Bottle Conditioning and Aging Question

[lpstudio18]

My question has to do with how the flavor of the beer evolves with time. I have noticed, and read many places, that often times a beer will get better with age (depending on the style). My question is, once you refrigerate the bottles will this continue to happen? For instance, would I be better off leaving my beer warm until right before I want to drink it, or does this not effect anything? I'm just thinking since the activity of the yeast will obviously decrease significantly in the cold, if this will effect the "aging" or not. The bottles are fully conditioned (carbed up), so I'm just concerned with flavor at this point. Thanks!

 

[Warped04]

I look at it the same way I look at a piece of meat. If I buy 2 steaks from the grocery store, and leave one out on the counter, and but one in the fridge, the one on the counter rots before the second one. The fridge slows down the decomp process. But if you put a .22 in a cow and cut out that same piece of steak and eat it, it's not nearly as tender. You need to age it in a controlled environment until it reaches it's peak tenderness and flavor and then cool it to slow that process down.

The same is true with beer (except the rotting part). You want to control it throughout the process. The beer will continue to change once you put it in the refrigerator, but (depending on the style), that process will be slowed. It's all about what do you want to happen with that beer



Wally

 

[BigB]

I prefer beer that has been stored in the fridge for extended periods of time. For example, I opened up a Belgian Triple that I had stuck in the fridge over six months ago... I think it is better now than it was before.

 

[BradleyBrew]

I think after the carbonation by the yeast is finished their role with there beer has pretty much ended (unless its a belgian strain). At that point it about all the characteristics of the beer blending, mellowing, etc. together. The small amount of yeast that remains in the bottle is not really enough to clean up fermentation by products. As mentioned above you would want to control this environment as much as possible. Dark, cool, and consistent is the key I believe AFTER the beer has carb'd.

I chill my beer about 1 week out from consumption if its not already in the frig.

 

[unionrdr]

The average gravity ales I brew have been best when allowed to condition as well as carbonate in covered boxes at room temp. They seem better for it,since the yeas do indeed do some little clean up in the bottles. My 1st batch needed it,& it did happen.
Anyway,I let mine condition at room temps for 3-5 weeks,then into the fridge for a week or two. 2 weeks is way better. The head is thicker,& carbonation to the last gulp. Aging/conditioning at fridge temps is not a good idea. They do improve a little when they're ready for that stage. But most of the aging should be at room temp in a dark place or in covered boxes.

 

[asterix404]

Cold aging (or lagering) is not quite the same as bottle conditioning in the Belgian sense. The results might be the same but basically what you are talking about is an extended cold crash to clear up beer. But by and large, if you bottle condition, you are doing it for a reason and typically those reasons happen at room temp.

If you are lagering you are also doing that for a reason, again... reasons that only happen at very cold temps, mostly creating a very dense liquid and having all of the yeast settle out but still cleaning up their fermentation by products.