Move bottled beer to fridge?

[Grizbrau]

Hi all,

I just bottled my first batch of beer last week...thank you, thank you, please hold your applause! So it's coming up to the 1 week mark in the bottle and a friend of mine who has much more brewing experience than I (not hard to do that!), said that he typically chills his bottled beer after 10 days or 2 weeks or so in order to stop any sort of fermentation in the bottle (to avoid exploding bottles, over carbonization, etc.) I've read like crazy to find any thoughts on this but can't find any...does anybody here have any thoughts on that?

I'm asking because I have very limited fridge space and I'm not sure if my basement is really cool enough...

thanks in advance

 

[cheezydemon3]

If you had proper patience, then that is a BAD idea.

I would give them 2 weeks warm, then chill a six pack. The fridge will halt the beer from aging.

If you just chill a sixer at a time, your last sixer will be FAR better than the first.

Tell your friend to get a user ID on this site. Lots of myths to dispell.

 

[Golddiggie]

MINIMUM time in bottles is 3 weeks at 70F. THEN chill a bottle for 5-7 days before going to glass with it. IF the brew is good in glass (good carbonation, etc.) then chill more for the same 5-7 days before drinking them. Some brews benefit from even more time in the fridge. Showing improved carbonation stability and head retention. Also, higher ABV brews can take far longer than 3 weeks to carbonate in bottles. It's not at all uncommon for bigger brews to require several months bottle carbonation time, with extra weeks chill time in the fridge.

BTW, this has to be asked at least once (or ten times) per week and the boards are littered with this information.

 

[zzARzz]

As long as you didn't add a ridiculous amount of priming sugar and bottled once your FG was reached you should be fine to leave it in a cool, temperature stable space. I have about 15-20 gallons in bottles sitting in my brew room right now (69F year-round) and I've never had an issue with bottle bombs. Putting them in a refrigerator is great way to prevent a mess, but if you have limited space this is another option.

 

[gelatin]

His advice is only correct in the rare cases where you do want to dramatically slow bottle conditioning and stop fermentation. The only thing that comes to mind is where you've purposely overprimed a lot of sugar because you want residual sweetness and you can't be bothered to pasteurize (usually seen with cider).

Most beer, especially bigger beers, will age gracefully for many months to a few years and become better over time.

 

[unionrdr]

Yup. I learned all this over the course of time & spreading the knowledge on here. I found last year labor day that 2 weeks in the fridge gives thicker head & longer lasting carbonation. I'd left some beers we didn't drink on the holiday in the fridge another week,& found this out.
Repeated it & it worked again,so I started mentioning it. Among other things we share on here.
But I def know that bottled beers must be left at 70F or so room temp to be warm enough to carb & condition. 3 weeks is the norm,but I've had pale ales that were def better at 4 weeks with at least 5 days fridge time. The midwest PM cascade pale ale was one of them. Chilling just slows down aging,& makes yeast go dormant & settle out where ales are concerned.

 

[Grizbrau]

Thanks for the quick replies! I was not looking forward to a struggle with my wife over fridge space now that Christmas is coming up

 

[JordanThomas]

MINIMUM time in bottles is 3 weeks at 70F. THEN chill a bottle for 5-7 days before going to glass with it. IF the brew is good in glass (good carbonation, etc.) then chill more for the same 5-7 days before drinking them. Some brews benefit from even more time in the fridge. Showing improved carbonation stability and head retention. Also, higher ABV brews can take far longer than 3 weeks to carbonate in bottles. It's not at all uncommon for bigger brews to require several months bottle carbonation time, with extra weeks chill time in the fridge.

BTW, this has to be asked at least once (or ten times) per week and the boards are littered with this information.

I don't subscribe to this. I always chill after 8-10 days and try the next day. Every single one of my beers has been carbonated by day 9. I know it's possibly the best practice, but my beers had the same carbonation from day 9 to up to 3 months later. I use Michigan beet sugar (Pioneer brand) and a scale to ensure precise measurements for priming sugar.

Your friend's worry about more fermentation happening and causing exploding bottles, is unwarranted. That is, assuming you didn't carb to a level that your bottles cannot handle.

