keeping beer....how does it work

[salv]

Hi everyone.

Am still learning before I attempt my first batch so please bare with me.

I have read that if I bottle condition my brew I will need to give it a couple of weeks (until the bottle is hard) somewhere warm and then take to the fridge (somewhere cold) to stop everything in its tracks.

For all my reading I cant seem to find out though what can I do after. If for example I dont particularly want to drink all my 40 pints straight away and store some for the summer can I take it out of the fridge and put them in the dark in my shed? Or do I only need to put them in the fridge before driking?

Also can I store my beer without carbonating for any length of time?

 

[alanywiseman.]

Brew your beer till it is got an FG of about 1.010 and it remains constant for 2-3 days. At this point there are no more fermentable sugars left the beer. This usually takes about 5-6 days but it is best to leave the beer for 10-14 days before bottling provided you have a constant FG. At this point you bottle your beer.

To carbonate the beer you add a known quantity of sugar. The general rule of thumb is 1/2 tsp per 500ml for ales and 1 tsp per 500ml for lagers. The more sugar the more fizz but I would not go more than 1 tsp per 500ml.

You can do this by adding the sugar to the empty bottles then transferring the beer on top. This is known as bottle priming. Or if you hav a spare FV then you can work out the amount of sugar needed for the whole batch and dissovling it in a little water. Transfer this into a clean sterile FV and rack the beer on top then bottle.

Store the beers at room temp, about 18-20C, for 2 weeks then move to somewhere cool, about 13C, for at least an additional 2weeks before drinking. The first 2weeks in the warm allow the yeast to ferment the added sugar and carbonate the beer. Cooler temps make CO2 more soluble in the beer to by storing in the cool the CO2 gets dissolved in the beer carbonating it. You can use a fridge if you want but it will need to be pretty big once you have a stash. I use my loft which is far from ideal but it is the best I can do.

Does this all make sense? It is more detail than you were asking for but you seemed a little unsure on the process :thumb:

 

[evanvine]

+1 for AWM's reply.
I wouldn't chill them as this may cause a "chill haze" which can be difficult to get rid of.
If you don't want your beer "fizzy", the best way is to use something like a "King Keg".

 

[the-erl]

I have read that if I bottle condition my brew I will need to give it a couple of weeks (until the bottle is hard) somewhere warm and then take to the fridge (somewhere cold) to stop everything in its tracks.

Yeah give a week or 2 somewhere warm then move it to somewhere cooler for storage. Doesn't have to be a fridge just somewhere cooler. The coolest place I have to store my bottled beer stays at about 16 degrees celsius, sometimes a bit cooler in winter. So yes, you can keep them in the dark in your shed. The beer should keep up to 2 years, if you can resist it this long, as long as it's not in direct sunlight. I recently found a couple of bottles of stout I bottled over a year ago and it was delicious - the longer you leave it the better it will get :grin:

Also can I store my beer without carbonating for any length of time?

Not sure about this :wha: I was reading somewhere that some people will brew up then transfer to a "block", a plastic jerry can and keep it for a period without conditioning, but this was with AG brews not a kit.

Erl :drink:

 

[orlando]

Also can I store my beer without carbonating for any length of time?

Yes you can. With some caveats. Brewers have for a long time racked their beers to conditioning tanks to allow the beer to clear and stabilise. It is important to keep the beer in relatively stable temperatures and out of the light. It is a good opportunity to use auxiliary finings to help with clarification at this stage, if you deem it necessary. When you are ready to the beer can be transferred to a bottling bucket with your priming syrup or of course a keg. The beer would then need to be stored in the warm (18 ish) for a couple of weeks to prime and then into the cool to finish the carbonation, then it's up to you how much longer you leave it before drinking. If you have the patience this is very good practice and helps you to get very clear beer with little sediment so more beer out at the other end :thumb:

Pay special attention to sanitation though as multiple transfers invites opportunities for infection. At this stage your beer has alcohol, hops and a low pH to help keep bacteria at bay but it isn't worth testing the limits.

 

[graysalchemy]

I would say no to storing beer for any longer than 2-3 weeks after fermentation, and If you do you need a strong beer aver 7% IMHO. You would also have to be scrupulous about you santation and leave it well alone in a cool enviroment.

To be honest not worth the hassle.

 

[rpt]

If you leave beer for a long time to condition without priming is there a risk that too much yeast will drop out making carbonation slow when finally bottled? Also, I believe that storing in plastic containers for too long is a bad idea as oxygen can get through the plastic (this doesn't apply to the special plastic used in Coopers PET bottles).

 

[graysalchemy]

If you leave beer for a long time to condition without priming is there a risk that too much yeast will drop out making carbonation slow when finally bottled? Also, I believe that storing in plastic containers for too long is a bad idea as oxygen can get through the plastic (this doesn't apply to the special plastic used in Coopers PET bottles).

How long is long? I had a barley wine 8% which was left for 3 months before bottling and even tough I added back some of the sediment on bottling non of the bottles carbonated, so to answer your question yes it can be a problem.

 

[Aleman]

Remember that the cooler you can keep the beer the longer it will be before the effects of 'aging' make themselves known.

If you take care when brewing to avoid excessive oxidation then there is no reason why your beer cannot last years. Obviously stronger beers last longer, I tasted some of my 2010 bottling of my 2008 Imperial stout recently and it is still sound, but 12 months for a 'standard' beer is not impossible.

 

[Good Ed]

Also bear in mind that if you are brewing pale ales with plenty of hop flavour and have dry hopped, you will find some of the hop flavour will go over time, and I find these beers best drunk young, 2-8 weeks.

 

[Baz Chaz]

Obviously stronger beers last longer, I tasted some of my 2010 bottling of my 2008 Imperial stout recently and it is still sound, but 12 months for a 'standard' beer is not impossible.

A number of my beers are now heading for 18 months old, actually having a sort out of 'stock' this morning and there are some Black Sheep Riggwelter brewed 7th Feb 2011 :!:

Had a TT Landlord last night and it was excellent, brewed on 16th Feb 2011 :

 

[mattrickl06]

I would definately reinforce the time it needs in secondary fermentation especially during the winter months.

I was impatient with my first few batches and only gave them a 7-10 day secondary period in which time they did not carbonate properly - give it the full two weeks and then at least two weeks in the cool and your patience will be rewarded.

 

[Baz Chaz]

........ A number of my beers are now heading for 18 months old, actually having a sort out of 'stock' this morning and there are some Black Sheep Riggwelter brewed 7th Feb 2011 :!:

Had a bottle of this last night, totally fine no problems at all..... except theres not many left :

So nearly 2 years old and no deterioration, have sorted all the bottles now and am going to start on the oldest first :hmm: that is until I fancy something a bit different many of my older ales are somewhat stronger :lol:

 

[Good Ed]

From Mitch Steele's book IPA talking about the 1800's :)

"Scottish brewers excelled at brewing strong ales, and were well versed in the benefits of aging their strong beers for a long periods of time to improve flavour and clarity. In fact, one beer type brewed on estates was called "maturity ale". It was brewed shortly after the birth of an heir to a gravity of 1.140 and aged until that heir reached maturity (21 Years)."

Now I would love a bottle of that

 

[evanvine]

Now I would love a bottle of that

You and me both!