secondary fermentation/conditioning

[AJS]

Hi

The missus is moaning about 4 Grolsch crates and two casks in the kitchen. I usually leave it there for about a week after racking then they go into the garage. Since it has bee so cold I am reluctant to move them too early.

How long after racking do you leave them in a warmish environment before moving to a colder one?

[simple one]

2 weeks to a month.

As you say, there needs to be that warm conditioning prior to cooling down to cellar, or worse, shed temperatures!

[smuggles]

5 to 7 days for me usually, although I occasionally do 2 weeks for bigger/complex beers.

[WalesAles]

AJS,
Put them in the Front Room. (Without telling MrsAJS).
The kitchen will be nice and clear of all brewing debris!
Pic of my Front Room.......
http://s733.photobucket.com/user/paulhe ... ort=3&o=98
Quickest way to a Beer Shed is to have a Front Room like this for a few months!


WA

[BigMouth]

Where do you leave your fv to ferment for a week? I always thought that secondary conditioning should be at a similar temp.

So after fermenting I rack to a PB and cold crash in the garage then after bottling i bring them back indoors to the same room the first fermentation occurred in for 3 weeks before cooling the bottles.

So my answer is 3 weeks hidden on shelves in a cabinet.

[orlando]

A somewhat unscientific approach is to look at the clarity of the beer. Clearer = longer, cloudier = shorter.

[BrewHouse]

AJS,
Put them in the Front Room. (Without telling MrsAJS).
The kitchen will be nice and clear of all brewing debris!
Pic of my Front Room.......
http://s733.photobucket.com/user/paulhe ... ort=3&o=98
Quickest way to a Beer Shed is to have a Front Room like this for a few months!


WA

WA, I know a very good divorce lawyer if ever needed

[Kev888]

The key thing is that any priming is complete before moving to cooler storage. But also, a little warmth helps the post-fermentation processes, so speeds up maturing.

That said, it is possible to put beer into cool storage once fermentation is complete - if you haven't primed and are prepared to wait a bit longer for it to mature. I wouldn't personally go down to lagering temperatures for ale yeast, but cellar temperatures (say 13c) seem to work okay.

[guypettigrew]

That said, it is possible to put beer into cool storage once fermentation is complete - if you haven't primed and are prepared to wait a bit longer for it to mature. I wouldn't personally go down to lagering temperatures for ale yeast, but cellar temperatures (say 13c) seem to work okay.

Very true.

My beers haven't been primed for years. There's always enough fermentable sugar left to get enough gas in it after a week or so at about 11C to 13C. There's also some gas in the beer after primary fermentation so, if you're desperate for a beer, it's drinkable even sooner!

Guy