Polar Vortex: How cold is too cold for my cellar?

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by Rouleur17, Jan 7, 2014.

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  1. Rouleur17

    Rouleur17 Initiate (0) Nov 20, 2013 Illinois

    Hi guys,

    In the middle of the apocalypse, er, Polar Vortex here in Chicago. I have a basement in my apt building where I have a decent amount of stouts, barley wines and a few 120 minutes cellaring. I've been checking the temps down there since this sub-zero streak hit and it has progressively dropped in the basement from 52 degrees to 49 last night. This morning was 45 and just recently 43. I know from a beer perspective, the cold will just slow down the aging, but my question is at what point should I pull the plug and get the beer out of there if the temp keeps dropping? Or is it worse to move the beer into the relatively warmer house where it will be a severe temp change (~68, 65 maybe in a closet)?

    Thanks for your collective knowledge!
     
    #1 Rouleur17, Jan 7, 2014
  2. HighWine

    HighWine Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2010 Illinois

    As long as it's not cold enough where the beer freezes you'll be fine. IF your basement gets that cold, you can move them into the fridge or upstairs without worry.
     
    #2 HighWine, Jan 7, 2014
  3. BiereBlanche

    BiereBlanche Initiate (0) Nov 15, 2007 Colorado

    Watch for condensation, too. I've got cases against a wall, they're holding around 42, but I recently found the boxes have sogged and had developed mold.
     
    #3 BiereBlanche, Jan 7, 2014
  4. mdomask

    mdomask Initiate (0) May 27, 2012 Illinois

    I'm up in Vernon Hills, so I'm in the same vortex.

    Here's a good Q&A about temperature and wine from U of I in Urbana-Champaign. It should apply to high-ABV beer, too. TL;DR summary: wine starts to freeze at -6C/22F. 43F is fridge temperature, so.

    I actually moved beer out of my garage because water was starting to freeze. Honestly, I worried more about expansion/compression of the crown letting in O2. I can't find any good sources for that. My guess is that, like wine corks, the crown is a weaker point than the bottle, so it's more likely to give under pressure (e.g., expanded bottle contents) than the bottle itself.

    Edit: SCIENCE!!
     
    #4 mdomask, Jan 7, 2014
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2014
  5. Rouleur17

    Rouleur17 Initiate (0) Nov 20, 2013 Illinois

    Thanks everyone! Just checked this morning and the temp is holding at 42.8 down there. I pulled some bottles and they seem ok. I am worried about the crown failing also, but since the coldest is over, I'm going to hope for the best and sample one or two this week anyway.
     
    #5 Rouleur17, Jan 7, 2014
  6. mdomask

    mdomask Initiate (0) May 27, 2012 Illinois

    Again, 43F is warmer than fridge temp. Per FDA guidelines, a standard refrigerator keeps food at 32F-40F. So, this is well within standard temps for beer.

    Not saying you shouldn't sample, since that is the fun part after all :wink:
     
    #6 mdomask, Jan 7, 2014
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  7. pmoney

    pmoney Initiate (0) Apr 15, 2011 Illinois

    It's going to take a Polar Vortex, Snowpocalypse, Thunder Snow combo to get those 120's to freeze.
     
    #7 pmoney, Jan 9, 2014
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