After bottling..

[Kane]

Hey guys,
I'm brand new to this forum and new to home brewing as well. I've bottled my first batch of Pale Ale and it seemed to go quite well.
I've got a quick question in regards to once you bottle the beer and the temperature it should be kept at.
The last batch I bottled and put the longnecks in a plastic storage box which I kept in the garage. I didn't have a thermometer set up in there but I imagine it would get quite cold at night. Is this going to cause any problems? I can keep the storage container inside after bottling for a few weeks if need be.

Thanks in advance.

[Bum]

With secondary fermentation you want to keep the temperature constant much like in primary fermentation. Most people seem to indicate you can have the bottles a little warmer than the fermenter but I generally keep my bottles as close to 18/19 as I can. I'd move them to a place where the temp can be better controlled - or think about what you can do to insulate them in the garage to keep the temp steady.

[warra48]

What Bum said is probably the ideal.

However, just keeping them at ambient temperature will be fine, and they'll carb up just nicely in anything from 1 to 2 or 3 weeks. Don't fret the small details.
Although they'll be drinkable after about a week, it's better to leave them for 3 or 4. Your beer will improve and end up clearer.

[skurvy84]

when i did my first batch (coopers cervaza), I bottled and then stored at around 15-18 degrees in our cellar. my sister did the same kit and stored hers in her laundry (in a box with a towel over it) and the temp was around 20-22 degrees. the difference between mine and hers was definatley noticable, wether hers was light struck or not is a matter of debate but i think the temps played a roll. but if you don't have access to a cool place or a cellar.....improvise (put all bottles into fermenter once bottled and fill it with water)?????

[BigPete56]

I had the same questions myself after my second brew (CPA) was initially flat, and I wondered if storing them under the house (being too cool) was the problem. Turns out they needed time, and now three months after bottling they are pretty damn good - clear, plenty of head and drinking rings (is that what they're called?) lining the glass. Sage advice from this forum dispelled my concerns at the time - your brew should be ok, but it seems two to three months is required for optimum results. It seems a long time to wait, but I am sure I am not alone in getting around this dilemma by brewing a new batch every month.

[Bum]

drinking rings (is that what they're called?) lining the glass.

I've seen it referred to as "lacing." I don't pay much attention to this though. I've noticed that the worse the pour the better the lacing. I don't place too much importance on it myself.

[billybushcook]

My brew box takes a fermenter + 30 bottles, so I normally have 1 brew in the fermenter & the last batch of bottles in there, each fortnight when I bottle said batch the system rotates so the last batch of bottles get evicted & the newly bottled bottles go in with the fresh wort. Lately I have been doing a few double batches which means some batches can't stay in there for that usual fortnight.
Iv'e noticed a big difference (in carbonation & more importantly, FLAVOUR) with the ones which have spent the full fortnight, kept at the same temp they where brewed at compared to those who where evicted early,

Where possible, keep your bottles at a constant temp to suit the yeast for at least a fortnight & they will be much better off!!

Cheers, Mick.

[Kane]

Awesome, cheers guys.
I've had my COppers pale ale bottled for three weeks out in the garage and cracked a few tonight with a mate. We were both very impressed. It went down a treat
I've got another 60 longnecks of Mexican Cerveza and Australian Bitter bottles and ready in three more weeks. I might even leave them a bit longer.
Can someone explain how the extra few weeks makes a difference?

[Kane]

Coopers*

Clearly the last few went down a little too well!

[Trough Lolly]

...Can someone explain how the extra few weeks makes a difference?

G'day Kane welcome to the forum!
There are a number of compounds in the beer that take additional time for the yeast and other elements present to process. This is what we refer to when brewers talk about conditioning the beer. "Green" beer is beer that has been made and consumed usually within a week or two of bottling. It's ok to drink and will not necessarily harm you unless you've bottled an infected batch. The conditioned beer is beer that's been given additional time in the vessel (bottle, keg, etc) to allow the yeast in solution to do it's thing. And that's why smart brewers plan ahead and make sufficient batches to allow for the extra time it takes to adequately condition their beer.

Yeast is pretty hardy stuff and won't necessarily freak out if the temperature varies over the day. The more important thing to be wary of is not putting the beer into the bottles until you know that the bulk of the fermentation has completed. Nobody likes bottle bombs!

Cheers,
TL