Decision time - bottle or wait?

[Terpbrewer]

Second batch-Palace bitter from Complete Joy, has been in primary for 12 days now. I can either bottle tomorrow on day 13 or wait until I get back from a trip on day 20. Don't want to bottle green, but worried a bit about off flavors if I wait. Don't have the appropriate sized carboy to rack to secondary without risk of oxidation. Any advice?

 

[Ryush806]

Second batch-Palace bitter from Complete Joy, has been in primary for 12 days now. I can either bottle tomorrow on day 13 or wait until I get back from a trip on day 20. Don't want to bottle green, but worried a bit about off flavors if I wait. Don't have the appropriate sized carboy to rack to secondary without risk of oxidation. Any advice?

Leave it. A lot of us will wait 4 weeks in the primary before bottling with no ill effects. You might be surprised to find it even makes it better depending on style.

 

[NivekD]

Wait.

 

[Terpbrewer]

Thanks for the advice. Just as I finished the post, the airlock bubbled...first activity I'd seen in several days! I'll definitely hold off.

 

[Ryush806]

Thanks for the advice. Just as I finished the post, the airlock bubbled...first activity I'd seen in several days! I'll definitely hold off.

Just FYI. That airlock bubble was probably due to you touching the fermenter or it getting slightly warmer than it was a few seconds ago. Airlock activity is not really a good indicator that fermentation is complete. Stable hydrometer readings is the only way to know for sure but by 20 days I'd be surprised if it was still going.

 

[BamaProud]

I'm new to the forum but that seems to be a near universal response to the question of removing beer from a fermenter. Longer is better.