 

[Golddiggie]

Thanks for the quick replies! I was not looking forward to a struggle with my wife over fridge space now that Christmas is coming up

Perfect time to wear her down so that you can get a dedicated brew fridge. :rockin:

 

[F250]

Perfect time to wear her down so that you can get a dedicated brew fridge. :rockin:

Yep, one day of two cases in our kitchen fridge and she demanded I get another dedicated beer fridge. Sears has them in stock! You could have one running by the end of today.

 

[Golddiggie]

You could even tell her that with the brew fridge, you can put your hops in the freezer... Just get at least a 10 cubic foot fridge (with top or bottom freezer) and you're set.

 

[beergolf]

Thanks for the quick replies! I was not looking forward to a struggle with my wife over fridge space now that Christmas is coming up

Keep filling up your regular fridge and she will soon recommend that you get a dedicated beer fridge.

I know it worked for me.

 

[ludomonster]

I have a shelf in my fridge that has mostly beer. Right now, there's a 30-pack of Miller Lite, a 30 of PBR a few Saranacs and some Celebrations. I have about 3 cases of homebrew and a case of Cider aging somewhere else. I've been trying to convince SWMBO to get another fridge for a while. This strategy doesn't always work.

 

[F250]

I have a shelf in my fridge that has mostly beer. Right now, there's a 30-pack of Miller Lite, a 30 of PBR a few Saranacs and some Celebrations. I have about 3 cases of homebrew and a case of Cider aging somewhere else. I've been trying to convince SWMBO to get another fridge for a while. This strategy doesn't always work.

When there's no room for milk or orange juice, she'll cave.

Rick

 

[Golddiggie]

I have a shelf in my fridge that has mostly beer. Right now, there's a 30-pack of Miller Lite, a 30 of PBR a few Saranacs and some Celebrations. I have about 3 cases of homebrew and a case of Cider aging somewhere else. I've been trying to convince SWMBO to get another fridge for a while. This strategy doesn't always work.

I just threw up a bit in my mouth when I read that... :cross:

 

[Grizbrau]

A dedicated beer fridge?! Egads! You've shown me the light!

 

[Golddiggie]

A dedicated beer fridge?! Egads! You've shown me the light!

Mine has kegs in the fridge and hops in the freezer. :rockin:

 

[jkendal]

The fridge will halt the beer from aging.

Short term, yes. Long term, no.

 

[Golddiggie]

Short term, yes. Long term, no.

It retards the aging process to the point where it will take an extremely long time compared with outside of the fridge. Age a bigger brew in the basement (~50-55F) for 3-12 months, and have one in the fridge for the same amount of time. Then compare. :fro:

 

[jkendal]

A dedicated beer fridge?! Egads! You've shown me the light!

The house we bought 3 years ago had a fridge in it when we moved in. We already had one so we put the spare one out in the garage for mostly beer and sodas and anything that won't fit in the house fridge. It's great having a dedicated beer fridge!

 

[Golddiggie]

I purchased a fridge to use JUST for home brew, and related items (hops). Picked it up in 2011 and haven't regretted it for an instant. In my old place, which was SMALL, it took up room in the kitchen that could have been used for other things. But, keeping beer at the right temperature is important dammit... Where I'm living now, the spot where the original fridge went was open (larger one was in a different spot). So, my brew fridge went there, and the 20# CO2 tank goes next to it. :rockin:

 

[jkendal]

It retards the aging process

That is correct. But it doesn't halt the aging process like cheesydemon mentioned. Buy a six pack of Celebration Ale and stick it in your fridge for a year (if you can stand not drinking it - it ain't easy, let me tell you). Then buy a new six pack and compare. The difference is striking - much greater than you would expect.

 

[jkendal]

but, keeping beer at the right temperature is important dammit...

+100000

 

[Golddiggie]

That is correct. But it doesn't halt the aging process like cheesydemon mentioned. Buy a six pack of Celebration Ale and stick it in your fridge for a year (if you can stand not drinking it - it ain't easy, let me tell you). Then buy a new six pack and compare. The difference is striking - much greater than you would expect.

I'd get two of the same batch in order to compare different aging temps. Of course, I'm not buying beer, so it doesn't matter to me. I do use two 3 gallon kegs per batch, with the second one staying in the basement (when the other goes on tap). Depending on the brew, you can notice a difference. Of course, I could move some over to the cooler side of the basement if I wanted to.

