Brewing...Is too long too much?

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rdines

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Having recently moved from the UK to a European country that taxes alcohol to the heavens. I decided to start brewing my own beer BUT lack the equipment to bottle it. Therefore I have a batch (5 gallons) of pilsner sat in its fermentation vessel.

Is there any damage that can be done to the beer if I just leave it for now?

The yeast is settled at the bottom of the vessel but I understand that exposure to the yeast can cause the beer to spoil somewhat.

Anyone got any ideas?

The batch is 13 days old...7 days overdue for bottling.
 
rdines said:
Having recently moved from the UK to a European country that taxes alcohol to the heavens. I decided to start brewing my own beer BUT lack the equipment to bottle it. Therefore I have a batch (5 gallons) of pilsner sat in its fermentation vessel.

Is there any damage that can be done to the beer if I just leave it for now?

The yeast is settled at the bottom of the vessel but I understand that exposure to the yeast can cause the beer to spoil somewhat.

Anyone got any ideas?

The batch is 13 days old...7 days overdue for bottling.
Click to expand...

13 days is not too old, in fact I usually let mine ride for longer than that. I don't use a secondary, so mine sits on the yeast cake the entire time. When I rack to the bottling bucket I siphon an inch or two above the yeast cake. You're fine. Depend on your hydrometer and not the directions/time/airlock to dictate when to rack/bottle. You're still in the clear.
 
Beer can sit on the yeast cake for quite a while, 6 weeks +, as long as the temperatures are not too hot. If you look around this forum, you'll see that most leave their beer in the primary for a month or so.

For easy bottling, get a few 2L soda bottles, clean, sanitize, and use them. Not as classy as glass, but functionally just fine.
 
rdines said:
The batch is 13 days old...7 days early for bottling.
Click to expand...

Fixed that for you :D

Seriously, the one week that most directions state is way too short. Your beer will improve vastly by leaving it there longer (within reason of course). 3-4 weeks has become my minimum fermentation time, so don't worry about it at all. The directions are written for impatient first-time brewers, but most soon figure out that longer is better anyway.

And welcome to HBT!
 
david_42 said:
I've never had this happen, nor do I know anyone who has.
Click to expand...

Some people recommend skimming the yeast after about two or three days but many do not. This is to get rid of some of the dark floccules and trub brought up with the yeast.
 
I've heard of the practice. Don't do it myself. This would be impossible if you ferment in a glass/plastic carboy, as many people do in the USA. I also do not scrape the sides of my buckets and mix the gunk in.

Autolyse (yeast dying) is mentioned in many of the older brewing books, but I've had beers on the yeast for 4-5 months without a problem.
 
I have left beers for 6 months in primary, you have nothing to worry about.

I am drinking a pale ale right now that was in primary for a little over 4 months, just never had time to keg it up.
 

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