Quick opinion on conditioning time

[TattooCelt]

I'm going to be brewing a pumpkin stout - ideally for consumption in late September early October. I've read that stouts can actually improve a great deal given the opportunity to condition for awhile after bottling. I want to get the timing of the brew and it's consumption to work out properly.

So...

Would it make sense for me to brew it now, give it a good run in primary (probably not going to rack it to secondary), bottle it and then let it condition for a few months?

Should I wait a bit before brewing?

I want to get the best possible flavor without conditioning too long or not giving it enough time.

Thoughts?

 

[Mexibilly]

Maybe let it primary for 4 weeks then bulk age for 3 months then bottle?

 

[TheHopfather]

I've never done a pumpkin stout before but I've done plenty of stouts. I like to bottle my stouts because they tend to last longer than lighter beers. I find my stouts are pretty solid at about 1 month in bottles.

I guess it would depend on your recipe and ABV. High ABV beers and beers with a lot of roasted malts tend to mellow and the flavors meld with time. In my opinion 7+ months is overkill for a regular stout, if you'd like to age it give it 2 to 3 months instead.

 

[TattooCelt]

I've never done a pumpkin stout before but I've done plenty of stouts. I like to bottle my stouts because they tend to last longer than lighter beers. I find my stouts are pretty solid at about 1 month in bottles.

I guess it would depend on your recipe and ABV. High ABV beers and beers with a lot of roasted malts tend to mellow and the flavors meld with time. In my opinion 7+ months is overkill for a regular stout, if you'd like to age it give it 2 to 3 months instead.

I'm thinking at this point the ABV is going to be around 5.12% with an OG of 1.059 and an FG (estimated) around 1.020. This is just a guess though.

 

[TheHopfather]

At 5.1% I don't think you'll need an extended aging period. I'd give it a month or two in bottles and drink away.

 

[m00ps]

The "best" time to drink it is going to depend highly on your use of spices. Over time, they will meld together and the ones that are more aggressive will calm down. If you can achieve and initial balance, I dont think itll take any longer than a normal stout