Bulk Aging vs Bottle Conditioning

[Yreval]

So, I've heard often that you can stick with your primary fermenter for up to a month (maybe longer) before you develop off flavors from sitting on the trub. I've also heard that primary fermentation really only lasts a few days, and you're safe to rack to secondary (if you wish) after the bubbling settles down.

Is the amount of time you spend in primary (and, if you opt for it, secondary) just totally discretionary then? What's the difference between aging in your fermenter and aging in bottles or a keg?

How would a beer aged one week in primary, then bottled and aged three weeks before drinking compare to the same beer aged two weeks in primary and two weeks in bottles? Three weeks then one?

I'm guessing one element might be waiting to wait until the dissolved CO2 in your beer from primary fermentation settles enough that you won't get bottle bombs, and then waiting a proportionally long time for them to re-carb completely in bottle. But is there more than that?

 

[Conan]

Giving the beer a few weeks in primary is beneficial in that the yeast is able to clean up the byproducts of fermentation.
You can age in the fermenter for several months as long as you keep it clean and fairly stable. Autolysis takes much longer to become a problem, though if you can package the beer it'll also be carbonated when you're ready to drink it. I don't know that most palates could detect a difference in time in the fermenter vs. bottles if the beer is the same age. Again, carbonation would be the major change.
I haven't heard of dissolved CO2 being a factor in bottle bombs, but could be wrong. Kyle