Ok so I'm still pretty new to homebrewing but it's a blast and I love it. I just brewed my version of an Imperial Stout, should be a big beer. O.G was 1.102. I have read that after bottling if you let it sit for many,many months, it improves the taste. My question is do you let it sit at room temp or store it in the fridge? Is one method better than the other? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

1.102?

DAMN!!!!
Get ready for a hang over....LOL

Here is an answer. Room temp. The hardest part for you will be exercising patience. Good luck with your brew!

I condition mine around 66 - 68F. I let them cool in the fridge for two days before drinking them.
There are valid arguments for either side of the issue. I go for the middle ground.

I did a little experiment to figure this one out...

My first brew was a kit hefeweizen from Austin Home Brew. I bottle conditioned them all at room temp except for one that I put in my refrigerator. I was just curious what would happen. I mostly forgot about that one refrigerator bottle because the room temp ones were so damn good(and better every week). About 3 or so months later I was giving a buddy a tasting of a few of my beers. I mistakingly grabbed the refrigerator beer that I had forgotten all about. Luckily I tasted it first. IT WAS HORRIBLE! It was mostly flat, it tasted almost entirely like dead banana, and I drank half of it because I am an idiot.

Then the one thing everyone told me wouldn't happen actually happened... it made me sick. Very sick. Not hospital sick but sick enough to spend most of that night in my bathroom.

Thats my story. For us all to learn from.

"and I drank half of it because I am an idiot.". Thats what I love about homebrewers. Lots of humor! Sorry to hear that you got sick on it too.

Fridge or room temp? I do both. I don't bottle much anymore, but my rule of thumb when I do.......

Room temp for about a month. Then into the spare fridge for about two more. Why? Try it and you'll see why I do it that way.

Just because a beer has conditioned long enough to carb doesn't mean that it's ready to drink. That's my ignorant opinion anyway

Different styles of beer require very different conditioning times.

It really depends on the beer and what flavor profile you like. I always let my bottled beers (the few that I do. However, I have seen the merit in doing it more lately) sit for at least three weeks at fermentation temps to get a good carbonation. Then they go in the fridge. Usually, they stay there for another 2-3 weeks before I even try one. If it tastes like it needs a little more time, I give it one week MINIMUM. Then I try it again. So really, if you look at it in total conditioning time, it is about a month and a half to two months conditioning, and in a mixture of environments.

Good luck and prost!

Mike

Cold aging preserves the beer but helps drop out solids which is a good thing. Warm aging melds flavors which is a good thing but it also will breakdown flavor components. 50°F is a nice balance of both.

IMO, 50F is the magic temperature. I serve, store beer, store grain and ferment all of my beers at that temp.