Gabriel Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Hi All, Between myself and 2 friends, we have now put down about a dozen brews. The first few that we did, came out really well. The last 3 or so that we have done, don't seem to be carbonated very well. I was wondering if it is the temperature that is causing this as we started brewing in March/April, and it was still quite warm then. I live in Canberra, and it has been getting quite cold lately (-2 degrees). We've been storing the bottles in milk crates, underneath the house. I'm about to put a thermometer down there in an attempt to see exactly what the temperature is, but as it is, when we bring a beer out, it already feels fairly cold to touch (not qutie drinkable, but not far off). Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can keep the bottles warmer? We're currently bottling about 100 375ml bottles per week (double brew), and space is a premium everywhere except under the house, so we may need to start cutting back on the number of beers we brew. Anyone here have any experience with brewing in colder temperatures? Thanks in advance, Gabriel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashie Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 I brew in Tassie and have never had a 'bad' brew. I don't use any heating for fermentation, but I do wrap my fermenter in a thick blanket. This keeps the temp. around 23 Deg. for 5 days. Long enough to brew. As for the secondary fermentation, I keep a stock of 190 bottles. These are shelved in the shed, where it can get pretty damn cold, but I've found that by having a good stock, it allows the beer to age and is always well carbonated. I know I haven't exactly answered your question, but just wanted to share my experience of brewing in a 'cold' climate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted June 2, 2005 Author Share Posted June 2, 2005 Yeah I am starting to think that maybe we're sampling the beers a bit too early. How long do you typically leave your beers after bottling, but before drinking Hashie? Primary fermenting is fine. The fermenter is indoors, and has a heat belt, which keeps it at a perfect 21-23 degrees. It's just the bottle conditioning that we're concerned about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashie Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 How long do you typically leave your beers after bottling, but before drinking Hashie? My beer is in the bottle for around 3-4 months before I drink it. I don't know if this helps with the secondary fermentation (maybe), but it does help improve the beer. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Posted June 3, 2005 Share Posted June 3, 2005 Can you keep the bottles somewhere warm (18C+) for a week or so to allow them to carbonate? After that they should be gassed up well and right to go into storage under the house. And try and do as Hashie does and keep your beers for a while before drinking. You'll be amazed at the difference there is between beers drunk when just a couple of weeks old and when they're a month or two old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted June 3, 2005 Author Share Posted June 3, 2005 So if I keep them somewhere warm for one week first, that will help a lot? I've got the perfect place for them, it's just that I won't be able to keep more than about a batch worth (5 crates) at any one time. But if I leave them there for a week, then move them, and replace them with the next batch, that could work. One other question, after I've bottled the beer, should I shake them a lot, or just invert them a few times? I've heard conflicting ideas about what to do. We are keeping them for a few months before we drink them, it's just with 100 bottles of something different every week, we are trying to sample a 6-pack worth or so as soon as possible (we usually give them 3 weeks before we try them). Thanks for your help guys :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 Shake them if you are priming with something that will dissolve readily (like sugar or dextrose). Shaking is a waste of effort if you are using carbonation drops because they take about 30 to 60 minutes to dissolve. Oh, and if you bulk prime, don't worry about shaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I was looking for info on what temp to store my bottled beer and came across this old thread. Please bear with me as a give a bit of background before I get to my question. :) I started home brewing towards the end of summer and used a space under the house to both brew my beers and to store them once bottled. No problems at this stage as the space maintained a temp of about 23 degrees. By the time I moved on to my 3rd and 4th brew (Ginger Beer and IPA respectively) the temp had dropped to around 18 degrees and both batches had very low to no carbonation. I was advised to keep my bottles in the house at around 21 degrees or higher to achieve proper carbonation and this seems to have done the trick. :?: My question is: After a week or 2 can I move my bottles out to my nook under the house to continue conditioning or do I need to store them at a higher temp? I live in Sydney so the temp will only be getting into the low teens under the house over winter. We've only got a small 1br apartment and I think my wife will send me out in the cold if I continue moving appliances out of the kitchen to store my beer in the rapidly filling cupboards. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 The bottles may be stored in a cooler area once the brew has sufficient CO2 levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THIRSTY MATT Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 hey muddy, i put mine on heat pad in a milk crate with a blanket over it! i have a 1.25l plastic coke bottle full of water with a thermometer sticker on it ( like on your fermenter)...that goes in the crate/crates as well. i run heat pad for prolly 3hrs a day or sumpin n leave it covered with heavy blanket. i do this for about a week n beer seems to carbonate ok. then i store em up high if its winter...on top of wardrode or in the roof...(heat rises) the roof is prolly 2 degrees hotter then the floor. my storage room is coolest in house...it is the inside corner of an "L" shaped house...in mid winter i have found the floor is about 10-12 n the roof about 12-16. (im in sydney's west). ....aaahhhhh i could yack on all day mate LOL.......the coke bottle with thermoemeter strip is probably my greatest invention!!! i recommend it!! cheers mate matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Lock Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Hi I live in tassie and i keep my batches in a cupboard next to the hot water cylinder for secondary carbonation but they still dont seem to carbonate enough. is there anything i can do to help this or is it just me cracking them open to early? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 How long do you leave them for D-Lock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Lock Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 3wks or so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Give 'em another 3 and see how you go. :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Lock Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 ok do i have to keep em in there for another 3 or could i take em out n box em so i can have a cycle happening. one batch brewing, one secondary fermenting, one in a box waiting n one in the fridge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 A cycle sounds good to me! Then you'll always have aged beer on hand. 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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