Turmoil CDA Aging Time?

Hi all,

I just brewed the Turmoil Cascadian Dark Ale clone from BYO.

(http://tinyurl.com/b2yunec)

The last sentence of the directions say to "Allow the beer condition for 1 week and then bottle or keg. Allow the beer to carbonate and age for 3 weeks"

Do I really need to age a CDA for 3 weeks if I'm kegging? That time frame seemed excessive to me and I was under the impression that this brew would be best as fresh as possible. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

It may be that the recipe is assuming you are carbonating naturally, rather than force carbonating. Also, these are relatively complex recipes, with lots of hop additions. I think a little aging would be desirable to allow those to mellow and mature. the style also calls for a moderately high alcohol level. My personal experience is that higher alcohol beers need a little extra time to reach their peak.