The importance of the correct temperature for beer maturation and storage is often a secondary consideration in practice. However, proper storage and maturation are crucial for the character and quality of the final products, because only when the substances from the young beer have been properly removed and the beer can develop during storage will it become a truly good beer. LiquoSystems’ storage refrigeration units are key to achieving the right temperatures. They ensure perfect quality, precisely to the degree.
Some brewers swear by the term “cellar maturation”, others by “room temperature”. But which of these is correct? That depends on the temperature there! For example, with cellar storage, there can be a 10-degree difference depending on the type of cellar and the season. And where cooling is required in summer, sometimes a little heating is even necessary in winter. For this reason, a professional approach to storage temperature and the conditioning of precious and sensitive stored goods is recommended.
Storage and maturation require different temperature control
It is important to distinguish between the process of maturation and storage. The maturation process, often referred to as the post-fermentation phase, serves to eliminate unnecessary by-products formed during fermentation. This is controlled by the yeast’s temperature and must therefore not be too warm, but also not too cold. At ice-cold temperatures, by-products break down slowly or not at all. For storage, however, a chilled temperature is preferred. Therefore, the general rule is: Maturation temperatures are not storage temperatures!
The correct temperature for maturation
The ideal temperature for beer maturation is commonly referred to as “cellar temperature” or “room temperature”. But there can be worlds of difference between a cellar and a room. Professionally, it is recommended to achieve a temperature range of 10 to 16 degrees Celsius. This way, maturation can be completed within one to two weeks after primary fermentation. But how is that supposed to work without professional temperature control and measurement? If the room temperature is above 16 degrees, maturation there is not optimal, especially when temperatures climb well above 20 degrees in summer. If the beer is stored in the cellar during winter, the temperature can be well below 10 degrees. Neither would be good. While bottom-fermented beers can also mature at 8 degrees, this unnecessarily prolongs the maturation period.
The maturation process begins during the fermentation process and, simply put, ends when all fermentation by-products have been broken down. This is the case after at least one, sometimes two or more weeks, although this varies depending on the beer type and the temperature used. Additionally, there is the number of fermentation by-products. During a primary fermentation phase with higher temperatures (warm fermentation), more fermentation by-products are formed. Therefore, more by-products must be broken down during maturation, and thus the process can take longer. According to the formula: Faster fermentation, longer maturation. When in doubt, a simple taste test helps. If the beer still tastes like young beer on the tongue, simply extend the maturation time by one week. Gradually, however, every brewer gains the necessary experience for the maturation times of their beers. However, for these to always be the same, temperature consistency plays an important role. Only with consistently reproducible temperatures are the maturation and process times reliably repeatable.
Anyone who makes mistakes here will either get bad beer or longer maturation times. In production facilities, where the full utilization of tank capacities is an important economic factor, it is extremely important to optimize and make these times reproducible.
The correct storage temperature
At the end of the maturation process, the beer is free of the yeast’s undesirable fermentation by-products, but it is far from finished. It gets the final touch and its well-rounded overall character during storage, at significantly colder temperatures. These can even be just below zero degrees. Since the freezing point of beer is -2.5 degrees Celsius, a temperature range between -1 and +8 degrees Celsius is recommended. Many state that they store at 2 degrees Celsius. In this phase, the taste is stabilized and the carbonation is better integrated. And: Some off-flavors can be subsequently eliminated through long and cold storage.
LiquoSystems Room and Storage Refrigeration Units
To accurately meet and consistently reproduce the varying temperature requirements for maturation and storage processes, LiquoSystems’ storage refrigeration units prove highly effective. The entry-level product is the IdroFan room refrigeration unit. It ensures constant room temperatures, such as 10 degrees in the maturation phase and 2 degrees in the storage phase, and is available for a few hundred euros. In winter, it can also be used as a room heater in vaults or sheds.