Long Secondary

I'm in college and doing some of my first batches of brewing, with extract of course. I've been pretty busy lately and haven't really had time to bottle up the IPA in my secondary fermenter. I was wondering if leaving it in there longer than a week can contaminate it or if it really matters when you bottle it. I also have not opened it up or anything like that since i transfered it from primary if that helps.

Leaving it in the secondary for a few extra weeks won't hurt at all...in fact, it should only improve your beer. If we're talking months here, then you get into the glass/plastic oxygenation debate.....but we don't want to go there again do we

Bottom line...a few extra weeks will only help with the aging process.

Yup, just what vtfan said. General rule of thumb suggests leaving it secondary for at least 1 - 2 weeks before bottling.

As long as your secondary was "beer clean" when you transfered your beer and have an airlock on it you shouldn't have to worry about any contamination issues (assuming it's air-tight and such.)

No, in fact, I rack to secondary and leave it there for at least two weeks. Sometimes I get too busy and it may be there three, even four weeks. No problems at all!

I've left beer in the secondary as long as two months. No ill effects except my BAL got pretty close to 0.

there is a smaller discussion board that I read from time to time, and there is guy on there who actually lets his beers sit in secondary (or occasionally, tertiary) for multiple YEARS before bottling them.

-walker

Walker said:

there is a smaller discussion board that I read from time to time, and there is guy on there who actually lets his beers sit in secondary (or occasionally, tertiary) for multiple YEARS before bottling them.

-walker

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But Budweiser commercials claim that fresh beer tastes better. Are they lying to me?

maybe they just mean that fresh BUDWEISER tastes better than month old BUDWEISER.

what does Budweiser have to do with beer anyway?

-walker

Walker said:

what does Budweiser have to do with beer anyway?

-walker

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Hehehehe... I can't remember if it was this forum I heard this or another, but i'm gonna repeat it anyways. If this forum, all do credit to the originator. Great joke.

What does making love in a canoe and bud have in common?
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Nuthing, they're both F*ing close to water.

The guy that works at my local HBS has had a barlewine in a secondary for over 4 YEARS! He told me its still not ready to bottle.

I guess that's why brewing is a good allegory for love. It takes forever and you don't know whether or not it will be good until it's time to drink.

Cheesefood said:

I guess that's why brewing is a good allegory for love. It takes forever and you don't know whether or not it will be good until it's time to drink.

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How do come up with this stuff at 7 am?

El Pistolero said:

How do come up with this stuff at 7 am?

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I came up with it last night on my drive home from school. Didn't hop on the board until this morning.

so what you are saying is that from sun-up to sun-down you think about sex and beer?

are you still in college?

-walker

Walker said:

so what you are saying is that from sun-up to sun-down you think about sex and beer?

are you still in college?

-walker

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I have a pregnant wife. What do you think got me into this situation?

Sex and Beer both mean the same thing now: consequences.

It'll all be worth it later.

My 2 year old learned quite a few new words last week; carboy, wort, trub, krausen, porter, and hops.

Last night he looked at the krausen in my fermenters and said:

this one looks like bread. (porter with thick white foam)
this one looks like salad. (dry hopped IPA)

Walker said:

It'll all be worth it later.

My 2 year old learned quite a few new words last week; carboy, wort, trub, krausen, porter, and hops.

Last night he looked at the krausen in my fermenters and said:

this one looks like bread. (porter with thick white foam)
this one looks like salad. (dry hopped IPA)

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He can pronounce krauesen? Next he'll be telling you about a-amalyse and dialytic rest. If he starts computing IBUs, you're in for some FUN science fair projects in a few years.

yes, he can pronouce krauesen.

In fact, he's WAY into dinosaurs and can correcty pronounce Micropachycephelasaurus.

He's quite a piece of work... he'll be able to outsmart me in 3 years, I know. I'll be asking him for advice on recipes, probably.

-walker

this reminds me... he asked me if he could brew a batch of "his" beer. (root beer).

Anyone have a recipe?

Try a search in the recipes section...about two months ago there were a couple of threads on root beer.