To cold crash or not

Hi All
I has posted this question a few weeks back and got a couple of different answers.

The question, I brewed an Irish Red Ale two weeks ago. It is in a 6.5 glass Carboy. I am going on vacation next Thursday and I do not have time to bottle my beer this week.

So can I just leave it in the primary (it is in a swamp cooler and I won't be able to control temp) or should I rack it to a 5 gallon Carboy and stick it in the fridge till I get back. I will be gone for 2.5 weeks.

I live on SoCal near coast so temps will be 70 to 80 during the day.

Slainte

Is it finished fermenting? At FG, diacetyl gone, etc? If so, cold crash it and bottle some clear beer when you get home.

if you ask 10 homebrewers the same question, you will get at least a dozen different answers, and most of them will be correct.

I just bottled a brew that had spent 9 weeks in the fermenter. I cleared really quick in the bottle and has very little yeast in the bottle. I'd say just leave your beer alone and bottle when you get back and have time. Extra time in the fermenter just seems to improve the beer. The critical time for temperature control is during the initial fast ferment period. Yours is well past that.

Anything you do at this point is fine. Longer time in the fermenter never hurts, but I do see diminishing returns starting after 2-3 weeks. Alternatively, since you have 2.5 weeks away, you could bottle them now and they'll be carbed and ready to drink when you get back.

Beerrific said:

Is it finished fermenting? At FG, diacetyl gone, etc? If so, cold crash it and bottle some clear beer when you get home.

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That's what I'd do.

While you certainly can leave it in the primary, 4.5 weeks is a long time especially if the fermenter hits 80 degrees while you're gone. That will increase "yeasty" flavors and perhaps even allow w bit of autolysis flavor.

I'd leave it where it is until you get back.

Go buy Jamil Z's book title YEAST and get the answer from the experts.

Yooper said:

That's what I'd do.

While you certainly can leave it in the primary, 4.5 weeks is a long time especially if the fermenter hits 80 degrees while you're gone. That will increase "yeasty" flavors and perhaps even allow w bit of autolysis flavor.

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So I don't need to rack to a secondary ??

greenhaze said:

So I don't need to rack to a secondary ??

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Will your primary fit somewhere cold? If so then racking is a personal choice.

I like your plan to cold crash while you're gone. If you need to rack to a 5 gal to get it cold then I would do that.

I'll have to dismantle the inside of our refer while the wife's not looking
Slainte