Secondary Fermentation Life Span

I was planning to brew this weekend but I really won't be drinking this beer for awhile. I was wondering how long the beer can stay in the secondary fermenter (glass carboy)?

 

Meh, probably I'd just bottle it and skip the secondary.

 

Bosh..... I am not sure I understand what you are saying.

 

The use of a secondary vessel is an oft debated topic here, and @bosh is suggesting you bottle once,it is finished rather than putting it into a secondary. depending on the brew i have migrated away from a secondary most of the time,and seems to work for me. My really big beers (RIS), go into a secondary, but that is more for aging.
Assuming you use good sanitation practices, and don't oxidize during transfer,you,can keep in the secondary for as long as you like. Also, recognize that the oils from the hops start to dissipate and change rather quickly, which might be bad for a hop forward brew.
The short answer, depends...

 

I agree, I don't use secondaries at all unless it's a big beer that will benefit from extended bulk aging..i.e. Imperial Stouts or Barleywines. Depending on the style, I would let it sit in primary for 2-3 weeks (less for hoppy beers like IPAs or Pales) and then bottle it up.

But to answer your question, you should be able to let a beer sit in a secondary vessel for as long as you want. It depends on the style. Bigger, higher gravity beers will be good months and months. I've heard of some Barleywines and RISs sitting in secondary for up to a year (if not more) and are still good. The bulk aging often benefits these kinds of beers. Can you get the same results if you bottle and let them age in bottles, I'm not one to say. If you have a low-moderate gravity beer, wheat, IPA, etc. you will notice the flavors will fade more quickly, so you want to drink them fresh and probably won't want to use a secondary.

 

Notwithstanding the debate over primary-only vs. secondary, the biggest potential problem with racking to a secondary is oxidation. So, make sure you fill the carboy to the neck to minimize potential air/liquid interface. I suppose another potential might be light skunking, so keep her in the dark. And do your best to maintain a cool, steady temperature. Those of us doing lagers will often secondary(lagering) for months at a time.