Beer Forum

I recently purchased a refrigerator and a Johnson Temperature Controller that I am using for temperature-controlled fermentation. There will be some space other than what will be required for a carboy so I wanted to also use the space as a "cellar." Right now, my bottled/kegged beer just hangs out in a closet at ~75°F, if I store it in this refrigerator it will most likely fluctuate between 35 and 65°F, depending on fermentation requirements.

I'm curious if any of you have insight into whether this will negatively affect the storage of my beer (more so than at room temperature 60-80°F, depending on the time of year). Would doing this damage the beer, produce off flavors, etc. by the fluctuating temps or would it be better off at a constant temp?

If any of you have experience or knowledge on this subject I'd be interested to hear your input.

Thank you,
Tony

From what I understand cooler will allow the beer to age more slowly and last longer.

It is better to keep them at a near constant temp rather than 30F swings, but as long as you do not freeze the beer, the cooler fluctuating temps will be better than a steady warmer one (80F) that is higher that your beer is currently stored at.

I use the the freezer and spare refer space in my ferment fridge for storing specialty grains as I have two other places with a steady temp control for finished beer (40F kegerator and 55F wine cooler).

I made the mistake once of unplugging my controller and throwing in some beer for cold storage in my ferment fridge - the regular thermostat it was set to max cold and I froze some bottles while away on vacation.