3 month primary too long?

[Bear85]

A friend and I have a hobgoblin clone (from the recipes section on this site), sitting in the primary, it's been there since mid-July. We brewed it together, then I moved away for 2 months and he hasn't "gotten around" to bottling it. Will it still be ok in another month's time, it'll be that long before I return and can kick him into action.

 

[Revvy]

I've had a beer in 5.5 months that was fine. I just bottled an Extra Strong Bitter that was 3.5 months in primary.

Give it a taste and see.

 

[scottyg354]

Just bottled a summer ale this past week that's been in since mid june. Tried the pre-carbonated product and it was great. No need to worry if anything it will add to flavor and complexity.

 

[AnOldUR]

Autolysis is not a myth, as some would have you believe. With today's better products, it is not as likely and many times at lower levels can go unnoticed. I wouldn’t make a habit out of it, but at three months, you should be fine. It depends on the storage conditions. Warm temperatures or swings in temperature can bring on autolysis along with other problems. There’s really no way to tell without tasting it.

 

[Bear85]

Thanks all, we'll bottle it when I get back and we'll proceed as normal. Thanks!

 

[Tinga]

I try to leave my meads in primary for two months before I rack to secondary. Of course I'm not trying to bottle carb a mead though. I'm not quite sure how long your has to sit before it needs new yeast to bottle with but 3 months might be getting close to that time.