Refrigerate AFTER bottle conditioning??

[Stauffbier]

I searched for an answer to this, but I didn't find an exact answer...

After I have bottle conditioned (say 3 to 6 weeks), is it necessary to refrigerate my bottles? Or, is it ok to keep them at room temp until I'm ready to drink them? I don't have a lot of extra refrigerator space. I have way too many bottles to store in there at once.. Will there be any risk of keeping my bottles at room temp for extended periods of time? Possibly even many months?

 

[SilverZero]

You can just stash them somewhere that's not too warm, like a garage or something. Lighter beers will last longer at 45-50F, darker and bigger beers will go up to 55 or 60F and be happy, but you should just make do with what you have. If you're like me, they won't last more than 2 months anyway, so it doesn't much matter where they are for that duration. Aging beer long-term might call for a more specialized cellar setup.

It's more important to keep it in the dark (amber bottles will help this as well).

 

[Revvy]

You can do whatever you want with them. Chill em all, chill some, whatever works for you.

 

[Stauffbier]

I keep everything in closed plastic tubs that don't let light in, and I always bottle in amber bottles (except for the occasional clear or green bottle just for experimenting).. Maintaining low temps like 45-50F will be near impossible without refrigeration as I live in the hot Southwest.. I'll be lucky to get them down to 63F without refrigeration. This is what worries me.

 

[Stauffbier]

You can do whatever you want with them. Chill em all, chill some, whatever works for you.

In the summer my house can get as hot as 82F during the day while I'm at work.. Should this high of a storage temp concern me?