Bottling temperature timeline

[Horseflesh]

Say I have bottled a batch, and it seems to be adequately carbed at something less than the 3 week rule of thumb.

What temperature should I then keep the bottles at?

A. 70s, so the yeast stay more active condition the beer more quickly
B. 60s, because cooler is cooler
C. Something else
D. Doesn't matter, relax and have a beer

Now, say the beer is deliciously carbed and conditioned. What is the optimum storage temperature for the bottles? Is it OK to put them in the garage, which will be in the 50s this time of year?

Any problem with long-term storage that might get into the 40s?

This waiting is killing me. I have 2 batches bottled, one well carbed after just a week... but both taste young and need conditioning time still.

 

[woody34]

I let mine at room temp for 4 weeks before storing them in my cellar which is 62 or 64 degrees. Carbing will slow under 70 degrees but not stop completely. As for the cold garage, I'm not sure.

 

[Atonk]

I've stored bottles in my root cellar that gets down to the low 40's in winter but never out of the 50's in summer and they're great. This is always after 3-4 weeks of 70 degrees. As long as it's dark and somewhat cool.

 

[starsman20]

Is it better to carb at room temp or at ferm temp. Seems like the yeast would want the same temp they had been in? Is a little warmer better?

 

[woody34]

It seems that ideal ferment temps for average ale yeasts are lower/mid 60's. All info says to caronate at 70 degrees. I've heard that a warmer than 70 is fine too. I don't know what the upper limit would be, without exploding bottles.

 

[chungking]

What about long term storage. After 3-4 weeks at room temp or carbing, is keeping them at room temp for longer periods of time going to cause harm? Lets say i don't have room in a fridge to store them all. I keep them in the extra bedroom

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

What about long term storage. After 3-4 weeks at room temp or carbing, is keeping them at room temp for longer periods of time going to cause harm? Lets say i don't have room in a fridge to store them all. I keep them in the extra bedroom

I dont think so, but out of my very first batch, i had 25+ bottles in storage at room temperature(65-70F) that ive been pulling from since June when they were brewed. I like you could only fit a few into my fridge, so i would cycle new ones in as i drank the ones in the fridge.

I went out there last week and saw that one of my 22oz bottle bottoms had popped, it leaked beer into the box that apparently soaked it all up because there was only a small spot of staining on the carpet. Not sure if its because i left it at room temperature for 3+ months, or just because it was a faulty bottle.

 

[Revvy]

It doesn't matter what you store them at AFTER. A beer will be only carbed to the level that YOU carbed it to regardless of any other factors. It doesn't matter what temp the beer is at druing carbing or after, except in terms of during carbing- Below 70 takes longer. In the 70's it takes about 3 weeks for average grav beers.

But the process of carbing involves consuming ONLY the sugar you added, which will produce x level of co2. No more or less. If a beer is less carbed before it exhausts the sugar, you can't stop the process, it will still continue until all the sugar is eaten, and all the gas is produced.

Afterwords it really doesn't matter either because once the sugar is consumend, and whatevr yeast cleanup happens (conditioning) nothing else will happen. Unless there is an infection in the bottle breaking non-fermentable sugars down and then fermenting them, there should be no other action, and a beer will neither become any more or less carbed.

Carbing is a continuous process till it's done. And doneness is determined by the amount of sugar you added at bottling time, nothing else.

 

[Revvy]

What about long term storage. After 3-4 weeks at room temp or carbing, is keeping them at room temp for longer periods of time going to cause harm? Lets say i don't have room in a fridge to store them all. I keep them in the extra bedroom

No it really doesn't matter. I leave all my beer at room temp except what I put in the fridge, usually only about a 6 pack or 2 everything else sits at room temp (whatever that is) and can sit for years until I drink it all.

 

[sweetcell]

cellaring (storing) beer at warmer temps speeds up aging, a little. so if your beer is perfect the way it is and you don't want it to change (ex: a IPA/IIPA that will lose hoppiness with aging) then store it as cool as possible. keeping them in the fridge would be ideal - but rarely practical unless you have a dedicated beer fridge. on the other hand if you have a beer that you want to develop over time (ex: barleywine, strong belgian, imperial stout, etc) then they will mature a little faster at warmer temps. you still don't want to store them above 80*F, based on what i've read. i forget the exact reason why but i personally don't want my beer that warm, ever, after fermentation.

It seems that ideal ferment temps for average ale yeasts are lower/mid 60's. All info says to caronate at 70 degrees. I've heard that a warmer than 70 is fine too. I don't know what the upper limit would be, without exploding bottles.

bottle will not explode if carbonated at or above a certain temp. bottle bombs are caused by too much pressure. pressure is cause by the yeast creating CO2 inside the bottle. warm temps won't create more CO2, they just create it faster.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

No it really doesn't matter. I leave all my beer at room temp except what I put in the fridge, usually only about a 6 pack or 2 everything else sits at room temp (whatever that is) and can sit for years until I drink it all.

Yea i was sad when i went out to grab a bottle from the box, lift it up and immediately feel its super light..get it all the way out and see that its missing the bottom lol...just a clean break all the way around the bottom rim of the bottle...can only assume it was a faulty bottle as it didnt explode and none of the others did...

 

[Revvy]

Yea i was sad when i went out to grab a bottle from the box, lift it up and immediately feel its super light..get it all the way out and see that its missing the bottom lol...just a clean break all the way around the bottom rim of the bottle...can only assume it was a faulty bottle as it didnt explode and none of the others did...

Yeah, probably a flaw in the bottle, I've had a few of those. We know gas expands when heated....that's not the same as the OP's question about carbonation, or "over carbonation" in the sense of co2 in solution.

I'm sure there's gas AND FLUID expansion in bottles due to temp increases. That's probably one of the reasons we have headspace in the bottles anyway. It puts pressure on the bottles and any one with flaws may blow.

But the level of carbonation of the FLUID in the bottle wouldn't have changed. Like Sweatcell said too.

warm temps won't create more CO2, they just create it faster.

It's still ONLY going to carb to the level provided by the sugar it is fed.

 

[sweetcell]

It's still ONLY going to carb to the level provided by the sugar it is fed.

we're in agreement

 

[Revvy]

Opps I misatributed your quote....I fixed it now.