I haven't been here awhile but I have a question

Hello, about 8 months ago i bought one of those equipment kits from midwest supply and was on here 24 7 learning all that I could about brewing, I was pretty close to brewing my first batch when i changed jobs and ended up out of town alot. Now 8 months later Im ready to dust of all that brand new equipment and get started. I've started reading on here again and Im about to go over the dvd on homebrewing that came with my equipment about 30 times to burn it back in my head since I've just about forgot how the whole step by step process gos. But before I do that I have a question. If I get my brew to the primary or secondary and then end up having to go out of town for work for a month or possibly 2 months is it possible for me to still be able to be a homebrewer? Are brewing certain types of beer better suited for me to brew in the case that it might have to be left for a long period of time at certain stages of the process? In my line of work I'll never get from the boil to the bottles without spending time out of town, Im never home more than two weeks but I really want to start this hobby. Basically I need to know how long my beer can stay in the primary or secondary before I'm flirting with making a bad batch? Thanks for any info and i look forward to joining the brewing communtiy.
Josh Brady

Most folks say that more than 3-4 weeks in primary will give you some off flavors from the beer sitting on the trub.

As for secondary, really it is just for clearing and more time won't hurt it. After you get it out of primary the time it sits isn't a huge deal and can sometimes be a benefit depending on the beer being brewed (i.e. barleywine can sit for up to a year before drinking to get the right flavor).

On a side note, why does my computer tell me that trub is spelled wrong? Doesn't Bill Gates know anything about beer?

You will be fine. I typically let me beers sit in primary for 2-3 weeks with no problems. You're not really going to get off flavors until it sits there for 2+months. I've left beers in secondary for 5 months and they came out great.