Argon in head space and storage temp

Question

I've been a wine maker and grower for 10+ years and now diving into home beer making which is a lot of fun and gives MUCH faster returns on enjoyment. I have seen where some folks recommend filling the head space in the conditioning carboy (secondary) with CO2. In wine making argon is preferred (and I have it).

Any comments about using this to spurge air out of the secondary?

Also, I have a wine lab/cellar that I keep around 64°F (17°C). Is that a good environment for conditioning or too cold?

Thanks! Ric

Answer 1

If you have Argon, you can used it, however I do not think it is necessary, unless you have a lot of free space, like a half full carboy. Good, sanitation is much more important than air exposure.

Mainly, because beer will not age as long as wine in a carboy, the process being shorter. I find beer much more resistent to air exposure compared to wine (my opinion). I made over 35 batches so far (4-5 gallons each) and I never spoiled a batch due to air exposition (fingers crossed).

Regarding the temperature, to bottle condition (bottle fermentation), it will depend on your yeast, the colder the longer it will take to carbonate, but it should work.

For storage afterwards, it's ok to store for less than 6 months in bottles at that temperature (depends on the type of beer as well). The hotter, the faster your beer will age. For instance, your beer might be perfect after 2 months at that temperature or exactly the same after 4 months in a fridge. So to age beer for a longer period of time, you should find colder place. Usually the malt flavour dissappears first, then hops right after, until eventually it will become too bland to enjoy.