Where do you guys condition your beer?

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Avocado232

Where do you guys condition your beer?

Post by Avocado232 » Tue May 02, 2017 5:05 pm

Hi guys. I am looking for recommendations on where to store my beer keg for the conditioning process. Somewhere around 12 degrees is ideal I believe? Also, is it unwise to move the key after conditioning? If not, I could maybe store the barrel in the shed for conditioning and then move it to the spare room for serving.

I am new to brewing so please excuse any schoolboy mistakes here! All advice welcome :)

Haydnexport
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Re: Where do you guys condition your beer?

Post by Haydnexport » Tue May 02, 2017 6:09 pm

probably the best investment(S) you can make are fridges , free ones or £20 ebay jobbies are handy to start , plenty around. Controllers are easily built if you can wire a plug , or you can buy inkbird plug and go ones ready built. Have a search of the forum for stc-1000, fridge temperature control , fermentation control , all the info you will ever need is on here somewhere. :D

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wanus
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Re: Where do you guys condition your beer?

Post by wanus » Tue May 02, 2017 6:11 pm

Firstly we all have different situations on how and where we can condition our beer.
I presume you are talking budget barrel here :-k Its what i use as i only brew kits.
After i transfer from the fermenter i leave my kegs on the table in my dining room for 5 days then i either put them in a spare kitchen cupboard or in a lean-to shed in my backyard.
I then cool them in a fridge anytime after at least 3 weeks maturation(normaly 6 weeks depending on how long i can wait :lol: )
As far as moving them are concerned it does your beer no harm but let it rest after each movement.
The main problem i find in moving kegs is that it eventualy affects the pressure in the keg so a CO2 valve is essential.
I hope this helps but some of the more advanced brewers on here could give better advice.Enjoy JBK. :wink:
FV 1:Empty
FV 2:Empty
Demi 1&2:Empty
Demi 3&4:Empty
Maturing: Bastard builders brew
Bottle conditioning: Bastard builders brew
Drinking:McEwan's
Planning:More 🍺

Keep yer pecker hard and yer powder dry.

Fil
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Re: Where do you guys condition your beer?

Post by Fil » Tue May 02, 2017 6:21 pm

hi by keg do you mean pressure barrel? if so depending on the yeast while 12c is an ideal serving temp for a bitter it could easily be below the active temperature for the yeast. and if naturally conditioning with a priming charge of sugars be a problem.

Ideally conditioning temperatures should be the same as your primary fermentation temp but you needednt get anywhere as near as precious about it it only needs to be warm enough ;) If it gets warmer than you would like for your primary its not a huge issue as the fkavour impact of fermenting the priming charge is negligible when compared to the sugar mass exhausted durring primary ;)

There are THREE things going on in the barrel
1) conditionng, where the residual yeast consume the priming charge to craete the co2 to condition beer and pressurise the barrel to retain that condition in the beer.

2) The beer will continue to clarify as the remaining sediment in suspension and the active yeast falls out to the bottom.

3) The beer will also be maturing not to be confused with conditioning this is the flavour development, and different beers require different maturing periods And its a very subjective thing too you may prefer your beers greener than I, its all about personal taste ??

As a rule of thumb let the beer mature a week for every 10 gravity points above 1.000 your Original gravity provides, so if your OG was 1.045 expect ti give the beer a month or so to mature,

This doesent mean you cant sample earlier, by all means have a taste asap, its the best way to judge its progress. just dont expect the beer to be at its best too soon.. This is the factor the kits never seem to mention, But you have to consider kit instructions are part of the marketing when plastered on the outside of a lable.. folk will be more tempted to buy if they can see the beer in their hands in a few weeks when shopping ;)

SO ....... If you have to move the barrel from a warm spot where it can condition to a cooler spot to serve the only factor the move will influence is the clarification if you disturb the sediment when moving.. However beer does also clear quicker at lower temperatures.
It wont effect the conditioning as thats been accomplished, and it wont effect the maturing ..

so Check the yeast details, If supplied as part of a kit the range the kit suggests for fermenting is the same for conditioning, just dont worry if it gets a little warmer
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

BenB

Re: Where do you guys condition your beer?

