Bottle Conditioning & Temperatures

[Hoppydays]

Maybe this has been asked before but I haven’t found a thread on it yet. About 12 days ago I bottled my Continental Saison (my second ever home-brew) and stored them in my cupboard at about room temp or just below. Today I moved them into the conservatory to keep cooler for about 3 weeks as per the instructions I’d been given. However my conservatory isn’t insulated at all and gets really cold at night at the moment and obviously if the suns out can get fairly warm during the day.

I understand that the first week or so of bottle conditioning should be warmer for the yeast to consume the priming sugars (160g sugar drops in my case), but how important is it to age at a certain temperature?

Is this fluctuating temperature going to seriously affect my beer or am I over thinking it??

cheers,
Hoppy

 

[phettebs]

In general, I try to keep mine somewhat constant. Once they are carbonated, fluctuating temps aren't really going to hurt the beer. I'd just try to avoid wild swings in temp if you can.

 

[Hoppydays]

In general, I try to keep mine somewhat constant. Once they are carbonated, fluctuating temps aren't really going to hurt the beer. I'd just try to avoid wild swings in temp if you can.

Thanks! So is it perhaps best just to keep them where they are in the cupboard for the next few weeks?

 

[chris-s]

If you insulate and/or shade the bottles in the conservatory, you will probably find the temperature variation of the beer is not that much.

Except under freezing temperatures or direct sunlight the change in temperature might be quite small.

I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[smcc]

in an ideal world you want to maintain a steady fermentation temperature based on your yeast in order for it to ferment again and the CO2 produced to go back into your beer. You would leave this for 2 weeks on average to get that completed then move to a cold place to stop this process and then help drop out whatever is in the bottle to the bottom. In reality yeast can tolerate a fair bit and a degree or 2 up or down from what is ideal probably isnt going to do any real damage you can leave it a bit longer to be sure but I have had bottle conditioned beers that were fully carbonated and chilled in under 2 weeks.

 

[Galena]

My conservatory fluctuates quite wildly, in the summer it can get very hot, I had some cask adnams in there and it certainly ruined that.
I carb my bottled beer in the house at room temperature and then put it in a stone built garage with concrete floor which keeps it cool. Probably too cool in deep winter and not quite cool enough in high summer, but it seems to always be okay.

 

[damienair]

I only started in December. I’ve done a few brews now. After 2nd fermentation and 2 weeks in an airing cupboard at 20-22 degrees I leave my beers out in the garage. Over January and February there were some very cold snaps and if anything I think it helped with the conditioning and clearing of the beer. It’s a more constant temperature.

 

[phettebs]

I would just leave them where they are. The only concern I'd have (it happened to me a few times when I still bottled) was if I put them somewhere too cool before they had a chance to carbonate. If you are willing to "sacrifice" one of the bottles and open it to see if it's carbonated and it is, you should be just fine letting them sit and rest where they are.