how long can you keep beer in your carboy?
how long can you keep beer in your carboy?
i have a couple of beers that have finished fermenting and i am going to trasfer them to a secondary carboy (all the kegs i have are full,so i either need to keep them in carboys or buy more kegs) my garage is about 55-60 degrees.
i am just not sure how long i can store them in the carboy,and if something may happen to the flavor(i.e. spent yeast flavor..ect)
i am just not sure how long i can store them in the carboy,and if something may happen to the flavor(i.e. spent yeast flavor..ect)
time in secondary
Weeks to months.
Hoppy beers will tend to mellow if they sit for a long time, though.
Hoppy beers will tend to mellow if they sit for a long time, though.
BTP v2.0.* Windows XP
I would say it also depends on what type of beer you are making. I know some Holiday ales taste better if they are in the secondary for a few months. It gives all the spices time to infuse into the beer. I would think that heavier beer styles would also take advantage of longer secondary time.
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"cidering"
I've never heard of cider flavors coming from leaving beer in the fermentor too long. I've had good luck leaving beer in primary for as long as a month in the 60°F-65°F range without any problems.
I've never really made anything above 70°F, though, since my house only gets that warm in the summer (which is only about 3 months here in Boston) and I move my fermentors down to the cellar once the hot weather comes. Hot temperatures are where problems from storing beer on the yeast cake would be expected to show up, if at all.
I've never really made anything above 70°F, though, since my house only gets that warm in the summer (which is only about 3 months here in Boston) and I move my fermentors down to the cellar once the hot weather comes. Hot temperatures are where problems from storing beer on the yeast cake would be expected to show up, if at all.
Last edited by slothrob on Sat May 10, 2008 11:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
BTP v2.0.* Windows XP
yeah I dont have the luxury of cool weather where I live, Nashville. I love boston btw. visted last spring, its a great city.
so I am about at the point where the AC runs 24/7 so I can regulate the temp down to where I want it, but dont know if I want to keep my apt at 70 round the clock, I know I should keep the beer closer to 65 but no way I am living with that and paying that AC bill.
oh well till I buy a house, soon, that is what I have to deal with.
so I am about at the point where the AC runs 24/7 so I can regulate the temp down to where I want it, but dont know if I want to keep my apt at 70 round the clock, I know I should keep the beer closer to 65 but no way I am living with that and paying that AC bill.
oh well till I buy a house, soon, that is what I have to deal with.
cooling fermentor
Thanks, I like Boston, too! Boston (and Cambridge) is a great beer city, too.
I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Nashville.
Try placing the carboy in a bucket with a few inches of water, this can get you a few degrees drop in temperature. Put a damp towel over the top and put it near the air conditioner, and you should get a few degrees more. You might find that you can get the beer down to 65°F even with the air set above 70°F.
If you don't mind the extra work for the first few days to a week of fermentation, you can also swap out soda bottles full of frozen water a couple times a day and really drop the temperature. Once fermentation slows down, the temperature becomes a lot less important.
I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Nashville.
Try placing the carboy in a bucket with a few inches of water, this can get you a few degrees drop in temperature. Put a damp towel over the top and put it near the air conditioner, and you should get a few degrees more. You might find that you can get the beer down to 65°F even with the air set above 70°F.
If you don't mind the extra work for the first few days to a week of fermentation, you can also swap out soda bottles full of frozen water a couple times a day and really drop the temperature. Once fermentation slows down, the temperature becomes a lot less important.
BTP v2.0.* Windows XP