Aging Question

[poconobrewer]

I have a winter warmer that I was planning to brew for this past holiday season but never had the time to brew it. My grains have been in the freezer for a few months and I feel like I need to brew it soon. I think I am going to brew it and just age it until Thanksgiving. My question is, should I rack it into a carboy after primary and age it or should I bottle it and age it that way? Which will produce a better final product?

 

[JLeuck64]

My vote is for primary then bottle conditioning. But I am biased that way ( ;

Just never had much luck with bottle conditioning after moving a batch into a secondary fermenter.

 

[day_trippr]

I've seen so many secondaries resulting in "colorful endings"' on HBT that I'm inclined to agree with the bottle conditioning thing...

Cheers!

 

[bkboiler]

I'd say it depends on the ABV and also what the taste is like at the end of the primary.
if the beer ended up under-pitched or fermented a bit warmer than desired, go for a long bulk secondary (bottle conditioning won't clean up off flavors as well as a nice long secondary).
big beers benefit so much from a secondary because the yeast gets tired by the end of the fermentation, so they can throw some off flavors in some instances.
if you're looking to mellow those out or any flavors from the spices then I'd suggest a secondary.
TASTE IT before making the call!

 

[daksin]

Yeah, I think you're fine just going straight to the bottle. Unless you're dry-hopping or adding adjuncts like fruit or wood, I'd skip the secondary. Plus, if you bottle it, you can drink it fresh and also as it ages to see how it evolves!

 

[poconobrewer]

Thanks guys! I am thinking I might get some bigger bottles and make some fancy labels for it. It will be a holiday beer after all so why not age it in the bottle and then just give some away as gifts? Assuming it is worth a damn of course!

 

[Cyclman]

It takes less room to age it in secondary, so that's what I typically do. But I've bottle aged as well, no ill effects doing that.

 

[LostBoyScout]

If it's a really big beer (like 1.100 OG +) then some bulk aging is not a bad idea, but otherwise I agree with going direct to bottles (maybe let it sit 4 or 5 weeks in primary to kick things off) to lessen the oxygen exposure, risk of contamination, and help with bottle conditioning