Storage temp for beer?

[Doghouse-gav]

I'm a little confused. At what temp should be keeping my beer at? During secondary I have it at 21*c for a few weeks in a temp controlled fridge. Then I was told I had to keep it at around 13*c after that so I got myself another temp controlled fridge. And now I'm reading on this forum that I need to keep in a fridge for at least a week!! I don't need another bloody fridge do I?!! Any advice ?

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[Vuarra]

The real answer to your question is, "Whatever works for you."

Based on what you're asking, I will assume you are bottle-conditioning your brew. After bottling, you leave it at room temperature for at least a week (I would actually recommend two, and stored upright so the trub falls to the bottom of the bottle, but that's just me), then you store the bottles at drinking temperature for a week. This allows the yeast to carbonate the beer, and allows them to fall out of suspension, and the cold helps dissolve the CO2 in the beer.

Hope that answers your question.

 

[Doghouse-gav]

Should I only store a weeks worth of beers in the fridge or can I fill it up? Will the coldness affect the beer if kept in a fridge for Long periods of time?

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[ThePearsonFam]

I bottle and leave them at room temperature for a week to carb up like Vuarra suggested. I put one in the fridge for a couple days and pop it open to check carb levels. If the carb levels are good I move as many of the bottles into the fridge for long-term storage. The colder the fridge, the longer they store. If you don't have room in the fridge, just get them as dark and cold as possible. I would routinely store cases of homebrew in my cellar (dark, cool, dirt floored cellar in a house in Maine ~ 55 degrees F).

Remember, the warmer the temps, the more active the yeast will be to promote carbonation, resulting in a shoter time required to carb up. The cooler the temps, the better it is for storage.