second and third brews

[nckid4u]

I completed my second and third brews since starting back up with home brewing. My first batch was a nice red ale that is all gone except four quart bottles I have stashed away to condition for another couple weeks.
My second batch was a vanilla cream ale I brewed in an attempt to get my wife on board with this hobby. I made an extract kit cream ale and added vanilla beans using the scrape and soak in vodka technique. I bottled it on the 5th of February and tried it this weekend. It is exceptional. Better than I could have imagined. I am not a huge fan of flavored beers, but this one is very nice.
My latest batch is a porter I concocted using a blend of some recipes I found on here. Still an extract, but unique in the sense I put the final recipe together myself and bought the components. Here is what I ended up with:
3.3lbs LME Briess Light Extract
3.3lbs LME Briess Dark Extract
1lbs Crystal 40L (steeping grain)
3/4lbs Chocolate Malt (steeping grain)
1/2lbs Black Patent (steeping grain)
2 oz Fuggle hops
Smack Pack Wyeast 1056 (no starter)

I separated the Black Patent from the other two steeping grains. I steeped the Crystal and Chocolate for 25 minutes and added the Black Patent in for the final 15 minutes. It was a partial boil (3 gallons) and I added 1 oz of hops at 55 minutes and the other at 15. I left it in the primary for 3 weeks ( I brewed this one on the 6th of February) and bottled it this weekend. Tasted nice when bottling. It had an OG of 1.058 and FG of 1.016.
How does a porter do in the bottle as far as conditioning. What changes should I expect over time. I will likely try a bottle in 2-3 weeks, but am curious how much it will change over time if left in the bottle to condition, and how it will change.

 

[daksin]

It's not an exceptionally high gravity brew, so it's not going to change a ton in the bottle. I'd set aside a few bottles to try as they age, but 99% of beers are best fresh.

 

[McKnuckle]

Gravity aside, one thing that changes when aging a porter, stout, or roasty brown ale is the roast character. It can start off tart, bitter, or harsh when young. With time, those flavors blend, integrate, and smooth out. The degree to which this is a factor depends on how the percentage of roasted malts in your beer.

 

[tzaccario]

I know this is an older post, but I am curious about which Cream Ale kit you went with? I am getting ready for my second brew, and thought about making a Vanilla Cream Ale, just not sure which one to go for. My last extract kit came from NorthernBrewer.