 

[F250]

I'm just waiting till the wife finds out in January that I'm going to buy a small freezer for a lagering chamber. That should be humorous.

I'm thinking some of the big box stores will be running sales on appliances, so I might as well take advantage.

Rick

 

[Golddiggie]

I'm just waiting till the wife finds out in January that I'm going to buy a small freezer for a lagering chamber. That should be humorous.

I'm thinking some of the big box stores will be running sales on appliances, so I might as well take advantage.

Rick

Good reason to not jump on all the sales that keep popping up...

I figure that enough people will be selling their older appliances on CL that I'll be able to score a nice one (a little dented maybe, but fully functional) at super-cheap prices. :rockin:

 

[JonM]

Yep, let em age, but there's nothing wrong with sampling one or two early. That's the best way to learn what "green" beer tastes like and how it develops, and, c'mon! You're dying to try one, right? Just know that every beer you drink early is one fewer awesome fully developed beer down the road. Cheers!

 

[JordanThomas]

Yep, let em age, but there's nothing wrong with sampling one or two early. That's the best way to learn what "green" beer tastes like and how it develops, and, c'mon! You're dying to try one, right? Just know that every beer you drink early is one fewer awesome fully developed beer down the road. Cheers!

Yea! I always taste one at 8 days (7 room temp, fridge overnight). They get better with time, mostly.

 

[cheezydemon3]

That is correct. But it doesn't halt the aging process like cheesydemon mentioned. Buy a six pack of Celebration Ale and stick it in your fridge for a year (if you can stand not drinking it - it ain't easy, let me tell you). Then buy a new six pack and compare. The difference is striking - much greater than you would expect.

I didn't say that changes halted. In the fridge, my beer loses a lot of flavor over 6 months or so.

The suggestion is good, put a sixer in the back of your fridge and forget it.

Chill another to enjoy it. Chill a sixer at a time as needed.

When you get to your last warm sixer, chill it and do a side by side with the sixer that has been refrigerated.

My dad puts a 12er I give him in the basement fridge and drinks one here and there.

Last christmas eve I had the odd coincidence of drinking the last of a wonderful Kolsch that I had brewed. It had been warm for 5 months or so, chilled maybe 2 weeks. A thing of beauty.

Next day at Dad's I went down to the fridge..and what should I find!!!! JOY!!!

1 more of those amazing Kolschs. It had a little more flavor than a BUD LITE. The diff was striking. (he socked it in the fridge 5 months previous when I gave it to him)

 

[jkendal]

I didn't say that changes halted. In the fridge, my beer loses a lot of flavor over 6 months or so.

The suggestion is good, put a sixer in the back of your fridge and forget it.

Chill another to enjoy it. Chill a sixer at a time as needed.

When you get to your last warm sixer, chill it and do a side by side with the sixer that has been refrigerated.

My dad puts a 12er I give him in the basement fridge and drinks one here and there.

Last christmas eve I had the odd coincidence of drinking the last of a wonderful Kolsch that I had brewed. It had been warm for 5 months or so, chilled maybe 2 weeks. A thing of beauty.

Next day at Dad's I went down to the fridge..and what should I find!!!! JOY!!!

1 more of those amazing Kolschs. It had a little more flavor than a BUD LITE. The diff was striking. (he socked it in the fridge 5 months previous when I gave it to him)

No, I agree with you. Beer that's been left out of the fridge will change flavor much faster than if it's in the fridge, but in the fridge it still changes flavor over time. Your post that I quoted you said that "The fridge will halt the beer from aging." I was just pointing out that, given enough time, beer does age in the fridge - just very slowly.

 

[cheezydemon3]

No, I agree with you. Beer that's been left out of the fridge will change flavor much faster than if it's in the fridge, but in the fridge it still changes flavor over time. Your post that I quoted you said that "The fridge will halt the beer from aging." I was just pointing out that, given enough time, beer does age in the fridge - just very slowly.

 

[jkendal]

Sometimes I hate this internet thing - it's so much easier to understand each other if we're all sitting around a table drinking a homebrew or craft beer and shooting the sh_t...

 

[Golddiggie]

Sometimes I hate this internet thing - it's so much easier to understand each other if we're all sitting around a table drinking a homebrew or craft beer and shooting the sh_t...

You mean we're not???

 

[unionrdr]

Dang. Another bubble bursted...