In a rough spot due to my bad timing. Should I keg or let sit!?

Well, I pretty much screwed up on this one! I wasn't thinking ahead. I have 6 gallons of cream ale. Well, it was a cream ale but after a week I moved it into a secondary with 6 pounds of raspberries that I picked up north on my land. So, I call it "Raspy Ale." I have made it three summers in a row. Anyway, it has been in the secondary for 9 days and is still insanely active! I mean, the air lock is bubbling like mad and I can see the activity of the yeast with the puréed raspberries just going crazy. So, I leave to Puerto Vallarta for 3 weeks on Sunday morning. This leads me to think, tertiary fermentation. If I leave this sit for 3 weeks in the secondary, I am afraid of a strong yeast flavor and sour beer since it will be sitting on all of the fruit and yeast ejaculate. Finally, a question. Sorry all. Should I leave it sit on all of that until August 16th in it's secondary, or move it to a tertiary the day before I leave?
One last thing. This has been in a controlled basement room at a constant 68-70 F. There are fruit flies all over the doors just dying to get into that fermentor! That is pretty strange for Wisconsin. It also scares me to think about removing that airlock for fear of contamination! Damn, this is a mess. My timing sucks. Please send me all/any of your ideas. I thank you in advance!

 

Id roll the dice and leave it for the three weeks. Ive left beer alot longer than that in secondary with no ill effects.

 

That ^

 

Leave it be until it is done. I make Apfelwein and leave it in primary for 6+ months without off flavor or any issue. Yeast are living creatures and nwork at their own pace. Brewing will teach you patience if nothing else.

 

Leave it.

 

How many times has this happened to you before?

 

leave it and can you get it colder

 

Let it ride. With the alchohol being produced, spoilage from the fruit shouldn't be a problem.

If you feel that you must halt fermentation, then give this a read by EC Kraus. I Use potassium storbate a lot. Even when it's done fermenting and I'm ready to bottle, I drop some in a week before bottling. It won't stop fermentation per say, but it will stop further production of yeast cells so when they all die off, it's done.

Edit: I use it on my wine before bottling, not beer. Morning coffee hasn't soaked in yet.

 

The biggest thing I'd be worried about would be the airlock liquid level going down.

 

Ok, I will leave it. I was leaning that way. I can lower the temp to around 58F. The "yeasty" flavor has happened once before with an apricot ale. Perhaps it was the apricot as the beer keeps getting better in bottles with time. Maybe I just don't like apricots and confused the sour taste as...? The airlock scares me too. A fruit fly actually made it in to my chill room. It died on the top of the airlock. That has me really worried! I spray the airlock area daily with some star san mist but can't do that when I'm gone. And, unionrdr, I fear that bubble lock getting low and those fruity bast*rds getting through and in. I think I will make some type of plastic, square cover that fits over the airlock and seals onto the carboy. I just thought of that but...it would still need to be open somewhere.... It would be another deterrent though. Thanks all and please let me know if you have any other ideas!

 

I can actually lower the room to 40F. Not the 58F I stated previously.

 

You should be okay with the fruit flies so long as they cant get in. is it a S shaped or 3 piece. my 3 pices have a cap with small holes that I dont think a fruit fly can get in. Otherwise if fermentation is mostly done by the time you go, just throw a big balloon over it and let it go from there. Or a blowoff tube with a bigger amount of liquid and some plastic wrap to keep them out.

The Yeasty flavor was probably just that not all the yeast had fallen out of solution. time can help that. And unless your fermentation area is very dry your airlock shouldnt dry out in 3 weeks if you top it off before going.

 

It's an S airlock. I checked it again just now. There was a dead fruit fly under the lid cap. The cap has tiny holes! Now that's not cool at all! How the hell did it make it into the airlock? I think I will run a blow off and keep the humidity at 60ish so I can run that tube into a deep bucket of water/star san and keep the bucket almost entirely covered. I am lowered ing the temperature a degree every few hours. I think I will stop at 60F. Any ideas?

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=7004556

 

* lowering

 

Fruit flies don't swim so even if they get into the top of your airlock, they'll die before swimming through the S to get to your beer. They're probably being drawn to the sweet exhaust coming out of the airlock. I like the idea of dropping your room temp, but only to just below the yeast's lower optimum temp - seems a waste of energy to go much lower, and you risk sucking airlock fluid back into your carboy by dropping the temp too much. Beyond that, I'm with everyone else - let it ride and enjoy the vacation.

 

Hahaha! You're right they can't swim! One most certainly died from the "sweet exhaust!" Nice point about the lower side of optimum too! I used what would be a new yeast for me. California Labs I believe? Thanks much! I appreciate it all!