Bottle conditioning too long?

[NYShooterGuy]

Since I started only 3 months ago brewing beer, I've bottled 6 batches. I decided to assign a 22 oz. Bottle for each batch as my first bottle to fill and cap and set it aside for enjoy amd reviewing how it ages. I have 6 bottles now for the 6 batches with the oldest being 3 months old sitting in my closet.

Is it bad to have them in a room temperature closet for so long, or should I have it refrigerated?

 

[JimRausch]

I do the same and still have a bottle leftover from over 2 years ago. On those I do tend to use the O2 scavenging caps. According to what I've read, at warmer temps. beer will go stale quicker, but not so far in my experience. In fact, I think those older bottles taste pretty good, maybe better than they did in the 1st month of their life.

 

[NYShooterGuy]

I've been using only O2 absorbing caps and never the ones that come in a kit. I tend to be a little impatient and drink them after only a week from being bottled, but certainly not all 50 beers in one week. I can get about 2-3 weeks out of 50 beers. I share and also give some away, but the special 22 oz. bottles I haven't touched. Just wondering if I should be storing them differently.

 

[Thejbj13]

I keep mine in my closet, it's dark quiet and a consistent temperature. As long as it doesn't get too warm where your beer is you'll be alright. I refrigerate mine as I want them but everyone has their own way of doing it

 

[BeerLoverHere]

not going to hurt you much if it's not too hot. i'd definitely cold condition them though if you can. this really helps out most all beer in my opinion.

 

[jsun]

The beers should be ok at room temp, but it might depend somewhat on the beer style. You might find that hoppy beers like IPAs don't age great (hop flavor tends to fade over time).

Russian River, the company that brews Pliny the Elder, is adamant that Pliny should be stored cold and consumed ASAP. They ship it in refrigerated trucks and don't sell it to retailers who won't guarantee that it will be stored cold in the store. I dunno how much of a difference it actually makes though. For what it's worth, the Russian River brewmaster is really knowledgeable and has shared a lot with the homebrew community, so I tend to trust him.

 

[NYShooterGuy]

I've only bottled a porter, a few reds, and an amber ale. They are all in the closet at room temperature.

 

[yohoe]

I still have bottles from my first brew (over a year ago) to compare how long I've come along. They are kept in the closet where it's dark and a consistent temperature. As long as the beer doesn't get too hot, it will be fine. The "freshest" beer you'll find in a store is 3+ months old. I'm not sure how long you can have them bottle and would be interested in seeing results if anyone has tested it.

 

[MindenMan]

The right combination of pH and ABV, may make a great beer even better with age.

 

[Zolon]

The beers should be ok at room temp, but it might depend somewhat on the beer style. You might find that hoppy beers like IPAs don't age great (hop flavor tends to fade over time).

I am new to a lot of this, including the history. I have been more into enjoying than research.

With that said as a way of saying, "Hey, I might be wrong.".

I thought IPAs were meant to age. In barrels, on ships, crossing the sea? Wouldn't the mellowed out hops flavor be closer to how it was originally enjoyed?