The cool Conditioning Period

[tonester]

Ok So Last Friday I bottled up a brew of pilsner lager. (my first attempt) (no bottle bombs to report - so far).

Now the bottles have been sitting in a cupboard at room temp for about a week. I don't really have much space and no chance of any space in the fridge.

A) How important is it to cool the bottles and is this a skippable stage or will this ruin the taste?

B) Could I store them in a couple of cool bags with a little frozen slabs that I could put in there?

Any ideas or recommendations are always appreciated from you experienced masters!

 

[calumscott]

Firstly, has the secondary fermentation finished? Is your pils crystal clear?

If it has then it's time to stick it somewhere cool - mine go in an outhouse at the moment. It doesn't need to be chilled.

Well, until your ready to sup one of course!

 

[Barticus]

Ok So Last Friday I bottled up a brew of pilsner lager. (my first attempt) (no bottle bombs to report - so far).

Now the bottles have been sitting in a cupboard at room temp for about a week. I don't really have much space and no chance of any space in the fridge.

A) How important is it to cool the bottles and is this a skippable stage or will this ruin the taste?

B) Could I store them in a couple of cool bags with a little frozen slabs that I could put in there?

Any ideas or recommendations are always appreciated from you experienced masters!

What made it sink in for me.

The warm conditioning creates the fizz in the gap you left in the bottle. The cold conditioning sends this fizz from the space into the beer itself. No cold conditioning then I would imagine flat beer.

Could you not stand them in the back garden in bin bags etc if space is at a premium?

 

[calumscott]

The warm conditioning creates the fizz in the gap you left in the bottle. The cold conditioning sends this fizz from the space into the beer itself. No cold conditioning then I would imagine flat beer.

Not quite...

The time in the warm allows the secondary fermentation to happen which produces CO2. By doing this in a closed environment, instead of under airlock in an FV where excess gas can escape, pressure builds. It is primarily the pressure which forces the CO2 into solution in the beer.

The warmth is required to ensure that the yeast do their job. Cooling will allow more more CO2 to dissolve but that will be very much secondary to the pressure build up.

Keeping your beer cool after secondary fermentation/carbonation ensures that it is kept in the best condition, allows the remaining live yeast to very slowly change the beer and for other subtle chemical changes to happen slowly, allowing the flavour of the beer to develop.

In other words if you didn't bother cool storing your bottles, you'd still get fizzy beer, it just won't be *quite* as good... FWIW I reckon that plenty of time at any reasonable temperature is better than a short period cold.

 

[tonester]

Great information. Many thanks. I love you guys! And I'm not even drunk right now!

One last thing to quell my fear. Which is the stage where bottle bombs are most likely? I think I'm gonna put these into a couple of cool bags and keep them zipped up on my balcony outside for the next month or two. (Once they have all gone clear).

My bigegst fear is that I lean in to check they are clear and boom I lose an eye.

 

[calumscott]

Which is the stage where bottle bombs are most likely? I think I'm gonna put these into a couple of cool bags and keep them zipped up on my balcony outside for the next month or two. (Once they have all gone clear).

My bigegst fear is that I lean in to check they are clear and boom I lose an eye.

Towards the end of the first two weeks I would say. That's when you are going to hit maximum pressure.

Think about the process...

Yeast produce CO2, pressure builds, as pressure builds CO2 is forced into solution. Pressure is always ahead of solubility... Therefore if you keep producing CO2, you keep getting more pressure... BOOM!

Once the yeasties have done their bit and you're not suffering shrapnel wounds you should be OK. The best (only sensible) way to avoid them is follow the basic rules:

1) Make sure primary fermentation is finished
2) Use good strong undamaged ale bottles
3) Prime carefully

 

[pittsy]

An easy way to be certain all is well , open a bottle after around 1 to 2 weeks after popping it in the fridge for an hour or 2 , now if it gushes out (beer) you may have a problem but if all clear then there's no issue . If it does gush out try another bottle , if many are doing it then its best to open all bottles and recap em that should sort it but you must open 1 of theses again in around 2 weeks to see if all's well.