Are there disadvantages to leaving it sit for so long? One thought is autolysis of the yeast. Many people here believe that is very overrated and not of a concern (at least for the first month). The biggest disadvantage is waiting. It sucks, but the end payoff can be worth it.
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Here's what a lot of people seem to miss in Palmer's book in regards to autolysis...they read the scary passage (which is in the section on Lagers by the way, which tend to sit a lot longer than ales...some lager for 3 months in the cold) but they don't seem to see the last paragraph.
how to brew said:
As a final note on this subject, I should mention that by brewing with healthy yeast in a well-prepared wort, many experienced brewers, myself included, have been able to leave a beer in the primary fermenter for several months without any evidence of autolysis.
I think this is the biggest issue for the first time or new brewer more than anything,
The biggest disadvantage is waiting. It sucks, but the end payoff can be worth it.
The waiting issue...Most of us who do long primaries, didn't start off doing it, and sure has heck couldn't contemplate the idead...
we wanted our beer now, dammit!!! Just as much as the new brewer today...we just discovered it on our own, usually by accident or heard about it on here and decided to try it. AND saw that the "conventional wisdom" has shifted on this subject.
It seems hard to wait now, but if you have a pipeline, it doesn't become a big deal...you'll have beers at various stages from just pitched yeast to lagering, to bottle conditioning, and what you are drinking now.
Right Now I have one beer lagering that I may bottle this weekend, another I brewed on Sunday and that is in the cold fermenting away. I have a Belgian strong that I have been boosting with belgian candi sugar, over the last 3 weeks (it's had 3 krausens) at some point I will secondary it to age it a bit...and I have 1 batch that needs about another week of carbing and conditioning, and 2 batches I am drinking now...And I am brewing next week...oh and I have a Choclolate Mole Porter, that I'm not sure of the status of...it may be time to bottle it as well..or decide to secondary it.
So for me waiting on a beer, especially knowing that they will be better for it, is no issue for me...I can't drink all at once anyway...