How long is too long?

I have an Altbier, Pale Ale, and Brown Ale that have been sitting in their fermenters for 3 months.

Have they been in there too long for these styles of beer?

Which ones should I worry about bottling first and which aren't in too much trouble?

Thanks

They are probably all fine taste-wise.

Lowest ABV should be bottled first, IMO.

Anyone know if carbonation is an issue with such dormant yeast? Might take a long time? Maybe you should add a tbs of yeast to bottling bucket?

I did have an IPA shoot out of the bottle once I popped to caps off. I think this was due to stirring the priming sugar too strongly before bottling. I might have to pass on the yeast addition for fear of it happening again. I just hope you're right and the taste isn't in trouble. Thanks for your post

Yeast are cannibals and will go through a process called autolysis. There has been a lot of debate over this process, but many believe that the taste influence is negligible unless the process persists for long periods of time. Some styles of wine benefit from this process, as it adds body and yeasty flavor.

goforevercrazywithit said:

I did have an IPA shoot out of the bottle once I popped to caps off. I think this was due to stirring the priming sugar too strongly before bottling. I might have to pass on the yeast addition for fear of it happening again. I just hope you're right and the taste isn't in trouble. Thanks for your post

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The gusher you had was either a bottle that wasn't finished conditioning and needed more time before drinking or an infected bottle. Stirring the priming sugar too hard won't cause that, though you do risk oxidation so be careful there. And adding more yeast is probably not needed, people harvest yeast from bottles of commercial beers that are months old. If your really worried Id just scrape a little bit of the yeast cake when you rack to your bottling bucket. RDWHAHB!!

Not to hijack, but I have a similar question. I have a Belgian Tripel that sat 3 weeks in the primary and is almost done with a 60 day secondary. Do you think the yeast will still be viable enough for bottling or will I need to add more?

I would definitely bottle the Pale Ale first due to the nature of the beer and fading hops.

I'd bottle the other two beers first while the new dry-hops are working in the Pale.