Cold Crashing / Aging Question

[Jayf19]

I have a keezer that I intend to use for cold crashing / aging my beer.

The questions I have are the following:
a) Should I keep the keezer at 35-40F and have the same temp for crashing and aging my beers?
b) Should I alternate the temperatures from crashing 35F to cellaring 50F? Which would mean a single beer could be subject to more than 1 cold crashing cycle.
c) Should I do something else than a) & b)?

Thanks!!

 

[Golddiggie]

I've always aged in my basement (wherever I've lived). In New England those typically range from the low 50's to mid 60's (F) year round. If I lived someplace where that wasn't the case, and still have brews I wanted to age (either beer or mead), I'd make a chamber specific for the task that had the storage capacity needed. Build it similarly to a fermentation chamber (mini fridge for the cooling side) and let it go at that.

BTW, my current fermentation chamber (first one I've built) has both a lid for the top and a hatch at the end. It allows me to move my fermenters into it easily (no high lifting) and shift just as easily (going from above). A pair of gas springs are connected to the lid to make holding it open easy (and not too much obstruction for access).

 

[day_trippr]

"Aging" is an ambiguous term, the question is what is the goal.

For lagers where it's mostly a clarity/crispness thing, I'd go with the 34°F with a 2°F differential I use for my dispensing keezer.
Otoh, most well-brewed ales don't benefit from aging, and for the ones that will (typically big beers) they'll "age" better at cellar temperatures (somewhere in the vicinity of 55°F) than sitting essentially in stasis at lagering temperatures.

Cheers!

 

[Jayf19]

"Aging" is an ambiguous term, the question is what is the goal.

For lagers where it's mostly a clarity/crispness thing, I'd go with the 34°F with a 2°F differential I use for my dispensing keezer.
Otoh, most well-brewed ales don't benefit from aging, and for the ones that will (typically big beers) they'll "age" better at cellar temperatures (somewhere in the vicinity of 55°F) than sitting essentially in stasis at lagering temperatures.

Cheers!

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. I might have a "cold room" in my basement that should be in the mid 50°F's (at least during winter) which I could use for cellaring.

I put a thermometer this morning, I'll see what it looks like this evening.