impatient

Recipes 

I plan to have 5 cases bottled at all times and 5 gallons in secondary waiting for bottles to open up. Is this a good idea?

It will probably take around 6 weeks for the bottles to be opened up for bottling.

Is 6 weeks in secondary to long?

I won't be moving to secondary until around 3 weeks to let as much as possible settle out.

__________________
DSM
SMaSH

Primary:
Secondary:
Bottled: Pale Ale, IPA, Extra Pale Ale
Kegged: Hoppy Vienna Lager
Drinking: AllBitterNoFlavorTonOMunich Ale, Amber Ale, Cream of Three Crops
Soon: SA Black Lager Clone

Yooper

Recipes 

You can leave it in the carboy for as long as you want. It'll be fine. When I make lagers, they are in secondary for 12 weeks or more sometimes. Just check the airlocks once in a while, so they don't evaporate, or in a temperature change get sucked into the beer. Keep them filled and you'll be fine for months.

__________________
Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

Nurmey

Recipes 

My longest time in secondary is 18 months. Beer turned out fantastic. Six weeks is nothing in the grand scheme of secondary-ing.

__________________
Batch 1 Brewing
The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

impatient

Recipes 

What about if more trub settles out? Should I re-rack it to another?

__________________
DSM
SMaSH

Primary:
Secondary:
Bottled: Pale Ale, IPA, Extra Pale Ale
Kegged: Hoppy Vienna Lager
Drinking: AllBitterNoFlavorTonOMunich Ale, Amber Ale, Cream of Three Crops
Soon: SA Black Lager Clone

Nurmey

Recipes 

No need to re-rack. Once it's off the main pile of yeast it's good for a long time.

__________________
Batch 1 Brewing
The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

impatient

Recipes 

thnx......

__________________
DSM
SMaSH

Primary:
Secondary:
Bottled: Pale Ale, IPA, Extra Pale Ale
Kegged: Hoppy Vienna Lager
Drinking: AllBitterNoFlavorTonOMunich Ale, Amber Ale, Cream of Three Crops
Soon: SA Black Lager Clone

CBBaron

Recipes 

You are fine. But a better solution is to get more bottles. Then you can bottle when the beer is ready and have more available to drink. Ask some friends to save their bottles or buy a few 6ers for your self. Many brewers on here who bottle have dozens of cases of bottles.

Craig

jwic

Recipes 

So, it seems that there is no definitive answer on lagering but is there a way to figure out how long one's own particular batch should lager? Any general guidelines, gravities, tastes?