4 weeks primary

So I brewed my third batch NB's Waldo lake amber ale extract kit and was going to bottle last Sunday but had a bunch of stuff come up so it looks like I will not get to it until Friday that's exactly four weeks. Is this too much time in the primary?? Should I try to bottle ASAP?
Thanks in advance, Chris

 

Lots of people leave it in primary longer than that. This will probably be a great beer.

The only time I worry about my timeframe for bottling is if I have dry hopped and I am worried about the hops starting to taste like grass.

 

4 weeks is actually the minimum time I primary unless I happen to be using a secondary as well.

 

I always shoot for 4 weeks primary as it gives enough time for the yeast to clean up the bi-products of fermentation and allows the beer to clear more before you bottle.

The biggest beginner mistake in home brewing is not giving enough time.

 

4 weeks it is then. My first two batches sat for three weeks so it will be interesting to see the difference another week makes.

 

It's fine to let it sit that long till you have time to bottle. I try to give the beer no longer than it needs to hit FG,clean & clear up before bottling.

 

I've been brewing for about 2.5 years now and have somewhere around 80 batches under my belt.

In my experience, an average gravity (4.5-6.0 ABV), non-wheat ale seems to peak at around 12-14 weeks from brewday, obviously not withstanding hop aroma and other "freshness" factors, just the base beer itself.

I think ideally, something like that amber should really be 2 weeeks in primary, then keg/bottle and really let it sit at room temp for another 4-6 weeks to bulk condition, then a good 3-4 weeks at fridge temps, then serve.

Of course, not many of us have the pipeline to wait that long, and the same ale is certainly about 85% of it's peak after about 4-6 weeks. Not to mention, we all make bad batches and it is just a kick in the balls to wait 12-14 weeks for a batch that doesn't turn out.

Anyway, just my observation. I still am drinking most of my batches 4-6 weeks after brewday myself, but just like everyone else, the last bottle is always the best bottle!