How long can I leave in 2ndary carboy?

I've had it in there for about 3.5 weeks. Is this too long? I've just been super busy lately. I hope I didn't ruin it.

Secondary will be ok for several months. A few weeks is by no means a cause for concern. Your beer will only get better!

guy at the brew store says 6 months- a year depending on the OG

Actually a lot depends on the type of brew (ale/lager), the temp, darkness...

I've had lagers in the carboy for up to 100 days before bottling.

I agree with the other replies: a long time. I "forgot" about a batch for at least six or seven weeks once. It turned out really good.

And John Palmer says that it's better to condition your beer longer in the secondary (compared to conditioning it in the bottle).

Jack said:

And John Palmer says that it's better to condition your beer longer in the secondary (compared to conditioning it in the bottle).

Click to expand...

i'd agree with this. Last year I had a backlog of beers conditioning so every batch got a minimum of 8-10 weeks in the secondary instead of the usual 2-4 and they were noticeably better.

just get it off the trub at 2wks, then let it sit as long as need be! I just had my cascade pale ale in for 4 weeks no problemo.

Dumb question - i've done about 8 batches and had the secondary sit 2 months or more with no problems, but it got me wondering: when you prime with sugar or DME before bottling, does the amount of residual yeast that carbonates with the primer decrease with the passage of time (to any extent)? In other words, does a long-sitting secondary tend to carbonate less than a fresher batch with the same amount of primer? Or am I completely backwards on how the primer develops into CO2 in the bottle?