Storage question for those who bottle

[TxBigHops]

As my first batch of homebrew ferments along happily, and I prepare to brew my second batch this weekend, I’m contemplating some storage issues. I understand that I need to bottle condition at around room temp for 2-4 weeks, after which time my homebrew should go into the fridge for several days before drinking.

Since I’m doing 5 gallon batches, and my beer fridge doesn’t have anywhere near room for 4 cases of bottles, is there a limit on how long I can keep the bottles at room temp? If I store them too long without refrigerating, will they over-carb? Pick up off flavors? Just go bad, or some other negative impact?

These first two batches will probably get drank pretty quickly, but after that, they may start to accumulate. My wife doesn’t drink much beer and we’re not partiers, plus I have so many more recipes that I am anxious to brew. I’m worried that I may run out of space to keep them until they can all be drank. Ideally I would like to get to thepoint where I have a few of every variety that I have brewed, so definitley interested in medium to long term storage suggestions.

What a problem to have – too much beer! I may just have to start brewing 2-3 gallon batches instead of 5 gallons if I can’t come up with a reasonable storage solution.

 

[BigFloyd]

If you brew tasty beer, once you decide to share it with thirsty co-workers like I do, having it accumulate won't be a problem. See if you can get some of them to supply you with clean empty craft beer bottles to return the favor.

 

[JeffD1]

As my first batch of homebrew ferments along happily, and I prepare to brew my second batch this weekend, I’m contemplating some storage issues. I understand that I need to bottle condition at around room temp for 2-4 weeks, after which time my homebrew should go into the fridge for several days before drinking.

Since I’m doing 5 gallon batches, and my beer fridge doesn’t have anywhere near room for 4 cases of bottles, is there a limit on how long I can keep the bottles at room temp? If I store them too long without refrigerating, will they over-carb? Pick up off flavors? Just go bad, or some other negative impact?

These first two batches will probably get drank pretty quickly, but after that, they may start to accumulate. My wife doesn’t drink much beer and we’re not partiers, plus I have so many more recipes that I am anxious to brew. I’m worried that I may run out of space to keep them until they can all be drank. Ideally I would like to get to thepoint where I have a few of every variety that I have brewed, so definitley interested in medium to long term storage suggestions.

What a problem to have – too much beer! I may just have to start brewing 2-3 gallon batches instead of 5 gallons if I can’t come up with a reasonable storage solution.

In general, you are fine to store beer for a long time. However, it does depend on the beer. The stronger (and higher abv) the beer, the longer it should be stored before you drink it. Barelywines for example should be aged for 6 months to a year. I've heard of people aging barelywines for 10 years! If they are sealed there is no chance of contamination or off flavors. In fact, just the opposite will happen. The beer tends to mellow out and become smoother. However, you also lose some flavors, especially hop flavors. So an IPA may be less hoppy after 6 months in the bottle. Also, if there was an infection to begin with, it will get significantly worse with time. Keep the beer out of sunlight and fluorescent lights. Even in dark bottles light will skunk beer overtime (especially hoppy beer).

 

[rodwha]

Time is mostly a problem with IPA's or dry hopped beers it seems. It'll slowly fade. With the majority of beer, from what little I understand, and let someone more knowledgeable correct me, but it'll be just fine for YEARS.

They don't need to be stored in the fridge. Nothing will become of a longer "conditioning" time other than possibly better beer.

I'm fortunate (at the moment as we are renting and ready to move soon) that I have my own extra room, so I can store GOBS of beer and gear, as well as my other junk. Sure hope I get another room or basement when we go!

I usually move a 6 or 12 pack of each type as I want. I prefer to give them a week before I crack 'em open.

Time is usually your friend.

Curious what these other styles you're itching to brew are...

 

[TxBigHops]

Time is usually your friend.

Curious what these other styles you're itching to brew are...

Thanks guys.

I do enjoy bigger beers, so knowing that the bigger ones can sit in the bottle for quite a while means that I will go ahead and go for a few of them. But I also like hoppy IPAs, so I'll be sure to not let them sit too long. First I need to get the pipeline going, and refine my process, so I'm going to do some smaller beers next. I've mapped out the next few as such:

1. Imperial Red Ale. This is in primary right now. Probably shouldn't have done such a big beer first, cause I've made some mistakes, but can't change that now.
2. Centennial blonde. Pretty simple recipe that I got here on HBT that seems to be very popular. I'm doing this on Saturday, so it should be ready to drink before the Red Ale. Once they are both ready I'll have a tasting party for a few friends to get some opinions and give some away.
3. Gotta do a small IPA or hoppy Pale Ale next since they're my favorite style.
4. Probably going to attempt a Hefe next. That will give me two beers for the friends and family members that don't care for the beers that are extra hoppy or complex.
5. By now I may be ready to assemble a mash tun and tackle all grain. I've been drooling over the Kate the Great RIS thread here for a couple of years. I know it needs to age in secondary for quite a while, so might as well get it started. I should probably do something simpler for my first all grain, so maybe another IPA or PA first.

