Bottled Brew - Storage temperature questions

[NATO]

It hasn't exactly been warm where I live for the past few months and I carried out my first brew which seems to have gone very well for a first attempt.

I bottled the brew and have it in a small cupboard space under the stairs. Without any heat sources the ambient temperature is around 14-16 degreesC. Here's a couple of questions I have which I'd love some help with:

1. The yeast I used was from a Cooper's kit which recommends 21-27C, do I need to store my bottled beer within the same temperature in order for the yeast to do their stuff with the priming sugar, or is it just a fixed ideal temperature for all beers/yeasts?

2. How long do I need to store the beer at the desired temperature? After how long should I move it to a cooler place? Currently I have a convection heater which maintains a temperature of around 21C but do I need to maintain this for about 3 weeks or does it just need the higher temperature for a shorter period?

Thanks to all for any help, it's very much appreciated!

 

[slomo]

I believe the rule of thumb is 21 days at 73 degrees F... sorry don't know what that calculates to in C. However, you can keep it at a lower temperature during the bottle phase, but it will take longer to carbonate.

 

[ajf]

To get carbonation, you will need to keep it at 20C or higher for about 3 weeks.
Some ale yeasts will work down to 15C, but they will take much longer than 3 weeks to carbonate at that temperature, and the instructions recommend a higher temperature for your yeast.

-a.

 

[jimmywit]

I am not great with C but i believe that is between 57-61 F, I had this problem in my house as well, which many of us have. The only thing a can suggest is to move them some where warmer or you will have to leave them for longer then 3 weeks. You can always try one after 3 weeks to see where your brew is at carbonation wise. Your best bet is to try and get them at 20 C. But that is not always possible. You should not have any ill effects, just a longer carb time.

 

[NATO]

Great advice, thank you all I've adjusted my convection heater to keep the room at a nice toasty 21-22C so that should keep them ticking along nicely.

After 3 weeks or so, is it okay to go ahead and store them somewhere cooler? I assume that once stored below the normal 'operating' temperature for the yeast then it won't really contribute anything extra to the beer?