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Long term storage temperature
Hey, everyone...I was wondering what the standard temperature is for storing your beer after it's been brewed and bottled. My friends, as well as the Palmer 'beer bible', all say to keep it between 65º-75º for the first couple of weeks, but what about after that? My first batch was kept in that range for about the first month, but then the basement at my cousin's house flooded (where it's being kept), and it got put into one of those small, dorm-room styled refrigerators. Is that going to affect it any way? Will the cold temperature shorten the life of prime drinkability? I was under the impression you keep it at room temp until you want to drink it, and then throw some in the fridge.
I'd appreciate any insight regarding this issue - thanks in advance!
Well, being in the fridge is fine. You can leave it at room temp until you're ready to drink. It depends on how long you plan on storing it for. I've had some sitting in the corner of my finished basement for a month now and probably wont drink until Oct/Nov because its a "big beer" and can age well. Lower ABV beers you really want to drink within a year of bottling, not a problem for me.
The only thing about storing it in a fridge is once there you should keep it there. Because altering the temperature too many times (like putting it in and taking it out and putting it in again) can leave you with off flavors or skunk it depending on the beer. It also uses energy to keep the fridge running. But some people may say that "cold conditioning" (i.e. leaving it in a fridge for a long period of time prior to drinking) is their preference for certain beers. The fridge thing works well if you open one and it's really carbed and you're afraid of having bottle bombs; it will slow down the fermentation hopefully long enough for you to drink them all before they blow.
So really I'd say just keep it in a cool place in the house (like a basement, preferably one that doesn't flood) where the temp doesn't fluctuate drastically and you'll be fine. 5-10 degrees of fluctuation isn't going to ruin it.
Oh, and don't let it bake in the back seat of your car either, with home brew especially that can result in a messy car.
The best storage place for all beer is the fridge for long term storage.
I think it could be debated whether beer you wanted to "age" should be at cellar temps per se.
But beer is like bread, its a perishable thing and eventually looses its prime.
If you have a beer that is drinking at its best, the fridge would help keep it drinking that way the longest.
Thanks, guys!
What you are trying to avoid is staling. The colder the better. For every 18 degrees, your beer stales twice as fast. So, if you store one beer at 40 degrees and one at 58 degrees, the 58 degree beer will stale twice as fast.
It also depends on the type and color of beer. An IPA will stale faster than a RIS.
Alpha acids in hops oxidize quickly.
I thought hops acted as a preservative?
e_mott09 wrote:
I thought hops acted as a preservative?
Yes, and no.
Yes:
Hops do have anti-microbial components.
Buggey, L. A.
Brewer International. Vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 21-5. Apr. 2001
Hop-derived antioxidants, mainly polyphenols, have a key role in providing protection against oxidative damage to beer.
No:
I don't have any article I can site directly, but check out the Aug. 22nd episode of "Brewstrong" on Staling.
My earlier comments were directly from that show.
If you can't stream that episode, they basically said lighter and higher hop beers stale quicker.
e_mott09 wrote:
I thought hops acted as a preservative?
Hops do act as an anti-mircobial. However the offer no anti-oxidant potential. The isomerized alpha acids, as well as the aromatic oils are all subject to oxidative staling reactions.
The best way to store any beer is a cool/cold as possible. it slows all the staling reactions attributed to oxidation.
This is what I try to tell the manager at our local state liqour store but alas those beers will be kept warm and near the window for as long as I'm alive...this is Utah after all. I'm lucky to have any beer.
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