Ageing Beer question....

[Nowuries]

Ok, so I have an oatmeal stout in my secondary, it's been in it now for about 3 weeks. I plan on leaving it in there un-till I return from a trip in Feb., So, potentially bottling the beginning of March. Question.... is this the right procedure? Too long in the secondary, or not enough? Or is it better to let it age in the bottle? Thanks in advance!

 

[Revvy]

Sounds perfect to me!!!!

 

[Nowuries]

cool thanks! then I have a 'second' secondary question..... the room it is in is sitting around low to mid 60's... is that fine?

 

[the_Roqk]

My $.02's worth is that once it has gotten down to your FG and you can bottle or keg it then why not let it condition for the rest of it's life until you consume it. I have plenty of bottle conditioned beers that have been conditioning for a year or more and have gotten better every few months or so. Of Course it probably depends on the amount of hops and the ABV of your brew. I believe that some beers that are made (with higher ABV's and or depends on that certain style) can get better with age. That's MHO on the matter. Others can post accordingly.

 

[the_Roqk]

cool thanks! then I have a 'second' secondary question..... the room it is in is sitting around low to mid 60's... is that fine?

Sounds good as long as the temps don't go up or down too much during the day. It should stay within 5* F throughout the day. That should be good enough until you are able to bottle.

 

[TipsyDragon]

i prefer to age beer in the primary before bottling, but thats me. your perfectly safe waiting till you get back before bottling.