Am I required to refrigerate bottles after bottling?

Question

My instructions that came with my kit said that I should let the bottles sit for 3 days, then age in the fridge for 10 days. If I don't refrigerate, will I get bottle bombs?

Advice on forums and other places says to leave them in the bottle for two weeks or even upwards of a month, I doubt every brewer has enough fridge space to store 5+ gallons of beer for 1 or 2 months. So, I am inclined to think they won't blow, unless I bottle with too much unfermented sugar in them.

Will leaving them out in room temp, cause them to pop? Are there any other reasons for me to refrigerate my beer, aside from taste?

Answer 1

DO NOT put them in the fridge after three days. You'll want to store the newly bottled beer at around 70 degrees for a few weeks. Since you are bottle conditioning, the yeast will need time to carbonate the beer. If you put the beer in the fridge now, the yeast will drop out before it finishes eating the priming sugar, and you'll have flat beer.

With respect to bottle bombs, you just have to avoid too much fermentation in the bottle. You do this in two ways: 1) Make sure that fermentation is finished before bottling, by taking successive hydrometer readings and noting no change for a few days. This allows you to know, for sure, how many fermentables are in the bottle. 2) Make sure to calculate and measure your priming sugar accurately. This point is often missed. Beer making instructions usually assume a 5-gallon volume when specifying how much priming sugar to use. You will probably have to adjust this, since typically the volume of beer you collect is not exactly 5 gallons. Here is one calculator that can help with that: http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

Answer 2

You'll only get bottle bombs if you over-prime or bottle too early (or have an infection). The difference between fridge, celler and even hot (80-100+°F) temps will not cause a normally-carbonated beer to explode, or it'd be happening commercially all the time.

That being said, heat and temp fluctuations aren't ideal for your beer.

Make sure fermentation is finished when you bottle. Don't over-prime. Be clean. Then just keep the bottles in the coldest darkest place you have access to.

Answer 3

I do not refrigerate my beer until it is ready to drink, generally about 2 weeks after bottling. I will leave it at room temperature, out of the sun, indefinitely from the time I bottle it until I am ready to drink it.

Answer 4

My process is to bottle condition at room temperature then every 7 days put a bottle in the fridge overnight and give it the taste test.

If its carbonated to your liking then load up the fridge, else wait till the following week.

Answer 5

3 days outside the fridge (at room temperature) is fine in my experience. I carbonate with unfermented beer (Speise) instead of sugar.

Answer 6

I agree with DAX, have put bottled beer directly into the fridge. It takes about 3-4 weeks, but will carbonate. The carbonation may be finer (smaller bubbles) but is adequate. Don't think it really adds much just did it many years ago as an experiment, comparing to room temp carbonation from same batch

Answer 7

My simple rule of thumb for brewing:

• primary: 2 weeks
• bottle: 3 weeks plus at room temp, standing upright.

Haven't had any issues yet.

Answer 8

Well, I just made my first batch. Tastes great .. but .. I think I was clean, and I thought it was done carbonating. I got one bottle bomb after 7 days .. so I refrigerated the rest. I how have drunk two other bottles, They both were only a little over-carbonated, but I daren't leave them out.

Answer 9

For lighter beers I usually try to store as many in the fridge as possible because the longer fridge time will help them clarify in the bottle before you open them (if that is pertinent to the style and/or important to you). Of course this is after at least 2 weeks of priming time outside the fridge at about 70 degs.

I have also had some brews that maybe I bottled too early or otherwise I noticed they were overcarbonated or had a bottle explode. For these types I would definitely rush them all into the fridge to stop the yeast from carbonating any further.

Answer 10

I do the same. Once bottled, I chill/drink no sooner than 10 days, but leave out as many as 4 weeks so far. We've been having a heatwave recently and I'm trying to determine if the bottles are too hot. Probably closer to 80 degrees, but I have no way to cool. I did put the fermenter in a bus tub of water and wrapped with a wet beach towel, but as far as the bottles are concerned, they are on their own.

Answer 11

As it is 2019, I would like to add a little nuance to this debate.

I have left multiple beers to condition at room temp for 7 days after bottling, and then put them in the fridge. They were tasty, carbonated, and totally fine to drink. That said, letting them condition for an extra week or two has made some of the IPAs I have brewed improve. I usually bottle a few 355ml bottles so I can pop one in every few days past 7 days to see how things are going.

Lately I have been brewing some really hazy stuff. The IPAs I'm going for are heavily dry hopped, and this usually results in some of the hop particulate/plant matter being left over in the beer. I think these hazy IPAs are usually much better fresh, as this leftover hop matter can result in the beer not aging as well as some other ales. It may be the case that 7 days room temp conditioning + a few days/one week in the fridge will be better for this style. I have bottled a batch and it is conditioning right now. I will try and get back once I have tasted a few at various stages (1 week room temp, 2 weeks, etc.)

Answer 12

if you put the beer in the fridge after a week of bottling it will be a little flat but still it will taste better than cheap bear from the store . if you want to be safe wait 2 weeks befor putting in the fridge

Answer 13

I ferment ales until they stop making gas, typically 8-16 days. After that I leave them for around 3 weeks, 70 degrees, in the bottle, in the dark, upright. Never a problem!