Is there a too long in the secondary?

Your beer is fine as long as nothing else went wrong. The only issues you'll see from being left too long in a fermenter is some off flavors if you're sitting on a big trub pile for a long time. Many people regularly leave their brew in primary for 3-4 weeks without any reprecussion

Agree. Unless there an infection your fine. One thing though is if you have late addition hops the floral notes will dissipate over Tim. We regularly have our beers in primary for 3-4 weeks and another 3-6 weeks depending on the style.

What type of beer is in there?

I routinely leave the secondary for two weeks minimum, and have had one sit for a full month. The one that sat for a month developed a clove note that - though not a part of the beer style I was brewing - was an interesting development. I'm sure this was due to the fact that it sat for an extended time in higher than normal temps (it was July, after all). If anything you'll end up with something pleasantly unexpected and still drinkable, if not palatable.

IPAs can lose some of their late hop aromas, but in general the longer the better.

I know someone that has beer in both primary on yeast cakes and secondaries off yeast cakes. Both have been there for over 6 months. He claims autolysis (or off flavors from it) is a myth and he is going to prove it. His plan is to bottle both after 1 full year. YMMV.

Zamial said:

I know someone that has beer in both primary on yeast cakes and secondaries off yeast cakes. Both have been there for over 6 months. He claims autolysis (or off flavors from it) is a myth and he is going to prove it. His plan is to bottle both after 1 full year. YMMV.

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The myth is that sitting on the yeast creates what most people consider to be off flavors. I can guarantee you that the beers this person is testing will taste different from one another, particulary if they are of a lighter style.

As a scientist, I've been taught that autolysis is a normal part of the yeast life cycle, and once fermentation is complete, some of the yeast will start to autolyze. To be sure the majority of the yeast are still intact. Wine makers are well aware of this and will often do an extended aging on the yeast (particularly for Chardonnay and Sparkling wines) to pick up some bready/yeasty note from the yeast that have undegone autolysis. The problem arises when the yeast are mishandled (typically too warm, or infected). In this case you can get A LOT of yeast autolyzing, which can result in stronger flavors. However, keep the yeast happy and then the flavors are mild and many folks like them.

Pretty sure there is a too long point. I dropped out of the hobby for a year and a half. Had a brown ale in a secondary carboy at that time. So it sat. Getting back into brewing and figured what the heck lets see how it is. It was an extreme mixture of hot, sour, and chemical taste and smell.

No infection and it was kept around 70-75 degrees with no direct or indirect light. Next to no debris. So nothing obvious except for time.

So my answer is too long = something less than 18 months.

I'm wondering the same thing. I have a friend that brewed an IPA about 6 months ago and dry hopped it about 5 months ago. It's still sitting in the primary on the hops because he's lazy and hasn't kegged it. If he ever gets around to kegging it I'll let you know how it tastes.

Autolysis is not a myth, that you can be sure of. However, wine making and beer making are two different things (thankfully) and autolysis is not something brewers want, although it is part of the life cycle. That is why yeast is dumped as soon as primary is over ( and to reuse it). The beer is usually kept near 32deg F at this point But someone else mentioned, that secondary should be fine for a reasonable time with hi gravity, high hopped beer. No sunlight is good too, so as long as it wasn't infected and it is stored cold (under 40deg F) it will last a while. If its kept warmer, it will stale faster, and promote microbial growth if present.