Fermentation

[jesseroberge]

Hi there... When I brew AG beer I ferment in primary for 30 days.... I don’t use secondary fermenter at all...

My question is the following: How long can I leave my fermented wort in primary?

I only have 2 kegs and want to create a pipe line with no lag time between empty keg and new HB.

Have you guys ever let fermented wort/beer longer than 30 days in the fermenter ?

 

[mongoose33]

A 30-day primary is about as long as I'd want to go. At some point you risk autolysis (dead yeast smells as their cells disintegrate), as well as drawing grassy flavors out of the hops in the trub.

Palmer says in his online How to Brew that he and others have left beer in primary for several months without any evidence of autolysis, so maybe you can extend it. I suspect the temperature of the beer in primary also matters--if I were going to do this, I'd try to crash that beer as close to 32 as I could.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

30 days is fine. I’ve left mine for 4 months with no detrimental side effects. Just make sure the airlock hasn’t dried up.

 

[RM-MN]

Yeast autolysis is rare in homebrewing. While it can happen it usually takes a huge volume of wort in a conical so the yeast that drop out are confined in a small area where their activity can generate enough heat to kill some of the yeast.

 

[mongoose33]

So you're saying...that no yeast die in a normal fermentation?