Aging in a carboy??

[yetijunk]

I started a new batch today and while it may be rushing it before I leave for college out of state on the 23rd, I was planning on aging it in a carboy for three months until I get back..... Ive always racked it several times then bottled it as a means of aging, but because I leave so soon I'd rather not bottle it so soon but hopefully age it in bulk in a carboy. Ill rack it once or twice before I go, but I am curious if it is appropriate to age in a carboy for so long? Ill leave it in a cool place, maybe 65 degrees, before I go and then bottle it when I get back from college. Will bottling after such a long timeframe of aging cause oxidation? just want to figure out what i should do......

 

[Honda88]

as long as the airlock doesn't dry up you are fine....I encourage bulk aging.

 

[yetijunk]

very cool man! just wanted to make sure not too much O2 would leach through over such a long time period and oxidize my wine! Thank You

 

[Honda88]

make sure you fill the carboy up good and keep the airlock full and you are fine.

 

[BigPerm]

I started a new batch today and while it may be rushing it before I leave for college out of state on the 23rd, I was planning on aging it in a carboy for three months until I get back..... Ive always racked it several times then bottled it as a means of aging, but because I leave so soon I'd rather not bottle it so soon but hopefully age it in bulk in a carboy. Ill rack it once or twice before I go, but I am curious if it is appropriate to age in a carboy for so long? Ill leave it in a cool place, maybe 65 degrees, before I go and then bottle it when I get back from college. Will bottling after such a long timeframe of aging cause oxidation? just want to figure out what i should do......

What kind of beer? Many styles don't benefit from aging, and you may be better off bottling. Also, why rack so many times? I don't recommend necessarily leaving it in primary for 3mo but racking multiple times is about your surest bet for introducing O2.

EDIT: Sorry - didn't notice this was wine, not beer. You're fine. Carry on.

 

[yetijunk]

haha no worries man! what do you mean by leaving it in primary for 3 months? I don't usually ferment in buckets like most people but do everything in the carboy and it turns out well each time... I usually leave the carboy covered with a paper towel for three days then add the airlock until racking/bottling time. Ive always experimented with my scheduling and found that the 3 days uncovered in the carboy and the remainder of the time covered works great

 

[Honda88]

primary fermentation does not rely on what vessel you have it in. It is a measure of the initial strong fermentation. Simply starting and keeping a fermentation in one vessel does not mean you are still in primary fermentation. Beer kept at the right temperature can benefit from aging...there is secondary for beer as well as there is wine.