Room Temp/cellar Temp

[AndrewQLD]

I see the term Room temp/cellar temp crop up frequently in various threads relating to fermentation and beer storage threads and now cropping up in No Chill threads as well.
I often wonder just what it is here in OZ that we are referring to, I fully realise that in the UK, Europe and the USA cellars are a norm and are used for storage primarily because of their stable temps (and the odd tornado) and that these temps are relevant to the country of origin.

What exactly do we mean on AHB if we use the "cellar temp" reference? And wouldn't it be more informational to state a temp in C that we are using for storage, aging, fermentation or no chill storage rather than the generic terms listed above.

Andrew

 

[manticle]

Fair point. Cellar temp for me would be around 10 degrees, room temp is whatever the room is at at the time.

 

[pk.sax]

Room is what I get without the fridge. To me, this is pretty important as it affects my choice of equipment, insulation requirements and energy usage etc.

Cellar, well, I don't have one.

 

[AndrewQLD]

True, cellar temp is usually presumed to be around 8-12 however room temp seriously fluctuates here in OZ and isn't really very descriptive, a c would be much more informative.

 

[manticle]

Agreed. I tend not to use room temp as a descriptor (at least not to the best of my memory but that is beer addled).

 

[Muscovy_333]

Although highly subjective, I thought room temp was generally considered 20 degrees C amonst the scientific community.
Now that i know no-one else is referring to this temp i will keep it to myself.

Degrees C from here on in....

 

[pk.sax]

I don't like drinking my beer at room temperature, it is approx 10 to 25 degrees above what I prefer. Which degrees you ask? Plutonian, Sir.

 

[raven19]

Let me build my cellar then I will confirm that temp....! :icon_cheers:

As per posts above though, I tend to agree - cellar temp 10 ish or below (and a lot more stable - less swings in temp)

Room temp will sway further due to our sometimes extreme weather in oz, 10 - 25 as a range I would wager...

 

[mmmyummybeer]

I would also asume 8 to 10 C. As used for English style ales etc. Some beers I definately enjoy better a bit warmer to experience all the flavours.

 

[jayse]

I have always considered the term room temp to mean around 20c maybe up to 25c at most and Cellar temp around 10c

 

[AndrewQLD]

I should have stated in my OP that while I understand the reference to cellar temp is more or less understood (sort of) the reference to room temp can be very misleading and confusing to new brewers.
My suggestion is that it might be more beneficial to state a specific temp rather than generalising with do such and such at room temp, this is probably a hang up of mine from cheese and salami making but it applies equally to brewing.

Andrew

 

[Screwtop]

I should have stated in my OP that while I understand the reference to cellar temp is more or less understood (sort of) the reference to room temp can be very misleading and confusing to new brewers.
My suggestion is that it might be more beneficial to state a specific temp rather than generalising with do such and such at room temp, this is probably a hang up of mine from cheese and salami making but it applies equally to brewing.

Andrew

Andrew,

Something that has had me a little miffed as well. Those lucky brewers who reside in SA will be quite familiar with Cellars and cellar temps. However for most AHB'ers this will not be the case. I would think most of us would be referring to temperatures either under the house (Queenslanders) or in a shed.

Cheers,

Screwy

 

[black_labb]

My underhouse in sydney is:
14-16* in the winter (heater in there bringing the temp up a bit, would be closer to 10* otherwise)
20-24* in summer.

I tend to quote the temperature as the "cellar temp" is room temperature in the summer time, and still over cellar temps in the winter.

 

[Greg.L]

An actual cellar temp in Australia depends on a few variables ie; depth, location. A cellar in Qld will be much warmer than a cellar in Tas. In a cave you will find the temp is around 18-20C (Nsw). My cellar is a hole in the ground 2m deep. In winter it is around 10C and in summer 23-24C, though this summer has been much cooler around 20C. The daily variation is about 1C.

 

[argon]

Remembering back to high school chemistry, this what i have always considered room temp
From wiki:

Scientific use

For scientific work, room temperature is taken to be about 20 to 25 degrees Celsius with an average of 23C (about 73 degrees Fahrenheit or 296 Kelvin).[4] For numerical convenience, either 20 C (68 F) or 300 K (80 F) is often used, without being specified as "room temperature".[citation needed] However, room temperature is not a defined scientific term, unlike Standard Temperature and Pressure (STP); admittedly, STP has several slightly different definitions.

Cellar temp historically approx 13C
From wiki: ( a wine reference, but still applicable

Wine can be stored satisfactorily between 7–18 C (45–64 F) as long as any variations are gradual. A temperature of 13 C (55 F), much like what is found in the caves used to store wine in France, is ideal for both short-term storage and long-term aging of wine. Note that wine generally matures differently and more slowly at a lower temperature than it does at a higher temperature.[1] When the temperature swings are significant, 14 degrees or more, it will cause the wine to breathe through the cork which significantly speeds up the aging process. Between 10–14 C (50–57 F), wines will age normally.

Edit: so that being said, when i read;
- Room temp i think 23C and;
- Cellar temp i think 13C
Regardless of where the reader or writer is

 

[Ross]

Pretty close to argon,

I've always taken room temp (in Australia) as being approx 23c & cellar temp as 12c.

cheers Ross

 

[Greg.L]

The easiest way to have a cellar in australia is an insulated shed with AC. That works pretty well but there is an ongoing cost of electricity. A shed with AC and solar panels would be pretty good but expensive to set up. With good insulation and no windows you could keep 13C pretty easily, though when the temps go over 40 it must be pretty hard to keep that cool.