Settling Bottle Use

[cryptofix]

I have a 5 gallon glass settling bottle as part of my brewing equipment. I have a recipe for a Russian imperial stout that needs 10 to 14 days to ferment. It does not mention anything about transferring the beer to the glass bottle to settle some more. Instead, the recipe says to bottle the beer after the fermentation time. Would it hurt the beer to be transferred to the bottle and let it settle some more for a couple more weeks or just forget about it? What purpose does the 5 gallon bottle serve anyway besides taking up space in my house?

 

[kaconga]

You can bulk age in the 5 gallon bottle. Great for extra clearing time or dry hopping and adding fruit. Essentially some beers benefit from aging and some don't. I made a Baltic porter that I aged for 6 weeks in my 5 gallon carboy and it was better for it to be sure. Mostly I use mine for dryhopping though.

 

[goopyquill]

i never use a secondary unless i'm dry hopping or adding fruit otherwise its just a waste of time and a chance for oxidation or infection.