Bulk Aging versus Bottle Conditioning

[specharka]

Exactly what the title says.

Do you prefer bulk aging or bottle conditioning to mature a beer's flavor, and why? Discuss!

 

[MaddBaggins]

I prefer bulk aging because why should I bottle today what I can put for for another few months.

 

[SeeMont]

Ditto, I age in corny kegs, Sometimes I will condition with priming sugar sometimes i won't. I will check the pressure on the keg and give them a blast of CO2. After I tap the keg, I can bottle as needed.

 

[pdxal]

Bulk aging- larger volume of yeast to eat up off flavors and such. I never secondary, either, so there are probably some yeast driven flavors mixed in too.
I think things clean up and mature faster in bulk than in bottles.

 

[Rhumbline]

I'm currently doing my first bulk aging now. I've always bottle aged. The benefit to bottle aging is, in my mind, there's less chance of contamination in a sealed bottle.

But that's a pretty minor point.

 

[Kharnynb]

I bottle condition, don't have kegs, don't have small enough secondaries to not have headspace.

 

[slym2none]

I think things clean up and mature faster in bulk than in bottles.

Any proof of this, or is it just a feeling?

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

Generally, I go for bottle conditioning/aging.

Limited space, I only have 1 vessel that I like to do primary fermentation in, being stainless steel, temp probed, conical bottom I vastly prefer to use this vessel (SS brewtech bucket) over my carboy/better bottles for primary fermentation. Small beers get bottled right out of primary fermenter, bigger beers will too ONLY if theyve spent a couple weeks right on the cake otherwise they get moved if I need/want to brew again before I want to move them/bottle them.

 

[brewcat]

I bulk age everything to a degree. Everything spends extra time in the fermenter before being kegged or bottled.

 

[hanuswalrus]

I've done both and had good results both ways. The biggest thing that factors into my decision to bottle or bulk age is whether or not I actually have time to bottle that beer.. I had a double oatmeal stout in secondary for about 3 months that I bottled about 2 weeks ago because I finally found the time to do it. The beer turned out great. I also have a Belgian dark strong that I bottled about 3 weeks after brew day and it also turned out really good after a couple months in the bottle.

 

[pdxal]

Any proof of this, or is it just a feeling?

Just a feeling based on my experience. I may have read it on HBD/The Brewery too.