How long is too long - Primary Fermentation

[Monkeykler]

Apologies if this has been asked 100 times… quick question, how long is too long in primary fermentation? i’ve left a Hefeweizen and a Belgium White Ale in Primary for about 12 ish weeks …. still good to go for bottling or bin them?

 

[RM-MN]

Someone posted that they had left their beer in the primary for 6 months. They said that still wasn't too long. The longest I have left beer is 9 weeks before bottling and it carbonated fine without adding yeast.

 

[hout17]

I think you'll be fine and I don't think you'll have a problem carbonating.

 

[Spundit]

I suspect they will be fine but I do think 12 weeks is too long for these styles. I wouldn't toss them without investigating. You worry about infection and flavors associated with yeast autolysis (meaty, sulphur, etc.)

If there are no obvious signs of infection I would take a gravity sample and give it a taste. If nothing seems way off with the flavor, go ahead and bottle. They should carb up fine but you could add a 1/4 tsp of dried yeast as insurance if you would like. Any common ale yeast should do the job.

 

[odie]

As long as the fermenter wasn't breached it should be ok.

 

[MaxStout]

Taste a sample, but probably fine. It's been in a fermenter, protected from the air and contaminants. Both Hefe and Witbiers are best fresh, but I think you should be OK.

+1 on adding some yeast at bottling, in case the primary yeast is weak. A few grams of any neutral dry yeast will do. US-05, Notty, S-04, etc.

 

[Beermeister32]

I’ve only ever had one batch that didn’t want to carb up. It was a lager that was kegged for a while and then I decided to bottle into 500 ml flip tops. Obviously not much yeast in suspension.

After a couple months they were still flat. I ended up making some US-05 solution in a little mason jar. I took a sanitized eye dropper and had to re-open each bottle. One little squirt, then a spray of Star San then closed them back up. Worked great.

 

[hotbeer]

Why would you just give up on it?

Bottle or keg it and find out after it's been carbonated and reasonably conditioned.

 

[davidabcd]

If there were no repeat questions asked, this forum would be a ghost town.
Anyway, I just bottled an 8 month old Belgian triple. I wouldn't recommend doing that but circumstances prevented bottling at the correct time (for me that's three weeks). No ill effects.
Out of caution, I did mix 1/4 C sugar with water and added yeast. Poured that in the bottling bucket the next day with a little more sugar.
Beer carbed nicely. Tastes fine.
I would totally bottle your product if I were you.

 

[Monkeykler]

I actually have an IPA that has been sat in fermentation for 9 months now, I'm unable to get to the city it's located in, this will be an interesting one! watch this space haha

 

[day_trippr]

 

[Monkeykler]

View attachment 771927

Come on! let's not be so negative hahaha, I might have formed a new style of Sour IPA

 

[Zambezi Special]

Come on! let's not be so negative hahaha, I might have formed a new style of Sour IPA

That's the spirit!

 

[hotbeer]

I don't know how @day_trippr meant it. I took it as a positive, though others seem to take it as a negative comment.

When the beer in my FV looks very dead, devoid of all life signs and is clean, those are some of my best ales and IPA's.

 

[day_trippr]

Oh, sorry, it definitely wasn't meant to be encouraging

 

[Monkeykler]

I finally managed to get to the city and cracked open the FV today, I was expecting all sorts, but it smells/looks normal! The batch was brewed September 21st 2021 and bottled today 5th July 2022 around 9/10 months since brewing..... the main issues I can foresee are off flavours due to it sitting in Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring then Summer again temperatures..... let's see how it turns out in the bottle.

I also have an IPA that I brewed in January here which I'll bottle tomorrow, I already took a sample today and smells pretty goooood, I'm a little more confident with that as it is in an airtight SS Conical....