When can I take my bottles out of their warm spot? (Ale conditioning)

[brewhan]

Hi,

I live in a colder climate, so I have to manually create a warm place for my bottles to sit while carbing. I carb at roughtly 70F.

Is it a good idea to remove the bottles from their warm spot as soon as the beer seems to be carbonated (determined by testing a bottle ), and putting them in a cooler spot to condition (~50F)? Or should I be leaving my bottles warm for longer - say a whole month? Will removing the bottles from the warmth too early impact the development of flavours, even if the yeast seems to have already finished carbonating?

Thanks

 

[dmfa200]

I've only been brewing about six months but from listening to these guys on this forum you should let your beer sit longer.
You should let your beer set in the primary 2 weeks minimum. 3 to 4 weeks would be ideal. Carbonation at least 2 weeks. A month works best for me. The longer you leave it, the better the co2 dissolves in solution aiding in better head retention.
Finally cold condition it for a few days minimum.
Typically the darker the brew the longer the the process.
Some beers can be ready to drink in a month(light ales), some at least a year(barley wines).
Try to be patient, but you can also sample one every week throughout the process to monitor the progress.
Everything I've been told or read on this forum has been very accurate, so you have found an excellent resource.
Good luck!

 

[dzlater]

Once the beer is carbed and tastes good, it would be better to keep them cool
if you can. Cold beer stays fresh longer.

 

[brewhan]

Hey, thanks for your responses. I suppose I'm really trying to pinpoint the exact time when it's best to let my beer get cold. Should I be waiting until it becomes clear? (I don't use finings or gelatin.)

My current batch of ale has been in the bottle 6 days. It tastes great and seems carbonated, but is still very cloudy. Would this be too early to put it somewhere cold?

 

[buzzkill]

try one,if its carbed to you likeing then move all bottles to cool spot. time is up to the yeast. not us.

 

[brrman]

try one,if its carbed to you likeing then move all bottles to cool spot. time is up to the yeast. not us.

+ 1 on this

 

[MVKTR2]

The advice you've received so far is good advice and no matter what we try, wish, or hope bottle conditioning is ultimately up to the yeast!

As a general rule however I can't imagine it takes more than 3-5 days for the yeast to consume the carbing sugar in an average gravity bier bottled at 3-6 weeks old. So you're quite safe under 'normal' circumstances to put the bier into a cooler place after 10-14 days. Once all the sugar is eaten and the co2 has been produced it's just a matter of how dissolved it becomes in solution. BierMuncher has a great thread with video showing carbonation levels across a 21 day spectrum. It's not going to hurt your brew to stay warm for a few weeks, so experiment and decide what works best for you.

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[Bassman]

One thing that is recommended is to take a few bottles and hide it in a dark closet, coolish place. Not a refrigerated spot, but cellar temperature if possible. Wait a few months after all the others are gone and try the hidden ones that have been conditioning. That is what I will do with my present batch. It will be good to see how they do with long term conditioning. At the very least you'll know if you sanitize well.