I could go on forever. So many beers, so little time...

 

[RM-MN]

I've bottled a lot of beers and found a couple things that answer part of your questions. Hop aroma/flavors begin to dissipate noticeably at 2 months in the bottle and are mostly gone by the end of month 3. Porters tend to improve for months and get pretty good at 3 months and better yet at 6. Stouts take even longer but they get really smooth after a year in the bottle. So far none of my beers have lasted more than 2 years so I can't tell about that part.

Light color beers and beers that are low in alcohol are ready to drink sooner. As you add color and/or alcohol they take longer to mature. I'd recommend a pale ale next in your schedule because it will be ready to drink and need to be drunk soon. I think you'll enjoy it and find a way to get it gone before you lose the aroma.

Some unsolicited advice that I wish I had known sooner as I drank some sub-par beers as I started brewing. Start your ferments cool. Read about the yeast's preferred temperature range and keep the beer at the lower end of that until the ferment slows. Then let it warm to room temp and sit at that temp for another couple weeks. Use your hydrometer to determine whether you can bottle or not. I've had a couple that reached their expected FG but kept on fermenting. Those I bottled when they had reached the epected FG became gushers.

 

[bowskibrew]

I'll let you store it in my fridge! Can't promise it will keep long though. Lol.

Sent from my N8000_USA_Cricket using Home Brew mobile app

 

[BeerLoverHere]

I've bottled a lot of beers and found a couple things that answer part of your questions. Hop aroma/flavors begin to dissipate noticeably at 2 months in the bottle and are mostly gone by the end of month 3. Porters tend to improve for months and get pretty good at 3 months and better yet at 6. Stouts take even longer but they get really smooth after a year in the bottle. So far none of my beers have lasted more than 2 years so I can't tell about that part.

Light color beers and beers that are low in alcohol are ready to drink sooner. As you add color and/or alcohol they take longer to mature. I'd recommend a pale ale next in your schedule because it will be ready to drink and need to be drunk soon. I think you'll enjoy it and find a way to get it gone before you lose the aroma.

Some unsolicited advice that I wish I had known sooner as I drank some sub-par beers as I started brewing. Start your ferments cool. Read about the yeast's preferred temperature range and keep the beer at the lower end of that until the ferment slows. Then let it warm to room temp and sit at that temp for another couple weeks. Use your hydrometer to determine whether you can bottle or not. I've had a couple that reached their expected FG but kept on fermenting. Those I bottled when they had reached the epected FG became gushers.

I had a BJCP judge tell me that wheat beers tend to taste like "cardboard" with time and should always be consumed earlier than later. FYI. I usually don't sit on a beer for too long so I couldn't tell you one way or the other on this one, just repeating what a certified judge told me when sampling my beer.

Also, I agree with the others on here. The higher the OG and/or specialty malts used, the more time you need to give to a beer. But if you crack one open and you like it, drink it

 

[robertus]

I'm something of a slow drinker, so a couple cases of homebrew will last me a long time. I've stored beer at RT for 12-18 months and didn't notice any off flavors. Everything was between 5% (steam beer, mocktoberfest) and 7% (porter) ABV.

 

[unionrdr]

Leave the bottles at room temp (70F or a bit more) for 3-4 weeks to carb & condition. Then storing them in a cool basement or similar area will slow down any deterioration a bit.

 

[TxBigHops]

I've bottled a lot of beers and found a couple things that answer part of your questions. Hop aroma/flavors begin to dissipate noticeably at 2 months in the bottle and are mostly gone by the end of month 3. Porters tend to improve for months and get pretty good at 3 months and better yet at 6. Stouts take even longer but they get really smooth after a year in the bottle. So far none of my beers have lasted more than 2 years so I can't tell about that part.

Light color beers and beers that are low in alcohol are ready to drink sooner. As you add color and/or alcohol they take longer to mature. I'd recommend a pale ale next in your schedule because it will be ready to drink and need to be drunk soon. I think you'll enjoy it and find a way to get it gone before you lose the aroma.

Some unsolicited advice that I wish I had known sooner as I drank some sub-par beers as I started brewing. Start your ferments cool. Read about the yeast's preferred temperature range and keep the beer at the lower end of that until the ferment slows. Then let it warm to room temp and sit at that temp for another couple weeks. Use your hydrometer to determine whether you can bottle or not. I've had a couple that reached their expected FG but kept on fermenting. Those I bottled when they had reached the epected FG became gushers.

Thanks for all the great information. Slowly but surely I'm gathering the info I need to brew better. I definitely made some blunders on my first batch that I don't think I will repeat, so it's all good.

