Myth Or Fact? Once Beer Is Cold It Should Stay Cold?

[davewaldo]

Hi everyone,

I've been hearing lots of people recently tout this belief that once a beer has been refrigerated it should stay that way until being consumed.

Fair enough it can't be good for beer to be cold then warm over and over but is it really a concern if it only happens once or twice?

I've had mates tell me they can taste when a beer has been allowed to warm after being refrigerated. Its only ever commercial beer drinkers I hear this from not from the homebrew crowd.

So I'm wondering if there is any basis for this belief? The reason I ask is because I want to cold crash a batch of bottles to help the beer settle, but I don't have room to keep them all cold until they are consumed. So I would be cold crashing for a couple of weeks then allowing them to come back up to room temp until they are wanted, then I would chill and drink.

Any problems with this method? I don't see how its much different to cold crashing in the fermenter (which I didn't do for this batch ).....

Cheers,

Dave

 

[glaab]

plenty times I've turned off my beer fridge by mistake , the light switch is right next to the fridge switch, never had anyone say they could tell it was warmed up then rechilled and I never noticed any diff. Its; an old wives tale like the bogeyman and the millenium bug and global warming etc etc
:icon_drunk:

 

[Adamt]

I believe the myth stems from leaving beer out in sunlight, where it can skunk.

 

[scoundrel]

is it bottle conditioned home brew? it may just give it a bit of a shock, similar to that of bottle shock in wine. but in the long run it should be fine just give it a week before drinking.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

... an old wives tale like ... global warming etc etc
:icon_drunk:

UUUUUGGGHHHRRRR. I wish there was a rage emoticon.

 

[davewaldo]

Thanks guys!

The beer in question spent 2 weeks in primary then was bottled and has since had 3 weeks to condition in the bottle. So its finished carbing and I feel it would benefit from a nice long cold crash to help it settle. I usually cold crash for at least a week before bottling which I find helps a lot.

What do you mean by "it might give it a shock". Do you mean the living yeast might be shocked? I figured the yeast would have gone dormant by now as all the sugars are gone.....

 

[gregb]

I believe the myth stems from leaving beer out in sunlight, where it can skunk.

+1

 

[Fourstar]

UUUUUGGGHHHRRRR. I wish there was a rage emoticon.

I know, how dare he say the boogey man is fake! :angry:

 

[jimi]

Cold to warm then cold again = "foxy" or at least thats what I recall the shearers calling it back when I was a young rousie and my old man (whose a non-drinker) and other cockies would serve shearers and the shed crew up old beers for the "cut out" at the end of the shed. These beers had been chilled then let warm (probably a few times).
'Foxy' is a good descriptor, it's kind of reminds you of the smell down a fox hole. I've only tasted it in commercial beers when the beers were treated quiet dodgily. UV could be the issue I've only tasted it a couple of times and the last time was ages ago. I've never experienced it in home brew and don't think it will be a hassel for you.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I don't think this myth is true - but if you pretend you believe it, I think that would be good.

All beer - and homebrew in particular - should be kept in cold or at least cellar temp cool conditions ALL the time - for its entire existance. The closer to that you can get, the longer your beers will last and the better they will taste. People who are frightened to take their beer out of the fridge - will leave it there! and thats a good thing.

 

[Pollux]

I know, how dare he say the boogey man is fake! :angry:

"Lisa, vampires are make-believe, like elves, gremlins, and eskimos."

 

[Screwtop]

If anyone cares to try. Take a sixpack of XXXX bitter from the fridge and leave it at room temp for a few weeks, then refrigerate and taste. Simple test, guaranteed results. During the seventies bottle shops would take em back if you opened one and it was foul, they knew that at times they got moved out of the cold room for a while and would happily replace them with a good one, somehow they knew where to get a good one from to replace it :lol:

Screwy

 

[InCider]

I've got a stubby of Carlton Draught in one of my sheds - a small garden shed in direct sunlight most of the day. It's been there at least 2 and a half years. I'll bring it to the swap and we'll see.... :icon_cheers:

*but it tasted like shit to start with, so can we really tell?*

 

[phaedo]

If anyone cares to try. Take a sixpack of XXXX bitter from the fridge and leave it at room temp for a few weeks, then refrigerate and taste. Simple test, guaranteed results. During the seventies bottle shops would take em back if you opened one and it was foul, they knew that at times they got moved out of the cold room for a while and would happily replace them with a good one, somehow they knew where to get a good one from to replace it :lol:

Screwy

Wouldn't that mean having to drink XXXX?

 

[Kai]

I don't think this myth is true - but if you pretend you believe it, I think that would be good.

All beer - and homebrew in particular - should be kept in cold or at least cellar temp cool conditions ALL the time - for its entire existance. The closer to that you can get, the longer your beers will last and the better they will taste. People who are frightened to take their beer out of the fridge - will leave it there! and thats a good thing.

Sure, keeping packaged (and conditioned) beer cold all the time is definitely best practice, but promoting myths is not. Better that people know beer is best kept cold than perpetuate the notion it can't warm up once cold.

Personally I think the myth is due to people leaving beer in the boot or backseat of the car (or so on...) in the middle of summer. After all, nobody's gonna try to drink an Aussie lager warm, it gets re-chilled...

 

[raven19]

I've got a stubby of Carlton Draught in one of my sheds - a small garden shed in direct sunlight most of the day. It's been there at least 2 and a half years. I'll bring it to the swap and we'll see.... :icon_cheers:

*but it tasted like shit to start with, so can we really tell?*

indeed!

 

[raven19]

In regards to Kegs, what is the consensus?

My excuse is I dont have a big enough keg fridge! :unsure:

 

[Effect]

well, I have been told that if you overcarb your keg, bring it to room temp and vent all the CO2 and start from scratch.

I don't see what changing the temperature could actually do to the beer...

 

[buttersd70]

In regards to Kegs, what is the consensus?

My excuse is I dont have a big enough keg fridge! :unsure:

Again, cellar temp is best. But in the end, it really comes down to just having a bit of CDF about where you store it. Keep it somewhere that's going to be relatively cool, and preferably relatively stable.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Sure, keeping packaged (and conditioned) beer cold all the time is definitely best practice, but promoting myths is not. Better that people know beer is best kept cold than perpetuate the notion it can't warm up once cold.

Personally I think the myth is due to people leaving beer in the boot or backseat of the car (or so on...) in the middle of summer. After all, nobody's gonna try to drink an Aussie lager warm, it gets re-chilled...

Oh I agree 100% - I dont think people should promote this myth... just act as though it were true and keep their beer cold.

and in general rather than in response to Kai...

Varying temperature up and down can cause the beer to age more quickly than even storage at a constant but higher temperature... but you are talking about up and down over a period of days/weeks/months ... not a single instance of getting it cold and letting it warm up.

Temperature is the enemy of freshness... keep em cool and keep em stable is the best advice.