Wondering what best plan would be...

I've had an ale fermenting since the ninth of this month. To date, that would be 16 days. In two to three days, i will have the opportunity to either transfer it to a secondary or go ahead and bottle it, though i would prefer to have it in the primary for at least 3 to 4 weeks. Unfortunately, i will be heading out of town after this coming weekend, and may not be able to get around to it until the second weekend of march or later.

Would upwards of 35 to 40 days in the primary be running the risk of off flavors, or would the yeast still be cleaning up after themselves and whatnot. Also, i want to be able to use the yeast again, so whenever i decide to transfer two either bottling bucket or my carboy, i'm going to brew another batch and dump it on the yeast cake.

Any advice? And if this info helps out, the i used wlp001 california ale yeast and some liquid light malt extract, steeping octoberfest type grains in it to try to get that flavor. If i can fit the bucket in my fridge, i may cold crash it for a day or so before bottling to clear it up, but would that affect the yeast? or would it be could to just stick it in there so that i can go out of town and not worry about it? would the ale yeast be ok in there for a prolonged period or is ale cold crashing even recommended?
thanks for any help

A month or two in primary isn't really a problem. Some have gone more without issue.

But, I'd bottle anyway given you are traveling. Never know, **** happens.

I'd bottle now.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

I'd bottle now.

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+1, I'd say the benefits of having a near-ready to drink brew in a few weeks outweigh the benefits of leaving it in the primary for a while longer.