With all the reading that I've done over the past few years, I'm pretty upset with myself for letting my early fermentation temps to get up to 73 degrees. I really should have known better. But you're saying it's OK to let it get a little warmer later in the ferment. That's good because my plan was to take it out of the water tub on Saturday so that I can put the new one in for the beginning of it's fermentation.

Yes, pale ale or simple IPA is definitly next on my list after the Centennial blonde I'm doing this weekend. And I left one off my list. At some point I want to tackle a really complex IPA such as a Pliney the Elder clone.

At any given time I usually have at least 4 or more IPAs in my beer fridge. I think I would get kinda bored if I only had one or two that I had to drink up because I had too much of it and no room to make a new one. So thanks for putting my fears to rest that I can keep some at room temp storage for quite a while until I get around to them. As long as they're drinkable, it's not really that big of a deal if they start to lose some of their hop aroma and character.

 

[TxBigHops]

I'm something of a slow drinker, so a couple cases of homebrew will last me a long time. I've stored beer at RT for 12-18 months and didn't notice any off flavors. Everything was between 5% (steam beer, mocktoberfest) and 7% (porter) ABV.

Good to hear robertus. So how high might the temps get during these longer storage periods?

 

[TxBigHops]

Leave the bottles at room temp (70F or a bit more) for 3-4 weeks to carb & condition. Then storing them in a cool basement or similar area will slow down any deterioration a bit.

I wish that was an option, but unfortunately I'm in Houston, so no basement. It's going to either be in storage in my bedroom closet, or in the beer fridge. It's nice and dark in the closet, but during the summer days I imagine the temps will approach, or possibly even exceed 80 degrees.

 

[unionrdr]

A root celler would work too. The coolest room in the house as well,boxed up or otherwise covered.

 

[robertus]

Good to hear robertus. So how high might the temps get during these longer storage periods?

Room temperature was usually the low to mid 70s. Got up around 80 or so during the summer. Kept them boxed up under a table, so not a lot of light got to 'em.

 

[Upthewazzu]

I love my crawl space for many reasons, but long term storage of bottled beer (and wine) is #1 on that list. The temp range goes from 44° in the winter to 55° in the summer. Doesn't matter how cold or how hot it is outside, it never deviates from that range.

 

[BeerLoverHere]

Right now I am moving my beer all over the place in a new house. Can't wait to insulate garage/basement this summer! I live in the MidWest. Temps just got to -15 with a wind chill of -40 or so for a few days. I had to move all my beer (about 15 gallons bottled) from my garage refrigerator inside. Some of it's a lager so I got it underneath a window in my basement that is 55 degrees. I've had to move my fermenter from my basement to a different room in the house so it could do its thing. Temps are changing again outside so time to move everything back. Ugh, but that's okay though...

I think I love my beer just as much as my wife!

 

[Rhumbline]

I brew mostly hi ABV beers, stouts, blacks, etc. and store those unrefrigerated long term with no ill effects. One triple in particular didn't get really good until six months in the bottle.

To prevent catastrophe in the event of a bottle bomb, I store all my beers in one of those cheap plastic storage boxes with the lids.

I'm in Florida and I don't go to any great lengths to keep them cool, just whatever room temp happens to be.

 

[tacks]

IPA's hop character will drop off some after extended cellaring/storage, but otherwise most just get better with age. I just drank the last bottle of my first batch last week (Brewer's Best kit English Brown Ale) and it was the best bottle of the whole batch.

 

[TxBigHops]

I brew mostly hi ABV beers, stouts, blacks, etc. and store those unrefrigerated long term with no ill effects. One triple in particular didn't get really good until six months in the bottle.

To prevent catastrophe in the event of a bottle bomb, I store all my beers in one of those cheap plastic storage boxes with the lids.

I'm in Florida and I don't go to any great lengths to keep them cool, just whatever room temp happens to be.

Perfect! I was hoping to get an answer from someone else in the south who understands that most of us don't have basements, crawl spaces or root cellers in our homes.

 

[brewcephus]

At some point I want to tackle a really complex IPA such as a Pliney the Elder clone.

I've done the PtE clone from Morebeer and have 2 more kits from AHS that will be brewed in the next few months. I can say that although it wasn't exactly like PtE it was still a great beer. That one you will want to drink slowly, but alas you will cry when you look and only have a 6 pack left(after a month in the bottles, lol).

But to get to your question, I have 5 batches bottled currently. I give a few away here and there and will probably still have plenty of beer for a little while, though I'm getting ready to start my Keezer and I'm pretty excited about that. I will still bottle some beers here and there, depending on the beer. Most of my IPAs/PAs will go into kegs as they will be gone rather quickly.

 

[TxBigHops]

Thanks Brewcephus! I really appreciate all the replies I'm getting on this. My comfort level has gone way up. After bungling temps on my first brew, I didn't want to make the same mistake with storage.