Bottle Conditioning

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mbreen01

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I had a quick question; as a general rule, I go 1 wk primary, 2 wks secondary, and 3 wks in bottle. Some brews have been ready after a week in bottle, others have seemed to need a little more time to mellow. When bottling (or kegging for that matter), how long do you keep the beer at the yeast's preferred temp before refrigeration? I have a basement that stays around 66-70 degrees and I've been keeping most of my finished product down there. Should I stick em in the fridge? How much of bottle conditioning and maturation is yeast dependent? Can you basically refrigerate after carbonation, or is there some residual yeast activity which participates in the maturation of the brew?
Thanks,
Marc.
 
Like you said it is a general rule. Storing them in your basement at that temp is just fine. I have even stored some of my brew at 75F for 3 mo. before fridging.
Quote by mbreen01 "How much of bottle conditioning and maturation is yeast dependent? Can you basically refrigerate after carbonation, or is there some residual yeast activity which participates in the maturation of the brew?" That is a very good question which I hope one of the other members will answer.

Justin
 
mbreen01 said:
Can you basically refrigerate after carbonation, or is there some residual yeast activity which participates in the maturation of the brew?
Yes, you can refrigerate after carbonation has completed. Refrigerating will only slow the aging process and clear the bear. This has its pros and cons. For a young beer (one that should be drank early in its life) this works just fine but for those that need to mature for months and possibly years, refrigerating will hinder the aging process.

Wild
 
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