s specified for the yeast you’re using. So for most ale yeasts, this is going to be about 65 to 70 degrees F. Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t do bottle conditioning with lager yeast, and if that’s what you’re doing, then you’d be shooting for somewhere around 50 degrees F. The only thing you need to remember is that you’re basically just doing another “mini” fermentation, so you should keep fermentation temp in the same range you used for the initial fermentation. That’s about all there is to know, really.

[rookie_l_a]

[quote=“Unkapete”]What temperature is best for bottle conditioning?

I have some Kolsch and Cascadian Dark Ale ready to bottle. Is 62 degrees F ok for bottle conditioning?[/quote]

It depends on the yeast, if 62 is in the range of where the yeast ferments it will work to bottle condition. Most brewers will tell you to bottle condition in the 70s, but if 62 is what you got you should be okay. I bottled a mild ale on wednesday and my area for bottle conditioning is about 62-64. I put some of it in a plastic soda bottle and after four days it is definately firmer than it was on bottling day.

[rookie_l_a]

@deliusism1

Bottle conditioning should be done in whatever the temperature range is that’s specified for the yeast you’re using. So for most ale yeasts, this is going to be about 65 to 70 degrees F. Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t do bottle conditioning with lager yeast, and if that’s what you’re doing, then you’d be shooting for somewhere around 50 degrees F. The only thing you need to remember is that you’re basically just doing another “mini” fermentation, so you should keep fermentation temp in the same range you used for the initial fermentation. That’s about all there is to know, really.

There’s no reason you can’t bottle condition a lager at warmer temps. The small amount of fermentation needed to carb is not going to have any effect on the beer’s flavor, unless you use brown sugar or maple syrup or something else very flavorfull.

[deliusism1]

@Rookie L A

[quote=“deliusism1”]Bottle conditioning should be done in whatever the temperature range is that’s specified for the yeast you’re using. So for most ale yeasts, this is going to be about 65 to 70 degrees F. Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t do bottle conditioning with lager yeast, and if that’s what you’re doing, then you’d be shooting for somewhere around 50 degrees F. The only thing you need to remember is that you’re basically just doing another “mini” fermentation, so you should keep fermentation temp in the same range you used for the initial fermentation. That’s about all there is to know, really.

There’s no reason you can’t bottle condition a lager at warmer temps. The small amount of fermentation needed to carb is not going to have any effect on the beer’s flavor, unless you use brown sugar or maple syrup or something else very flavorfull.[/quote]

Yeah, I suppose I wouldn’t argue with what you’re saying. I guess I’m just kind of a purist, and I like finishing things the way I start them. I think there are probably some sensitive yeast strains out there, though, that might have a bad reaction to the increased temperature and give a slight off-flavor. I might be wrong about that, but I’m kind of paranoid about taking any unnecessary chances with my beer. Besides, keeping the bottles at the yeast’s optimal temp will probably make the carbonation time as short as possible.