Storing / Conditioning Bottled Beer

[JonGoku]

It was great meeting those of you who were able to make it to the get together at Alcatraz last night. I appreciated the kind feedback on my still quite young brew, and am ready to get started with my next batch. I did get a kick out of watching Rob (the Alcatraz Brew Master not our Brew Captain) drink part of the taster and toss the rest back behind the kegs. To him it obviously wasn't worth finishing the last final oz left in the taster.

Anyways, I wanted to get your feedback on what you believe the best way to store or condition bottled beer is. More specifically:
-Is it essential to better conditioning (and final taste) if the bottles are kept at a certain temperature and if so what temperature?
- Do you keep it at a certain temp for such and such a period of time and then after that keep it at another temperature for at least another given period of time for further conditioning?
- Am I overly concerned and temperature actually doesn't really matter after the carbonating yeast has done it's job?
For arguments sake, assume we are talking about my current Pale Ale

For now, and until at least I brew my next batch I am keeping my bottles in my Coleman Icebox filled with as much water as possible and in which I am trying to keep a steady 72* environment.

Cheers! and TIA

[BrewMasterBrad]

Keeping the conditioning beer at a steady 72 sounds good. The time it takes to carbonate depends on the health of the yeast and the amount of priming sugar used. As with all things homebrewing - patience is the key. They should be fully carbonated within 3 to 4 weeks. After that, you should keep them in the fridge since they will keep longer that way. Pale Ales are generally best when fresh, so keeping them in the fridge is important for this style.

[maltbarley]

I did get a kick out of watching Rob (the Alcatraz Brew Master not our Brew Captain) drink part of the taster and toss the rest back behind the kegs.

I wouldn't sweat that. Being someone that works with beer and likely has to taste a lot during the course of a day (checking beer in various stages and final product from the taps) he knows how to taste and give up the rest of the goodness. He also rinsed his glass and got ready for the next taste we threw at him. I wouldn't be offended by what he did, especially if his comments were good. A drunk brewer is usually not a good one.

[JonGoku]

Keeping the conditioning beer at a steady 72 sounds good. The time it takes to carbonate depends on the health of the yeast and the amount of priming sugar used. As with all things homebrewing - patience is the key. They should be fully carbonated within 3 to 4 weeks. After that, you should keep them in the fridge since they will keep longer that way. Pale Ales are generally best when fresh, so keeping them in the fridge is important for this style.

72 is just a number I came up with that didn't sound too warm, but was warmer then my primary ferment temperature of 65-68. (Temperatures listed are temp of surrounding water fermentor/bottles are placed in). Do YOU actually monitor the temp you keep your bottles at or do you just assume "room temp" is ok. I guess what I'm asking is do I really need to worry about temperature to get optimal conditioning, or does it not matter if the temperature fluctuates +/- 5* or more?

I wouldn't be offended by what he did, especially if his comments were good. A drunk brewer is usually not a good one.

Naw, I wasn't offended, how could I be, it was my very first brew and it was still young to boot. I agree with what you say, and for that exact reason is why I got a kick out of it. It was business as usual, and I received the perfunctorily "Meh" from the brewmaster.

[BrewMasterBrad]

Room temp is fine. You just want to make sure it is warm enough for the yeast to be active and create that CO2. Many new brewers cool the bottles down too soon and are left with under-carbonated beer.

[bwarbiany]

72 is just a number I came up with that didn't sound too warm, but was warmer then my primary ferment temperature of 65-68. (Temperatures listed are temp of surrounding water fermentor/bottles are placed in).

Bear in mind (off topic) that you want the temperature of the fermenting beer to be 65-68 (or sometimes lower), not the temp of the surrounding water. You can easily have a 5-10 degree rise from your water temp to the temp in the fermenter.

But as for carbonating, just stick it in a closet for a couple weeks. As long as it's not in a garage with wild temp swings, it's fine... Temp after primary is pretty unimportant as long as it is within a reasonable range.

[JonGoku]

Bear in mind (off topic) that you want the temperature of the fermenting beer to be 65-68 (or sometimes lower), not the temp of the surrounding water. You can easily have a 5-10 degree rise from your water temp to the temp in the fermenter.

But as for carbonating, just stick it in a closet for a couple weeks. As long as it's not in a garage with wild temp swings, it's fine... Temp after primary is pretty unimportant as long as it is within a reasonable range.

Thanks I will be less worried then. My main concern was to carbonate the beer asap (originally to serve at the meeting) so I was keeping it at a slightly warmer temp in hopes of nudging the yeast to get busy.

[brahn]

Bear in mind (off topic) that you want the temperature of the fermenting beer to be 65-68 (or sometimes lower), not the temp of the surrounding water. You can easily have a 5-10 degree rise from your water temp to the temp in the fermenter.

That's true if your fermenter is surrounded by air. If it's in a water bath, the temperature of the water bath will be the same as the fermenting beer (at least within 1F). At least that's how it's been every time I've checked it.