Would these taste different?

[mitchinnc]

If so, which is a better way to go? It's a simple porter.
One is fermented for 4 weeks in primary and conditioned for 2 weeks in the bottle.
The other is fermented for 2 weeks in the primary and 4 weeks in the bottle.

[uberculture]

I'd suggest 3 weeks each, personally (assuming you are limited to 6 weeks total). Three weeks primary is about average for me (although this can vary- take gravity readings to be sure). Bottle conditioning has never taken me less than 3 weeks.

If your primary is too short, you risk off flavors from not letting the yeast clean up post fermentation, or bottle bombs. If your bottle conditioning is too short, you risk flat beer.

[brew_cat]

I concur, 2 weeks is short for a porter. A good porter takes time. I do minimum 3 weeks to ferment then I'll keg and not carbonate the keg for 1 month. Then I'll carbonate for three weeks. Then I'll drink some and bottle off the keg. If I were bottle conditioning instead of kegging ferment for a month then bottle condition for awhile. I'm trying to get to the point of drinking this year what I brewed last year.

[dannyboy58]

I'd also keep it on the yeast for 3 weeks. As for the amount of time in the bottle...it will just get better with age.

I recently opened a bottle of rye porter that I brewed 3 years ago. Best bottle of the batch so far.

[hd4mark]

I would also split the difference and go 3&3. Hydrometer readings will tell the tale in primary though.

Hydrometers You need one, here is how to use one

[flars]

Take the sample for SG before adding the sugar. The hydrometer measures the amount of sugar in solution. After adding the priming sugar your SG would be higher than when the yeast finished eating the sugars in the wort.

This will give you the specific gravity at the time of bottling. If the yeast continue feeding in the bottle, as in the case where final gravity was not achieved in the fermentor, pressures will increase beyond the level of carbonation you wanted. If you notice excessive carbonation pressure check the SG again with a sample of flat beer from a bottle. If it is the same as at bottling time you're okay. You just have an over carbonated beer. If the SG is a couple of points lower than at bottling time you will need to take some measures to release the excess pressure to prevent the possibility of exploding bottles.

edit: Your SG samples should be at the same temperature for an accurate SG comparison/reading. Ideally the same temperature as the calibration temperature of your hydrometer. Often the calibration temperature is 60°F. There are charts to use for conversions when the sample is not at the calibration temperature.

[flars]

I would also split the difference and go 3&3. Hydrometer readings will tell the tale in primary though.

Hydrometers You need one, here is how to use one

The inserted comment confused me. I now see where it came from.

[mitchinnc]

I only brew with extracts (and grains) and I usually ferment for 3 or 4 weeks, depending on when I have time to get around to bottling. I've almost always found that dark beers just keep getting better and better, until they run out. I don't use my hydrometer much, figuring that 3 weeks in the fermenter using extracts should work fine and I've never had a bottle bomb.