Tips on temperature regulation

[JagoStreetBrewery]

Hey all,

I've just bottled my first batch, just a basic lager, and i'm having a difficult time keeping the bottles at a good temp. I thought that getting a fridge on it's highest temp setting would be fine but the temperature has been far too low, it gets down to around 11 degrees Celsius.

So I had 2 questions to ask. The first being, what's a good method for keeping the bottles and/or fermenter at a nice stable temperature, whilst keeping in mind the I live in a small, single room, apartment with not very good air-conditioning.

The second being what temperature should i keep the bottles at, because I've combed the internet and gotten a whole heap of different answers, and does keeping bottles at a lower temperature simply mean that the bottles take longer to carbonate?

Love to here your ideas on the topic.

 

[McKnuckle]

Bottles that are naturally carbonating should be kept at 70-75F. Bottles that are carbonated already should be kept at refrigerator temps.

 

[RM-MN]

Bottles that are naturally carbonating should be kept at 70-75F. Bottles that are carbonated already should be kept at refrigerator temps.

I'll disagree with this statement. Bottles should be kept at 70-75F. until they are carbonated and until a few days before they are ready to be drunk. There is a chemical/biological action that "matures" a beer and that process is halted or at least slowed dramatically at refrigerator temperatures. This period for the beer to mature varies greatly with the beer. A light color/low alcohol beer is ready as soon as it is well carbonated but as the beers get darker in color and/or higher in alcohol this process takes longer, much longer than many people realize.

 

[McKnuckle]

Which part of the statement did you disagree with? The part about storing carbed beer at fridge temps is not always ideal because it stalls flavor maturation? If so then we're not in disagreement. I was just trying to keep it simple since the OP "got a heap of different answers" and should at least be made aware the carbonating beer needs warmer temps, not fridge temps.

 

[Homercidal]

Firstly, if the beers are actively fermenting, then you NEED to keep temps at around 62-65F or so (depends on the style of beer and the yeast strain). A "Swamp Cooler" is a cheap way to do this without a lot of equipment. Depending on where you live it might work fine, but in any case, with a fan and wet shirt helping you can drop the temp a fair amount at least.

Once you are done with ACTIVE fermentation, you can let the temps rise to room temp. And room temp is fine for carbing the beer AFTER priming and bottling.

You can keep the beers at room temperature to mature if you wish. The warmer the beer, the faster it will start to lose it's freshness. If you are drinking in 2-3 months, no problem. Then just put the beers that you want to drink in the fridge before you drink them or in an ice bucket if you prefer your lager nice and cold. Once they are carbed up (2-3 weeks after bottling, usually) it doesn't really matter what their temp is unless they sit for like several months or more. Then you might want to keep them down around 50F during storage.

 

[bardb]

Assuming you have a fridge dedicated to fermenting, search the DIY section for STC-1000 temp controller. It's an easy build using fairly inexpensive parts.

 

[BombTech7]

So I had 2 questions to ask. The first being, what's a good method for keeping the bottles and/or fermenter at a nice stable temperature, whilst keeping in mind the I live in a small, single room, apartment with not very good air-conditioning.

The second being what temperature should i keep the bottles at, because I've combed the internet and gotten a whole heap of different answers, and does keeping bottles at a lower temperature simply mean that the bottles take longer to carbonate?

Love to here your ideas on the topic.

1. I never built a fermentation chamber for Ale's. It may be necessary in very hot/cold places, but luckily the basements, at any place I've lived, keep around 70-75F all year. I use a wet towel, wrap the carboys and point a box fan at the carboys. This keeps my temps anywhere between 60-65F, depending on how vigorous the fermentation is. Change the towels every 6-8 hours, wham bam perfection. Lagers are a different animal, both with fermentation and bottling.

2. I put all of my bottles in milk crates. One 5 gallon batch takes ~2 crates. I put a wet towel over the crates in the same vicinity as the box fan. The deflected air keeps them at a decent temp around 68-69F. I change it when I change the fermenters. For long term storage, I move them to colder temps, which is only when I'm out of town for a few months.

That's my method. It's the way I like to do it. Take what fits you best and roll with it. Consistency is key.