cellaring in the fridge

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by brureview, Apr 12, 2014.

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  1. brureview

    brureview Pooh-Bah (2,803) Jan 20, 2012 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    I have read that cellaring in the fridge is not recommended. Beers like Sucaba are recommended for cellaring at 45°F which is my fridge temp. I normally cellar in a dark area in a covered box where the temp is 50-60F 8-9 months a year. The rest of the year is 60-70F.

    I have put a few lower ABV ales in the fridge just for keeping them fresh for months at a time and found they actually aged well- they tasted better than the fresh. So is the fridge a possible option?

    Also, if the beer is capped, there won't be a dehydration issue with a cork. So then is the fridge an option for higher ABV beers?
     
    #1 brureview, Apr 12, 2014
  2. MarcWP

    MarcWP Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2012 Arizona

    Your box cellaring at the temps you mentioned seems ideal if you want the aging process to progress along a bit more quickly. Fridge cellaring also works but slows some processes down drastically. Short period fridge aging (-1 year) you can expect possibly some "smoothing out" of the beer but no highly noticeable flavor changes.

    A lot of beers are actually cold bottle conditioned at breweries to "smooth" out and integrate flavors.

    That's my understanding of things, maybe others can chime in. Cheers man.
     
    #2 MarcWP, Apr 15, 2014
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  3. RDMII

    RDMII Initiate (0) Apr 11, 2010 Georgia

    It's been documented that colder temps slow down the aging process, whatever happen in the bottle doesn't happen as much when cold (the yeast is slower moving cold and doesn't do as much). While this is well known and understood, not every bottle follows this. Depending on the time it spent before going in the fridge it may do different things. Also, even capped beers can suffer from oxidation over time, so there's no definitive answer as every bottle's life differs from others.
     
    #3 RDMII, Apr 15, 2014
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  4. brureview

    brureview Pooh-Bah (2,803) Jan 20, 2012 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    Thanks
    Thanks for the reply. So the fridge cellaring explains why some beers like Smuttynose winter ale, Narragansett Bock, and Spencer trappist, tasted better after a few months in the fridge- the taste smoothed out, but no changes.
     
    #4 brureview, Apr 15, 2014
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  5. FocusDave

    FocusDave Initiate (0) Mar 3, 2014 California

    I don't have any real rhyme or reason, but I keep my imperial stouts and Belgian quads in a 50-60 degree box like yours and my sours in the fridge. I'm holding out until I get a separate fridge that I'll maintain at 50-55.
     
    #5 FocusDave, Apr 16, 2014
  6. jnhkkm

    jnhkkm Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2014 Michigan

    for a temperature range of 50-60 a large thermoelectric wine cooler sounds like it could work well. From other threads, I think mini fridges are a bit too cold for cellaring.
     
    #6 jnhkkm, Apr 18, 2014
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