I bought a decently sized mini-fridge for a phenomenal price at Abt and after a few days of constant tweaking of the temperature dial I have found the "sweet spot." If I move the dial a hair in one direction I can here the fridge turn on and start working which will eventually bring the temperature to 40F. If I move it a hair in the other direction it keeps the fridge at a constant 60F. Now I've been checking the temperature with a thermometer in a jar of water and the fridge keeps it quite constant with a deviation of only .5F. I don't really want to get a temperature control module unless I absolutely have to, so my question is which temperature is better for aging my beer, 40F or 60F?
60F. That's a nice temp. The "theoretical ideal" is 55F (somewhat arbitrary but as good as any), so you're pretty close at 60. It's not going spoil or do anything irregular at that temperature (provided it's dark). 40 is outside the "sweet spot" for beer development from what I read on the interwebs - more of a 'preservation' temperature than a 'cellaring' temperature as chemical reactions would be slowed / stunted at such a low temperature.
