How long is too long in the Secondary.

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Shahn

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I've been busy and unable to find time to bottle an IPA I put in the secondary. It's been almost 2 months in the secondary now. Do you all think this is worth bottling at this point? It's stayed relatively cool in it's current location.
 
well it sure had time to age out enough it should be very drinkable now and the hops will have been subdued now. bottle it wait a week or 3 and give it a try
 
I have an IPA and a robust porter that have been in the secondary for nearly 8 months now. I accidentally fermented both of them at too warm a temperature, and got some off flavours. I tried them recently, and they have improved tremendously.

This is an extreme example, but for big beers or beers with lots of roasted grains, I give them a minimum of 2 months in the primary. They age much better in volume than in the bottle, IMHO. For the rest of my beers, I rarely even use a secondary any more, unless I am dry hopping.

One more thing -- before you bottle that IPA, have you considered dry-hopping it for a week? I would.
 
It is likely not going to be ruined, but I have heard of dry hops causing a "grassy" flavor if left too long. Cant say that it has ever happened to me though. Bottle that bad boy and let us know how it is :mug:
 
Just an update:

I bottled this last Sunday and it smelled and tasted fantastic going into the bottle. I'm going to let this sit in the bottle for 3 weeks before cracking one open. They are 1 Litre flip tops.

I can't wait to taste it.
 

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