tempreture for storing homebrew in a barrel

rimmsey

hi all.

im new this forum,and have been making homebrew for a few months,in need of advice.

when i barrel my brew (ales,milds and bitters),both the bicket and barrel are on the same shelf at all times, and i bottle straight from the barrel i bottle 10 keep the bottled beers in the warmth for a week or so,then they are transferred into a lidded plastic box and stored round the side of my house,out of any sunlight and i leave the rest in the barrel,normally untouched for 2 weeks (sometimes difficult to do),but im getting a little confused as to its ideal temp,as i have always left thebarrel on the shelf right next to the fermentaion bucket until the barrel is empty,the temp is normally between 16-26oc,what im asking is "WHAT IS THE IDEAL TEMP TO STORE MY BREW IN A BARREL,AFTER THE 2WEEK SECOND FERMENT PERIOD", do i need to move my barrel to somewere cooler or is it ok were it is at the temp i have said.?

HBO_Staff

The manufacturers are often a little vague on this, but once it's fermented it's personal preference, as this is the temperature you will dispense and drink it at. Often the barrels are kept a little cooler, maybe 16 degrees like you have it and even cooler - this also helps with the clearing of the brew, after it's been somewhere warm for a few days to help with kick starting secondary fermentation, being moved to somewhere cooler helps it clear more quickly. Many people prefer to drink it cooler, so it helps with both. Your're not doing anything wrong though, and you're finished results are proof of that