Storing bottled beer

by **thisisdonovan** » Sunday Mar 02, 2014 6:40 pm

Hi, I couldn't find a previous thread on this, but I'm just wondering what the ideal conditions for storing full bottles of brew are?

The reason I ask is my wife is less than happy that I've decided to store my bottled beer in the spare bedroom. I'm doing this because the temperatures in my garage are really extreme, basically outside.

Obviously temperature is very important during fermentation, but how would fluctuating temperatures effect recently bottled beer??

by **Pogierob** » Sunday Mar 02, 2014 7:32 pm

You really want to keep a consistent temp and I believe the ideal temp is around fermentation temperature.
I think I have read 18c is spot on but i can't verify this for all styles.

If you have "extreme temp variations " in your garage then it probably isn't the right spot.

I think it's the"feral brewery" that has on its label " treat like milk".

So if you translate this to your homebrew, big fluctuations won't be good for it.

On the other side of the coin, my father has been brewing and storing beer in the garage for 40 years and sees no problem in it. Although he has never moved past coopers tins with the kit yeast, so I definitely wouldn't use him as a yard stick.

(Take over the spare room)

by **Tipsy** » Monday Mar 03, 2014 12:06 pm

When I used to store bottles in the shed I used and old fridge without the motor.
I had it laying on it's back and I could store heaps of bottles without the extreme temperature fluctuations.

by **Oliver** » Thursday Mar 06, 2014 12:12 pm

"Treat like milk" is a good rule. Having said that, I keep mine in a cupboard under the stairs, which is in the middle of our terrace house and probably has the most constant and coolest temperatures.

Oliver

by **emnpaul** » Thursday Mar 06, 2014 2:20 pm

Whatever else you do make sure to keep it in the dark. UV light will react with fermentation by-products and hop resins in your beer to turn it into skunk piss.

by **drsmurto** » Thursday Mar 06, 2014 7:19 pm

I keep my bottled beer in the spare room. Double brick house so very little temperature fluctuations. Sheds kill beer.

by **CrookedFingers** » Thursday Mar 06, 2014 9:06 pm

I pack my bottles into boxes then back into the fermenting fridge at ferment temps for a few days, then under the stairs in an insulated space.

â€¦..by the way, huggies nappy boxes hold 15 pint bottles beautifully. :wink:

by **Mattrox** » Sunday Jun 01, 2014 2:57 pm

CrookedFingers wrote:I pack my bottles into boxes then back into the fermenting fridge at ferment temps for a few days, then under the stairs in an insulated space.

â€¦..by the way, huggies nappy boxes hold 15 pint bottles beautifully.

Huggies FTW.

I get 22 330/345ml bottles laying flat.

Funny I fit 15 pint bottles in too.

by **Oliver** » Sunday Jun 15, 2014 12:58 pm

The proprietor of a LHBS in Geelong used to advocate storing beer in a shed with plenty of natural light shining in, in order to "gas it up" :shock:

I hasten to add that this was going on 15 years ago.

In a later incarnation as a marriage celebrant, the said LHBS proprietor married Geoff.

His HBing advice makes you wonder whether the marriage is legal, Geoff.

Oliver