Post by BenB » Tue May 02, 2017 8:01 pm

I've got three temp controlled chambers (essentially mini freezers with heating tubes in and a celotex lined MDF box attached). I tend to use one for fermenting, one for lagering and one for post secondary fermentation conditioning and longer term storage (12 degrees). Each has a STC1000 type thingy attached to control the temps. Each chamber takes 2* FV or 1* FV / 1* keg.

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Re: Where do you guys condition your beer?

Post by Clibit » Tue May 02, 2017 8:22 pm

I am a total luddite. I don't have space for fridges for conditioning. I warm condition in the house at room temperature, then I put them in crates with lids under the floor. It's not perfect, it can get up to 18C in summer hot periods, but most of the year it is 10-15C. Costs nowt, works well. It's an old house with floor boards and a big space underneath.

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Kev888
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Re: Where do you guys condition your beer?

Post by Kev888 » Wed May 03, 2017 11:02 am

Carbonating through priming works well at a similar temperature to that used for fermenting - it is really just a small extra fermentation in the keg/cask/barrel/bottle. If you have a big enough temperature controlled fermentation chamber you can put it in there for a while, but room temperature is normally adequate for ale yeast unless your house is unusually cool or hot.

There are also various maturing processes that occur, these will happen at cellar temperatures but generally are faster if somewhat warmer, so I tend not to rush into cooling ales immediately after priming. For lager yeast though, 'lagering' is traditionally done cold over a longer period of time, say 7c or so, so fridges or winter conditions may be needed, though the cooler end of cellar temperatures can suffice.

In an ideal world the beer would be stored cool to help increase shelf life, and also settling, but it depends on what facilities you have. Cellars are often ideal, and many people have fridges or keggerators set to that temperature. I did once but no longer have space, so I just brew accordingly these days - styles which lose aroma or freshness quicker are brewed in quantities that can be consumed in reasonable time.

Serving temperature is a matter for personal taste, but for ales something like 12c-13c is traditional for British styles and lagers somewhat cooler. Again, cellars or keggerators are ideal, or a shelf-cooler can be used if beer lines are involved; failing that you can pour off and cool some beer in a fridge before dispensing. It is usually best not to move the barrel just before dispensing as this can stir up sediment (some yeast varieties are more prone to this than others); I like to either position mine so that they don't need moving or else rack the clear beer to a new keg or bag-in-box if it is to be taken to a party and drunk immediately.
Kev

Avocado232

Re: Where do you guys condition your beer?

Post by Avocado232 » Thu May 04, 2017 7:07 pm

Wow thank you all for the replies! You have certainly supplied me with plenty of food for thought :) I will maybe look into buying a cheap fridge for my next brew, which will be an extract IPA project (as apposed to the full kit method I used for this first brew).

Just to fill you all in on the process so far (for what it might be worth):

- Primary for 10 days at roughly 19 c

- Transferred to pressure barrel and stored in a warm place for 1 week (for what I believe to be secondary fermentation?)

- I will then store the barrel in a cool place (my shed most likely) for around 2 weeks to...condition?

I have CO2 available, but i'm not sure whether or not I will be able to gauge it's use with this being my first project. Would it be a bad idea to taste the beer at this point? It would require sampling through the tap.

Thank you all for your patience!

Fil
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Re: Where do you guys condition your beer?

Post by Fil » Fri May 05, 2017 1:33 pm

its NEVER a bad time to taste the beer ;) its the best way to judge its progress from a sweet malty liquor to a grand quaffable pint .. whenever you draw a gravity sample, drink/taste it.

**Edit I assume you took gravity readings?? it is the only way to determine if a beer is ready to bottle/barrell with any certainty.. if not well your probably a-ok, but next brew break the bad habit of not taking gravity samples ( and drinking em ;) ) . and START!!

The only thing to be aware of with a PB is avoiding the 'Glug Of Death' where zero pressure is contained but a seal is maintained so pouring a sample results in air glugging up through the tap and beer risking oxidising your valuable brew, which a tentative initial tap crack to ensue positive pressure is the easy solution to avoiding ;)

a week of secondary fermentation OR conditioning should be ok but a fortnight would be a catch all option.. should you crash chill in advance of bottling/barreling the brew can take a few days to creep back upto fermentation temps and revive the cold dormant yeast.

when shifting to a cool spot the internal pressure can easily drop rapidly due to the ability of cooler liquids to absorb more co2, so topping up with co2 cant hurt and can help avoid the previously mentioned Glug Of Death!!

enjoy the brew..
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

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