Abstract
Bottle-conditioned beers continue to undergo biochemical and sensory changes after packaging because residual yeast, oxygen availability, and storage temperature influence aroma stability. This study examines aroma stability in bottle-conditioned beers stored under variable temperature conditions. Beer samples were bottle-conditioned with controlled priming sugar, yeast level, dissolved oxygen, and carbonation target, then stored at low, moderate, and elevated temperatures. Ester retention, aldehyde formation, hop aroma loss, sulfur compound evolution, carbonation stability, yeast sedimentation, pH, turbidity, and sensory freshness were monitored. The results show that elevated storage temperature accelerated ester loss, oxidative aldehyde formation, and stale aroma development. Low-temperature storage preserved freshness but slowed conditioning-related flavour integration. Moderate storage produced balanced carbonation and aroma stability when oxygen levels remained low. The study demonstrates that bottle-conditioned beer quality depends on controlling storage temperature after packaging as carefully as fermentation parameters. Temperature management supports longer aroma retention and stable sensory quality.