Bottle Storing Temperature

I just moved a lot of my bottled beer to the garage sine the water heater room has been getting a little warmer. Is the garage too cold for beer to condition? I live in NJ so it is pretty chilly ( though this weekend it will be in the 70s!!). The temp out there this AM is 57F. Is this too chilly for the yesties to make my carbonation?

On a side note, I keep screwing up my starters. I am about to X the whole step from my brew process and go back to just dumping the swelled slap pack into the brew. Last night I thought I was being smart and put the starter in the garage. I don't think the yeast liked that very much. There was no activity this am. I brought them inside. Well see how they do in here. Brew day delayed yet again!

JillC25 said:

I just moved a lot of my bottled beer to the garage sine the water heater room has been getting a little warmer. Is the garage too cold for beer to condition? I live in NJ so it is pretty chilly ( though this weekend it will be in the 70s!!). The temp out there this AM is 57F. Is this too chilly for the yesties to make my carbonation?

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Yes if you want to carbonate in just a few weeks. It will eventually get done though.

JillC25 said:

On a side note, I keep screwing up my starters. I am about to X the whole step from my brew process and go back to just dumping the swelled slap pack into the brew. Last night I thought I was being smart and put the starter in the garage. I don't think the yeast liked that very much. There was no activity this am. I brought them inside. Well see how they do in here. Brew day delayed yet again!

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Sweetheart, I can't believe you're saying this after all the advice that's been given on this board concerning yeast starters. You're doing one, Great! The fact that you've made a mistake or two is no reason to quit. If you can't brew and culture a starter, you dang sure aren't going to be able to brew a full batch. The starter is just a micro batch. You're proofing your yeast as well as helping your batch with higher pitch rates.

So you're starter isn't doing so well, be glad that it isn't a whole batch that isn't going well.

I wasn't brewing when I lived in New Jersey, but I remember the winters! I even learned to drive in the slush and ice. 57F is ok for storage and just slows conditioning a bit, but unless there is some heat leakage into the garage, I'd be concerned about freezing later in the year.


I just proof the yeast, I don't do starters, except maybe for high gravity ales. Even then, I may just add an extra package of dry yeast to whatever I'm using for that batch. And I never hesitate to toss in another packet if I think the fermentation is stuck.

Maybe you could wrap insulation around the water heater & reduce the temperature in that room? Or keep the starter near the floor (but protected from beer drinking dogs).