How to store my beer?

[u/Accomplished-Cell771]

Just getting back into the hobby and would like to know how you guys store your beer and how I should go about doing so. I have room to devote a mini fridge for my home brew but I don’t have room in my full size fridge to store any of it and obviously my mini fridge will not hold a full 5 gallon batch of bottles. I’ve stored it at room temperature before but will that ruin the beer if I don’t drink it fast enough? The temps in my house can easily reach 78f on the hottest days of summer even with the ac on.

[u/mysterons__]

I store bottles in boxes. Never had a problem. I even have some I made in 2019 that are still fine (12% abv stout).

[u/Scarlettfun18]

Room temp is fine. You want to keep them in the dark if possible.

[u/skizzlegizzengizzen → u/Scarlettfun18]

Boxes help with this too. If you can get some spare boxes from a grocery store and place them in a closet or basement if you have the spare space.

[u/rodwha → u/skizzlegizzengizzen]

Yeah, I prefer the short squat bottles and just clean commercial beer bottles and remove the labels reusing the box they came in. Most of mine are over a decade old now. They stack nicely and are well covered.

[u/thejudgehoss]

Before I started kegging, I stored my bottles at room temp in the basement. I'd refrigerate them a 6 pack at a time.

[u/Vicv_]

I know a couple people have recommended just buying a fridge. Having no idea what your living situation or space is like. So I don't think that's a very fair piece of advice to just throw out there. As others have said, it will store fine for many months at room temperature.Just make sure you refrigerate it for a good week before you drink it to make sure all the carbonation is fully dissolved, you're good to go

[u/Accomplished-Cell771 → u/Vicv_]

I don’t really have the space for another large fridge at the moment so as long as it will last 4 months or so I think I will just store it at room temperature. Thank you

[u/Vicv_ → u/Accomplished-Cell771]

You're welcome

[u/Positronic_Matrix]

If you haven’t heard it before, the 3-30-300 approximation for beer life is as follows:

• 3 days at 90 °F (32 °C)
• 30 days at 72 °F (22 °C)
• 300 days at 38 °F (2 °C)

So, you’re good to keep the beer at room temperature for a month (or longer at risk), if you need.

[u/boarshead72]

It’s not going to ruin the beer, but I will say that one of the only two things that I absolutely know consistently made my beer better was permanent refrigeration of the carbonated bottles. If you happen to see a fridge on the side of the road, grab it.

[u/GrabMyHoldyFolds]

Store it at room temp and just keep a few in the fridge. It will be fine.

[u/chino_brews]

Probably no problem.

If it's made well, your homebrew will keep the same as commercial beer. Storing beer warm speeds the staling process, and storing cold slows it. I wouldn't store beer for years at 78°F or higher for years, but if you are going to drink your 5-gal batches over two months (after the three weeks of bottle conditioning) it should be fine. Refrigerate them as many as you can.

If your beer is not made well, it can be unstable (will change in the bottle beyond normal aging/staling). Unstable can mean things like microbial contamination progressing, or prematurely-bottled beer finishing fermentation in the bottle. Both of these can lead to overcarbonation and even explosions. Beer changes can progress faster in warmer temps (but refrigeration only slows the consequences from unstable beer; it doesn't halt them).

[u/Jon_TWR]

If you get a big enough minifridge, it should easily hold half a batch or more.

Just rotate in a new 6-pack as you finish each one. 78° isn’t ideal, but it will be fine for relatively short term storage.

[u/Charmcitycharmer]

Chest freezer with a cheap temp controller will use less energy, be more consistent, and let you cold crash and lager. About the same foot print and you can put shelves above it too. Home Depot and Lowe’s have lots of smaller options and plenty of sales, they,re stupid cheap compared to fridges.

[u/Szteto_Anztian]

Pro rules are 3-30-30

3 days at 30 C is roughly equal to 30 days at 20 C, is roughly equal to 300 days in an adequate refrigerator. It’s the principle used in QA for forced aging.

From the research I’ve done on it, of course the higher the temperature, the faster your beer will age, however equally important is consistency in temperature. Large swings in temperature will specifically be more damaging to hop flavour and aroma than an equivalent time held at a consistent room temp.

[u/greyhounds4life1969]

By yourself a fridge from ebay/fb marketplace etc, you can pick one up fairly cheap if your not to fussed about the condition of it. As long as it works, all good.

[u/Accomplished-Cell771 → u/greyhounds4life1969]

I wish I could but I don’t have the space for another full sized one at the moment

[u/Mattgoof → u/Accomplished-Cell771]

You don't need a full sized one, those mini ones sold for college dorms are typically big enough for a 5-gallon keg or two