How cold should my homebrew fridge be?

I am getting ready to refrig my latest brew and while it is very good. I'd like to what temp it should be served. Its a red ale but I'm also looking for a good general temp to keep the fridge at.

for most ales, 45 degrees is about the middle ground. recommended temperatures for different ales vary from 40 degrees all the way up to 55 degrees, but for most peoples tastes in between 40 and 45 is the best, id believe.

45 is also a good temp for aging big beers that are already carbonated, like imperial stouts

I keep my kegerator at 38*. You can always let a beer sit out a few minutes and warm up if need be.

blech.
sorry.


any, and i mean any brew i dring (save for boddingtons) goes in the freezer for a while before i drink it, or consider it drinkABLE.

i just had a 40* homebrew...hurl!
it went in the freezer till it was nice and hazy...say 30-32* and it was great. my next brews should not chill haze, but we shall see!

nosmatt said:

blech.
sorry.


any, and i mean any brew i dring (save for boddingtons) goes in the freezer for a while before i drink it, or consider it drinkABLE.

i just had a 40* homebrew...hurl!
it went in the freezer till it was nice and hazy...say 30-32* and it was great. my next brews should not chill haze, but we shall see!

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Does your beer even have any flavor when it's served this cold. Serving beer really cold hides flavor and flaws (think BMC).

Buckye - Follow Whisler85's lead.

30 degree homebrew? Might as well pick ya up some High Life and save time brewing!

The exact temperature is 36. The reason I know that is correct is because it is what mine is set on

I just keep it as cold as i would water, soda, commericial beer

Do yourself a favor, take your homebrew and put two in the fridge down to the low 30's grab them out and poor into identical glasses. Drink one right away and let the other sit till it's about 42 degrees, drink it. Then ask yourself which one was a more enjoyable experience, which one could you experience everything you put in it.

lrr81765 said:

The exact temperature is 36. The reason I know that is correct is because it is what mine is set on

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I think that's the best reason I have ever heard. Note I do not say the best answer but the best reason.

Whatever temperature you prefer is the correct temperature. Serve what pleases you, if others prefer it slightly colder use a glass that's been in the freezer, if they want it warmer let it sit out. Trust me though no one will complain to much about a beer at a slightly different temperature and if they do kindly remind them that YOU paid for the ingredients, YOU did all the hard work to serve THEM this wonderful beer.

All that said, 51 is the correct answer to your question

Mine's at 40. It's too cold, but I let it come up to a more enjoyable temperature over several minutes. I like 40 degrees, and my regulator is at 12psi, and the yeast I've washed and saved likes it too.

I prefer to drink IPAs in the mid-40s, mild and other English beers in the high 40s, low 50s, and other beers closer to 40 than 50.

Mines at 45 and by the time I finish it may be 60. It's not cold but daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn it is tasty. It also may take some time to get used to drinking it at that temp, but it's worth it.

Sheep_Dog said:

Do yourself a favor, take your homebrew and put two in the fridge down to the low 30's grab them out and poor into identical glasses. Drink one right away and let the other sit till it's about 42 degrees, drink it. Then ask yourself which one was a more enjoyable experience, which one could you experience everything you put in it.

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I'm on board with this idea. I am a coffee merchant by trade and one critical method of tasting various beans is to do a vertical tasting based on temp. It is amazing how mch the flavor evolves as coffee cools.

I have noted the same effect with beer and wine. With beer the effect is as the beer warms. What I have found is that beer at its coldest serving temp is mostly influenced by the carbonation and residual sugars. This is why sodas and champagne taste better the colder they are. They become refreshing and palate cleansing.

In my opinion, malt and hop flavors in beer diminish with temp as they are eclipsed by solubolized CO2 and unfermented sugars and reach their peak at between 45 and 55 degrees.

The best way to gauge your own taste vis a vis these beer flavors is to carefully taste a beer over its flavor evolution as it warms in the glass. Different beers will themselves peak at different temps so you should practice this with each beer you sample.

For coffee I do many tests across a particular bean to determine the optimal pouring pressure and temperature and serve to the bean's specific strengths. I do the same for my beers.

Thanks for all the great replies and opinions! I had mine at 38. I let mine warm up to 40. I just wanted to be able to appreciate the work and sweat. I also wanted to be able to taste the flavors and aromas.
Thank you all

This topic is like secondary vs no secondary. I'm amazed nobody got hurt. Might as well post in the debate forum.

I keep mine at 42*F. When poured into a warm pint glass the beer ends up at 50*F or so which is just right for most styles. Exception is my Wit, I let the glass sit for about 15 minutes so it warms up to 60*F before enjoying. My serving pressure is 14psi for everything but the Wit which is at 20psi.

I serve at 40* into a room temp pint. That's going to pull it up a few degrees.

Don't gun it and you can have your temperature vertical tasting in one pint.

38ºF and let it warm to drink. Perfect temp for Lagers straight outta the box.