How long is too long in primary?

[jimmarshall]

Simple enough question, have a batch in my primary that I wanted to rack to secondary at the beginning of this week but then it snowed ( I own a snow removal company) and on Tuesday I had some minor back surgery. At what point should I be concerned I am ruining my beer?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Painter]

I think that if it is a matter of a few days you won't have a problem.

 

[reefriot]

I have left beer in primary for weeks with no ill effects. It will be fine.

 

[jimmarshall]

It has been in since last Sunday, by the time I am allowed to lift enough to do it, it will be a little over two weeks.... That will be fine?

Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[TheZymurgist]

Simple enough question, have a batch in my primary that I wanted to rack to secondary at the beginning of this week but then it snowed ( I own a snow removal company) and on Tuesday I had some minor back surgery. At what point should I be concerned I am ruining my beer?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Very simple question, asked almost daily. At homebrew volumes, autolysis isn't really a concern unless the beer is sitting on the yeast for a really really really long time, or you're using old, crappy yeast.

I've had beers that sit on the yeast for 6 months with no issue. I definitely wouldn't go aging a barleywine for a year or more with it sitting on the yeast, but you're fine.

 

[Fennis]

I wouldn't worry about it. I've usually leave my beer in the primary for around 3 to 4 weeks, sometimes 5 if I am busy and don't have a chance to transfer it to the keg. It has never seemed to impact the taste or flavor of the beer. The only time I wouldn't let it sit extra long is if you were dry hopping, then you might bring in some off flavors from letting the hops sit in there too long...but even then that would dissipate after a while.

 

[strambo]

4 months from now, you should start to get concerned about it perhaps. I skip secondaries and just primary for 2-4 weeks, then cold crash and package.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[crazyirishman34]

If it is a hoppy beer I would worry about the hop flavor fading before you have to worry about off flavors from the yeast. In fact if there are off flavors the yeast will scrub some of them out of the beer over time.

 

[Scratch]

I keep all my batches in primary for 4 weeks, then bottle.

 

[crazyirishman34]

I keep all my batches in primary for 4 weeks, then bottle.

Other then big beers and lagers normally I primary for 5 day cold crash for 1 to 2 with gelatin then rack into kegs and force carb. Some things I make go from grain to glass 5 days. But I have been brewing for 20 years now too.

 

[Math0]

Forgot about a batch in my storage room for 3-4 months. It was still fine. Make sure you dont have any holes in your bucket.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[kh54s10]

Agreed, only many months or a dried up airlock would be of any real concern. Only an IPA or highly hop flavored beer would suffer flavor loss, and that would still be more than a couple of months.