Conditioning and Storage Temps

[Tvc15]

I am making 5 gallon batches and have been keg conditioning 3 gallons and bottle conditioning the remaining beer.

I would like to store them in my house which is air conditioned or heated to 70-75 max in those super hot summer days (we don't have many here in Portland).

I plan to age them 3 months and up- is this temperature range acceptable?

I have read through MANY post and have read MANY answers... Please help clarify, thanks!

 

[House12]

Yes it is. Getting above 70 is ideal for carbing up a bottle. Just keep in mind that once conditioning is largely completed, temperatures that high greatly increase the rate of oxidation/spoilage. This is more worrisome with lighter beers and with beers that were brewed/bottled with less than an ideal practice.

According to Bamforth at U.C. Davis, beer spoils/oxidizes twice as fast with every 10 degrees C increase. However, the yeast need to remain warm in order to do their job of conditioning. How long to leave at room temperature depends entirely on the beer and how much aging it needs.

I bottle condition a bit over 70, wait about a month, and move to refrigeration as needed by the beer. For instance, a pale ale would probably go straight to the fridge, while a belgian dark strong would probably stay in room temperature storage for much longer.

 

[kwingert]

I agree

 

[TopherM]

70 is kinda the optimum balance between conditioning speed and conditioning quality.

With enough patience, your beer will actually condition much cleaner at cooler temps, but it takes exponentially longer. Ideally, you'd celler condition/age a beer at about 55F for 3-12 months, depending on the ABV and style. 3-12 months isn't particularly ideal for most of us that like to drink our creations sooner than later, though!

Condition at temps over 70F, and it will condition exponentially faster, but will be a very dirty conditioning that will produce slight off flavors.

If your house is 70-75, I suggest conditioning all of your stuff in an interior closet. Typically, an interior closet will run 3-5 degrees cooler than the rest of the house.