What is the best storage temperature for craft beer?

I could be wrong (which I am sure someone will let me know), but I was always told that 55 degrees was best. Not sure about humidity though.

 

I would say about 35 degrees (fridge temp) would be best. You are trying to keep the beer as fresh as possible for consumers, I hope.

 

I think 55 is good if you want the beer to age and 35 is good if you want to keep it fresh, but the better question is why do you think you're prepared to operate in this space if you don't know how to store beer?

 

The OP's original question is the best one. Your "better" question sounds rather personal and degrading. Is that the kind of welcome we want to give new members?

This site is a forum for people who are passionate about beer being able to ask questions without the risk of being shamed. Let's try to keep it that way.

 

Sorry if it sounded harsh, but I guess the engineer in me is not good at being sensitive, and I was really just trying to be helpful. I would ask similar questions to anyone trying to start a business in a space where they don't have what would seem to be the most fundamental knowledge. Is that really shaming someone? Are we that soft?

 

The colder the better. Temperature influences the aging curve...the hotter it is, the faster it ages. Chemical reactions are taking place and cold temperature slows these reactions. My fridge is set at 33 degrees.

 

Well, since you are in Africa, it's going to be tough to completely evaluate your situation without knowing the brands you will be distributing. From a distribution standpoint, you will most likely need two separate boxes...a cold box for kegs and a warehouse area for bottled and canned products.

The keg box is generally 35-38°F so that when draught beer is delivered it is ready to be tapped in immediately. I'm under the impression that much of the draught in your part of the world is pasteurized, so it can theoretically be stored warmer, but true quality is best maintained at that 35-38°F range.

Bottles and cans may be stored warmer without much degradation as long as temps don't go much above 50°F. While most geeks will flinch at this temp, it works well as long as the temperature remains consistent as opposed to major fluctuations.

If humidity is an issue where you are, packaging which is too cold will begin to 'sweat' when exposed to high temperature / high humidity delivery conditions. This 'sweat' results in failed cardboard containers for bottles and the trays which hold cans will begin to fall apart...resulting in breakage and a lot of re-packing of product. In addition, is generally isn't economical to refrigerate an entire warehouse down to the 35-38°F range.

Hope this helps...and I'm sure there will be follow-up questions.

 

As a distributor, I'd recommend more in the 35-40 degree Fahrenheit (1.6 to 4.4 Celsius) range.
As a home consumer, I keep my beer fridges around 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit (7.2 to 10 Celsius), and try to keep the cellar (office closet) under 65 Fahrenheit (18.3 Celsius).

 

It has nothing to do with sensitivity and/or softness and most everything to do with the communication medium. Many of us don't realize how what we say in writing, here or by email, isn't always interpreted in the way we intended.

You may find this an interesting read:

http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/02/70179

 

Crazy what you can find on BA:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/store/

 

Personal cellar 55- degrees , commercial storage for resale keep that at 40 degrees

 

35-40 close to freezing without ever freezing. Given that you will be judged on the merit of the product you deliver to others, I would suggest that you have a very good idea of your temperature control and the dating of the product you intend to distribute.

Good luck!

 

A timely article on cellaring...

https://beerandbrewing.com/VsphxScA...247887485&mc_cid=6f2d98bffe&mc_eid=257ed9e767

 

A local beer bar has the following set-up:
IPAs at 40˚
Stouts at 46˚
Saisons at 52˚

Their beers taste great to me so who am I to argue.

 

Have you asked the breweries whose beer you are going to distribute this question?

 

Store it cold, youre going to want to slow aging so I'd store it as cold as I could without needing to worry about it freezing, so 40 ish

 

30 degrees, 5.5% abv will begin to slush up at 27/28 degrees which will ruin it. You did say "store".