Conditioning Beer, How And At What Temp?

[Eugene]

Hi all,

This question came to me after reading the "how many kegs Poll", with a few saying they use kegs for Conditioning / ageing Beer, my questions is as follows:

Q1: What, for Kit beers, (I dont have the space/time/money yet to get into AG brewing), would be considered the best temp to "condition/Age" a beer AFTER the Secondary Ferment in the Bottle?


Q2: If, a basic kit, say a Thomas Coopers draught, was to be keggged, can it be stored out of the fridge for conditioning, and if so, for how long, given good seals, etc on keg.

The main reason I am asking is my fridge can fit 6 cornis or one 50 lt and two cornies, but hardlt enough room to age alot of beer, I try and brew two beer batches (2 x 23lts) each week to 9 days so I can build up my stocks, but now wanting to keg (over washing bottles), how do I keep them?

My Current shed has heaps of room but is ussually around 25-27 deg C through summer, is this too hot to age beer?

I am building a house on a small property soon, this willl also have a 12m X 9 m two storey shed with a 8x5m "basement", dug under the shed before the slab, lined with Ironbark poles and sleepers, concrete floor etc, temp wil be an average of 12 deg c (checked a mates), I know this will be better than 25 deg c, but will it suit, or do I need a 700-1000 lt chest freezer to age in?

I am not brewing to save money, just to create the best beer I can whith what I have, so far so good, with many freinds comenting on how good the beer is so far, I just want better.

Sorry about the long winded post, but I really want to learn about this stuff, and you guys have the goods.

Thanks

Chris

 

[Wortgames]

Q1: What, for Kit beers, (I dont have the space/time/money yet to get into AG brewing), would be considered the best temp to "condition/Age" a beer AFTER the Secondary Ferment in the Bottle?

The easy answer? As long as possible and as cold as possible. This will give you the 'cleanest' result, ideal for lagers and any crowdpleaser / commercial styles. If you are brewing ales, and spending money on liquid ale yeasts etc then you really want to drink the beer as 'fresh' as possible to enjoy the ale character, so cold conditioning isn't desirable other than a short settling and cooling period once bottle fermentation has completed.

Q2: If, a basic kit, say a Thomas Coopers draught, was to be keggged, can it be stored out of the fridge for conditioning, and if so, for how long, given good seals, etc on keg.

Yes it can, for ages. Take care to avoid oxidation and contamination when transferring and it's probably best to make sure the beer isn't going to throw a heavy sediment in the keg (ie rack first).

The main reason I am asking is my fridge can fit 6 cornis or one 50 lt and two cornies, but hardlt enough room to age alot of beer, I try and brew two beer batches (2 x 23lts) each week to 9 days so I can build up my stocks, but now wanting to keg (over washing bottles), how do I keep them?

Just keep them as cool as you can and move them into the fridge when there's room.

My Current shed has heaps of room but is ussually around 25-27 deg C through summer, is this too hot to age beer?

It's not perfect but as long as the beers and the kegs are clean, the keg is under a bit of CO2 pressure to maintain the seal and you don't have inches of yeast sediment trying to eat itself, you should be fine.

I am building a house on a small property soon, this willl also have a 12m X 9 m two storey shed with a 8x5m "basement", dug under the shed before the slab, lined with Ironbark poles and sleepers, concrete floor etc, temp wil be an average of 12 deg c (checked a mates), I know this will be better than 25 deg c, but will it suit, or do I need a 700-1000 lt chest freezer to age in?

12C is pretty close to British cellar temperature, so you'll be fine - although, if lagers are your thing and you want to get them as authentic as possible, you'll need to store them for several months at just a degree or two above freezing. it depends how far you want to go, but most guys here would probably kill for a 12C cellar.

I am not brewing to save money, just to create the best beer I can whith what I have, so far so good, with many freinds comenting on how good the beer is so far, I just want better.

You'll always want better, I think that's the whole point of this hobby

 

[Eugene]

Thanks for the reply, it was just what I was thinking, but wanted to be sure.

As for the types of beer I like, I have only been brewing a few months, up till then I drank Comercial swill, (New, VB, etc), I am at aloss how I can make beer that tastes SOOO much better than the brewries, and Im am doing it with a minimal kit, three fermentors, a cool (insulated ) box and lots of soapy water.

If I can make beer this good, I can onlt imagine what one of you guys beers who have been doing it for ages tasted like, maybe at a get together I can find out.

I havnt had real LAGER, as suh so cant comment, and due to size, financial and time time constraints, wont be getting into AG for a fair while (house to build, celler, shed etc)

So for now it is kit beer, I am keen to try the Malt Shovel two row lager, or maybe a wheat beer, any tips would be cool.

Again thanks for the repsonse, it is why I love forums the most, great people happy to share, and if any of you guys need help with your turbo falcon on Firearms, be sure to PM me :beerbang:

 

[Wortgames]

No worries, if you're brewing every week you'll get heaps of opportunity to try different styles.

Don't underestimate the megaswill breweries - they have the resources and the skills to brew anything they want. They are just selling to the unwashed masses who want their beer cold and tasteless, and they are doing it at the lowest possible cost. It isn't hard to brew a nicer beer at home.

If your budget stretches to it, find yourself a bottle shop that stocks a good range of unusual beers, and buy something different every week. Drink them when you are in the right frame of mind to enjoy them, your palate is clean etc and you'll get an idea of what different styles are all about and whether you enjoy them or not. Then you'll know what you want to try your hand at next.

Sounds like you've got some hard work coming up - good luck with it!

And if you aren't already aware of the immortal words of Charlie Papazian: Relax, don't worry - have a homebrew.

 

[Keifer]

Don't worry too much about sticking with kits, as you have already said you can make great beers with kits. And yes i would kill to have a 12c cellar (you ******* lol ).