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I have a Russian Imperial Stout that I want to age for a full year. I currently have it in kegs, uncarbonated. I like to bottle from kegs that have been force carbonated due to the lack of sediment in the final product. Can I force-carbonate it now, then bottle, and still expect it to get better with age? What if I'm force carbonating in the refrigerator?

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Do you have a counter-pressure bottle filler? You're going to want to purge all the atmosphere from the bottle with CO2 before filling. Even then, I suspect you'll introduce a small amount of oxygen when capping, which will accelerate spoilage. – Tobias Patton Nov 25 '11 at 19:45
I have a Blichmann beer gun. You can purge the head space with CO2 when you use it, but like you say, some oxygen may be introduced while capping. – Dustin Rasener Nov 26 '11 at 1:06

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Yes, you can do what you propose. A better solution, though, would be to add a bit of yeast to the keg and then bottle, rather than force carbonating. The tiny bit of bottle fermentation will help scavenge the oxygen from the bottle and promote better aging.

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You mean yeast and priming sugar, right? – Dustin Rasener Nov 26 '11 at 13:29
Yes, of course. – Denny Conn♦ Nov 26 '11 at 17:38
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I am getting ready to do the same thing with a very similar beer (for the first time)

I plan to bottle condition, I sit the carboy up were I will rack it from a day or two before so the sediment has time to settle out

If I were to force carb then bottle I would purge fill then purge that little head space at the top. co2 is heavier then atmosphere so you could even hold the beer gun over (instead of in) the bottle.

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