Aging and Conditioning

[loovenator]

Hi

I’ve brewed a French Farmhouse with Mangrove Jacks M29 dry yeast and it fermented nicely in the Primary for three weeks at 83°F / 28.5°C; the temp range of the yeast is 79 - 90°F / 26 - 32°C. (OG = 1.074 FG = 1.003).

I’ve now transferred 18 litres of seriously tasty, strong (9.3% ABV) beer to a secondary (23 litre glass demijohn), where I hope to leave it for 3 or 4 months before bottling it and storing for another few months.

I have a few questions on this:
1. What temperature should I condition/age the beer at? (I have a temp controlled fridge)
2. Is 3 - 4 months enough in the secondary, too long, or just right?
3. Am I at risk of oxygenating the beer? I have not purged the demijohn with C02 as I have no way of doing this currently.
4. Should I skip the secondary and just bottle now? I guess it’s safer to bottle but aging the beer should give me a better finished beer, right?

Cheers!

 

[flars]

I would age it in the bottle if it was my beer. Less to worry about and easier to know when it is ready to drink by sampling a bottle every few weeks.

 

[TAK]

+1
I'd bottle now, and set the bottles aside to age and condition.

 

[kh54s10]

The longest I have bulk aged is about a month. This was one that was oaked and it was only that long because I procrastinated it getting it bottled. I have about 1/3 the batch left at a little more than a year bottle conditioning. I fear the last one will be gone before the flavor peaks. It is a Russian Imperial Stout.

Bottle conditioning seems almost as good or even as good as bulk aging. YMMV And there is no worry about it once they are bottles. - except drinking them before they are fully aged.....

 

[loovenator]

OK, sounds like bottle conditioning is the way to go. I do have a 5 litre demijohn so maybe I'll age in that with as little headspace as possible and bottle condition the rest, that way I can do a side by side down the line.
KH... what kind of temp did you bulk age your beer? Should I go as low as lagering temp?
Cheers