Room temp. vs fridge

[Brettgvdp]

Hi all. This might be a stupid question, but I am new to brewing so I'd rather ask. I have bottled some Scottish Export and let in sit at room temperature for 4 days now. According to the instructions that came with, I must let it carbonate at room temp. for 4 days and then put it in the fridge for 10 days. However, everyone on the Internet insists that beer should be kept at room temperature for the entire duration (2 weeks). I am uncertain whether I should listen to the instructions or to the advice of others. What effect would putting the beer in the fridge have on my beer compared to keeping it at room temperature? What really is the difference? Thanks in advance.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

The fridge will slow/stop yeast activity that is ultimately responsible for carbonating the beer. In my experience, 4 days is way too short to properly carb up a bottle. I would let it sit out for at least a couple weeks - maybe even more. So I guess I'm another guy on the internet saying what the guys on the internet say.

 

[Brettgvdp]

The fridge will slow/stop yeast activity that is ultimately responsible for carbonating the beer. In my experience, 4 days is way too short to properly carb up a bottle. I would let it sit out for at least a couple weeks - maybe even more. So I guess I'm another guy on the internet saying what the guys on the internet say.

Sounds good. I might have misunderstood, as the instructions say "store in a cool place". I suppose the fridge would be considered cold, not cool.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Sounds good. I might have misunderstood, as the instructions say "store in a cool place". I suppose the fridge would be considered cold, not cool.

Ah, yes. Cool is good as 'room temp' can be quite subjective. Room temp in Fort Worth is about 80° F. Room temp in Norway?... Too cold for me to even imagine.

 

[jdauria]

Yeah you want to leave it in a cool place for 2-3 weeks before moving to the fridge and by cool, a 18C - 20C room is fine. What you don't want is a warm to hot room, as it could cause bottle bombs. One tip would be to only one or two bottles to the fridge first. Then after they chill, see if the carbonation is how you like it, if not, give the other bottles more time.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I typically move my bottles to an upper level bathroom to sit for 2 to 3 weeks. That room has fairly stable temps in the 72F/22C range (where my lower storage level is more variable and often in the 65F/18C range. I am sure either would work fine for me though. I try to wait until that 2 week mark until putting one in the fridge, but sometimes I give into temptation. I have found that sometimes a batch has nice carbonation at 1 week, and sometimes it does take a full 3 or more weeks.

 

[ncbrewer]

I was keeping the beer in a closet to carbonate, but in the winter the closet stayed about 65F. At that temperature, it took much longer to carb up - around 5 weeks. Now I keep them in an interior room at 70 - 76 degrees depending on the season. They're generally ready in two weeks, sometimes three weeks.

 

[Miraculix]

Yeah you want to leave it in a cool place for 2-3 weeks before moving to the fridge and by cool, a 18C - 20C room is fine. What you don't want is a warm to hot room, as it could cause bottle bombs. One tip would be to only one or two bottles to the fridge first. Then after they chill, see if the carbonation is how you like it, if not, give the other bottles more time.

A warm room does not create bottle bombs. Too much priming sugar or not finished fermentation causes bottles bombs.

 

[Zambezi Special]

I agreew with @Miraculix
Fingers crossed: I haven't had a bottle bomb and my carbing/conditioning temperature is normally around 30 oC (86 F) or above. Just because of my climate.

If I had the option, I would put them cooler. But I don't

 

[eliastheodosis]

According to the instructions that came with, I must let it carbonate at room temp. for 4 days and then put it in the fridge for 10 days. However, everyone on the Internet insists that beer should be kept at room temperature for the entire duration (2 weeks).

This is an easy one Believe the Internet in this case. Those instructions are written by one person as info to the non-brewing masses buying kits. Nothing wrong with that in general, but our answers are based on experiences and best practices. Two weeks is not going to ruin the beer, but if after 4 days it's not totally carbed when you refrigerate it then it might not finish carbing at all. Flat beer usually sucks.

What effect would putting the beer in the fridge have on my beer compared to keeping it at room temperature? What really is the difference?

The cold temps slow or stop the yeast activity. The slower the activity the less it processes the sugar in the bottle. When the yeast processes the sugar it converts it to more ethanol and CO2. That CO2 is what's carbonating your bottles. You control how carbonated your bottles become by how much sugar you add. To make sure the yeast create enough C02 to carbonate your bottles you need to make sure they are active enough to eat that sugar. Colder temperatures equals less active yeasts. Less active yeasts don't convert that sugar to CO2. You can also imagine how this sugar conversion is dependent on time. The yeast can't east all the sugar right at once. It takes them a while to eat, reproduce, eat more, make more babies. Maybe they are done after 4 days but maybe it takes them two weeks. Sometimes this can depend on the type of yeast or the conditions where you had it for the primary fermentation. Regardless, waiting two weeks is the safe bet in this case. Plenty of other good advice in this thread with other tips.

Also, warmer temps should not cause bottle bombs. I can see where that would make sense with certain reasoning but it's not correct if you do this right. In my above explanation I mention how you control the amount of carbonation with the amount of sugar you add. This is exactly what @Miraculix mentioned. If the beer has the right amount of sugar left in the bottle when you bottle it then it won't overcarbonate. If there is too much sugar then the yeast would eat it all, create too much CO2, overcarbonate, and maybe give you bottle bombs. There could be too much sugar because the sugar wasn't all fermented yet in the primary fermentation or because maybe you add too much during bottling. Again, that should hopefully not be a concern for you here. Stick to the two weeks for now and you'll be just fine.

 

[NSMikeD]

general rule of thumb as per the Home Brewers Assoc is 2- 4 weeks at 68° - 80°.

 

[jdauria]

A warm room does not create bottle bombs. Too much priming sugar or not finished fermentation causes bottles bombs.

You're right...I brain farted!