Maximum time in fermenter

[GreenEnvy22]

I am going away this weekend for three weeks. a couple days after I get back, is my 40th birthday and I will have a bunch of buddies over for some beer and barbecue. My favourite Red ale just ran dry in The keg, so I'm wondering if I have time to get something going before I leave.
I'm not sure it would be done fermenting by Friday, which is the last chance I would have to rack it into something else. Do you think my beer would be ruined if it were to sit in the fermenter, in a cool garage, for 3 weeks after it's done fermenting?
Or I suppose I could put the whole five gallon fermenting bucket into a spare fridge?

I know I shouldn't have left it this late, I didn't realize that keg was so low.

when I get back, my plan would be to force carbonate it so it's ready to go within two days.

Any advice for me?

 

[RM-MN]

The beer I left in the fermenter for 9 weeks turned out good so I don't see why your would go bad in only 3 weeks.

 

[mattdee1]

If you're uncomfortable with the long stay in primary, just rack it to a keg on Friday. While doing so, check the gravity. If it's within a few (4ish) points of your expected FG, seal up the keg, put it away, and you'll come home to nicely carbonated beer.

If you check the gravity and it's still sitting at something uncomfortably high, say 1.018 or so, you can still transfer to the keg, but put a quick disconnect on the gas post and run a short line into a jar of starsan as an airlock. When you get home, chill the keg and carbonate it. You may get some sludge in your first 1-2 pours, but oh well.

But really, unless you really lapse on your sanitation, the beer will be fine in primary for that extended time period. Moving it to the keg on Friday might be the slightly better option, depending on how airtight your fermentors are.

 

[brownni5]

3 weeks? No, no problem whatsoever.

 

[GreenEnvy22]

Thanks folks!

 

[Jag75]

3 weeks is my norm . Carry on

 

[GreenEnvy22]

We're on our way back to Canada from Paraguay tomorrow morning, a week early.
Got word this morning our flights at end of month would be cancelled, fly now or maybe be stuck here a few months.

At least I can see how this turned out sooner.

 

[GreenEnvy22]

So it turned out pretty well. Flavour is good, not as red as I want but that is likely due to the substitutions I had to make.
1.012 SG in the end, so about 5.5%