Best conditioning method...

[tharlanjr]

I am planning to condition a brew for a few months but I wanted to see the best way.

Should I age it in a secondary carboy for a few months then bottle a month or two before drink time or bottle it after a month or two and let it age in the bottles?


I am wanting to make an Octoberfest so thats when it will be getting drank...

 

[TheBaconator]

Are you saying that in the latter case you'll go straight to bottles from the primary?

If you have time it's always good to do a secondary fermentation. It isn't absolutely necessary of course, but it will give you a clearer beer, and of course letting it age a bit more almost always provides better results. It'll also keep you from drinking them before they're ready, which i've always had trouble with. I'd vote for secondary for a few weeks to a month and then bottle. For any long term aging bottles are the way to go just for stability reasons. Granted there should be a layer of co2 on top of your beer in a carboy, there's no substitute for keeping the beer in an air tight container.

 

[BoisePorter]

I'll just say this before Revvy get's a chance to, the growing trend now is to not use a secondary at all. You can let it sit in your primary for as long as you would have done primary + secondary.

 

[TheBaconator]

Interesting. So there is no concern for off flavors or a cloudier beer? I don't mean to hijack the thread but would you mind linking me to threads or info on not using a secondary?

 

[MikeMayhem]

^^right, but the OP is planning to let it sit for ~8 months. He would definitely want to move to a secondary or go straight to bottling for this.

 

[Legin]

I'll just say this before Revvy get's a chance to, the growing trend now is to not use a secondary at all. You can let it sit in your primary for as long as you would have done primary + secondary.

I disagree. I would transfer to a secondary if you're going to be conditioning in the same vessel for more than a month. There is a possibility of off-flavors in the beer if left in the primary for too long. That said, these possibilities are strictly determined by the health of your yeast: How much oxygen was in the wort prior to inoculation, the ABV of the beer they will be conditioning in, ect.

Once in secondary you want to leave it there for as long as you can (within how long you planned on aging it). Bulk conditioning should produce better beer than if you were to bottle condition.

 

[RM-MN]

Oktoberfest is a lager and takes different handling to brew to style as it requires fermenting at a cooler temperature for a longer time than ales. Are you prepared to lager your beer? "Nominal lagering times are 3 - 4 weeks at 45°F, 5 - 6 weeks at 40°F, or 7 - 8 weeks at 35°F." taken from "How to Brew" by John Palmer.

 

[Legin]

Oktoberfest is a lager and takes different handling to brew to style as it requires fermenting at a cooler temperature for a longer time than ales. Are you prepared to lager your beer? "Nominal lagering times are 3 - 4 weeks at 45°F, 5 - 6 weeks at 40°F, or 7 - 8 weeks at 35°F." taken from "How to Brew" by John Palmer.

Good point. That, and there's so many more little details that must be executed properly. Like the correct amount of yeast, getting the wort well below fermentation temps before inoculation, when to do a diacetyl rest and, most importantly, avid temperature control. Lagers are a pain.

If this turns you off, then you can always use a hybrid yeast, like a kolsch or san fran and ferment at 60 degrees. Will be more like a lager without all the pain involved.