Fermenting and Storing

[Silverado531]

Just looking for a little input from locals, basically looking to find out how others manage temperatures. I'm considering the freezer (Craigslist special) with a temperature controller but I'm wondering about storing bottled beer too. Seems to me that bottled beer should probably be kept cool too, and the garage gets pretty warm. Can the beer be safely stored at fluctuating garage temps or do I need to create a temp controlled environment for the bottled beer too?

[dhempy]

The few bottles that I keep I generally keep inside in the pantry .. everything else in the kegerator. I use a converted freezer for fermentation.

Dan

[backyard brewer]

If you have the room, go for a little bigger fridge that'll hold extra bottles. Try to store them as consistently as possible.

[brew captain]

This is my low tech way of maintaining fermentation temperatures. I can add ice packs or warm water as needed to hit my target temperatures. I strongly believe that due to the cyclonic nature of the fermentation that the temperature I read in the "water bath" is very close to the tempurature inside the carboy. It is essentially a big heat sink. I would not use this method for a lager per se, but I could easily pull off a Kolsch or Altbier ferment at 58'-60'.

So far as storing your bottled beer goes, I guess that really is dependent on how long your brew lasts after packaging. A month or two inside your house at room temp should not be a big deal. If you are storing in a garage or shed that experiences bid temperature swings then I would be more concerned. Once carbonated the BEST place would be under refrigeration or at consistent cellar temps...

Cheers!

[brahn]

For fermenting, I do the same as brew captain and I've maintained fermentation temps in the 50-55 F range. It's tough to get much lower than that during the peak of fermentation, but I have been able to keep beer in the mid-40's after fermentation completed. That was a pain and I wouldn't want to do it for very long though.

[Rezzin]

This is my low tech way of maintaining fermentation temperatures. I can add ice packs or warm water as needed to hit my target temperatures. I strongly believe that due to the cyclonic nature of the fermentation that the temperature I read in the "water bath" is very close to the tempurature inside the carboy. It is essentially a big heat sink. I would not use this method for a lager per se, but I could easily pull off a Kolsch or Altbier ferment at 58'-60'.

So far as storing your bottled beer goes, I guess that really is dependent on how long your brew lasts after packaging. A month or two inside your house at room temp should not be a big deal. If you are storing in a garage or shed that experiences bid temperature swings then I would be more concerned. Once carbonated the BEST place would be under refrigeration or at consistent cellar temps...

Cheers!

You need to pick up a thermowell from Derrin and confirm this for us Rob (or Brent!). If your cyclonic nature theory is correct, then the water bath method is an excellent method. I've used it a few times myself when making meads but always figured the water bath was a few degrees lower. You can never see the fermometer stickers once submerged and then they just peel off

[brahn]

Rezzin, I don't have a thermowell, but I've sanitized a thermometer with a 4-5" probe, taken off the lid to my bucket and tested this on a few batches. Even at the peak of fermentation, the water temp and beer temp were the same (within 1F).

[backyard brewer]

Rezzin, I don't have a thermowell, but I've sanitized a thermometer with a 4-5" probe, taken off the lid to my bucket and tested this on a few batches. Even at the peak of fermentation, the water temp and beer temp were the same (within 1F).

No no... rezzin is right; you NEED the thermowell

[Rezzin]

Rezzin, I don't have a thermowell, but I've sanitized a thermometer with a 4-5" probe, taken off the lid to my bucket and tested this on a few batches. Even at the peak of fermentation, the water temp and beer temp were the same (within 1F).

Nice - that's good enough for me!