cellar temp vs fridge temp

kimosabby · Jul 13, 2019

Gents,

just a quick one; read a few things on the forum regarding cellering temps and cold conditioning.

I always finish the carbing stage at 2 weeks at about 20 degrees. I have an outhouse fridge that doesnt work and keep all finished bottles in there. As the fridge doesnt work the temp obviously fluctuates between the seasons but less though than just leaving them in the outhouse without the fridge. I move a few bottles at a time into the fridge in house (beer fridge in lounge :) ).

The question is, is it better to store post carbed bottles at fridge temps (3-5 degrees) as oppsoed to cellar (8-12 degrees)? Or is it not that relevant.

I brew a range of light IPA and dark Belgium's an dthey all stored together

K

peebee · Jul 14, 2019

It might make a very (and usually another "very"!) subtle difference, but basically, do what is convenient. For me the kegs probably sit around at room temperature until preparing them to serve.

Real (historic) IPA would have got stored at tropical temperatures 'cos it wasn't convenient to store it at any other temperature (on a ship, on the equator, with no refrigeration).

RichK · Jul 14, 2019

I'd be inclined to just store in the cellar at those temps. If you want them a bit cooler to drink, then bring into fridge on an as required basis.

Mine just sit under the stairs after carbing. It's the coolest spot available (and is available to store 60 odd bottles) and then cool them a bit (car cool box) to drink :)

kimosabby · Jul 14, 2019

Cheers gents finally a nibble on the thread ...

The reason I ask I was thinking of getting a working tall ladder fridge to store everything cold continuously but cost and energy is significant.

If u were to keep bottles at secondary fermentation temp after 2 weeks conditioning would they continue to carb or once the sugar has been used it’s not relevant? The reason I ask this I have a batch of all grain mosaic grapefruit ipa and I used about a level teaspoon for carbing. Was slightly bigger head than I would have liked but was still good but a few months down the line of storing them at about 15-20 in the non working larder fridge the latter ones are definitely now sigbifixantly lively when opening

RichK · Jul 14, 2019

IIRC if you get down to about 12C or below, then yeast will stop fermenting. You may have used too much carbing sugar. Ballpark figure is about 4g / litre.

Generally, I'll only chill my beers prior to drinking.

Slid · Jul 16, 2019

RichK said:
IIRC if you get down to about 12C or below, then yeast will stop fermenting.

This is interesting.

My practice is to re-use yeast by pouring the trub of a "mother" yeast from the first brew, into 250ml PET bottles (4-6 in number) to make subsequent beers from the "daughter" yeast.

The 25ml bottles are stored under the "green" beer from the first brew, with no additives of any sort, in the fridge. The fridge target temp is 3C and although the door gets opened, there is no way it will get anywhere near 12C, yet it is clear and obvious that the yeast continues to ferment sugars from the "spent" wort it is stored under. It practically "explodes" out after a couple of months and never gives any issues with fermentation.

RichK · Jul 17, 2019

OK, maybe I didn't read it quite right.

Dutto · Jul 17, 2019

Traditionally, the "Cellar Temperature" was always a few degrees below the "Bar Temperature" where it was being served.

A pub became known by the way in which The Cellarman kept his beer and poorly kept or designed cellars became known so well that a pub could go out of business as a result!

During WW2 the Americans were forever complaining about the Brits drinking "warm beer". As far as I can work out, it was because just prior to WW2 the Americans:

Mass-produced industrial and domestic refrigerators.
Installed them in many of the countries bars and homes.
Brewed beer that tasted so bad it needed a person's taste-buds to be numbed before it was consumed.

The "warm beer" didn't stop the Americans in the UK from drinking the beer. Shortly after WW2 the European brewers cottoned on to the American method and started to produce **** lagers that they then sold cheaply via refrigerated outlets in the UK.

We are still suffering from the "Chilled Brew Syndrome" mainly because the brewing companies are still producing **** brews and youngsters just don't know what a decent beer tastes like at "Cellar Temperature"; which is why Home Brewing is so popular!

PS
I have often wondered why a Home Brewer would wish to "clone" and brew a product that then requires massive chilling before it can be drunk!

cellar temp vs fridge temp

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