Rookie question - how long can I leave in the fermenter?

[stevechilds34]

I have a Muntons Connoisseur Pilsner which suggests it needs up to 6 days in the fermenter - today is day 5 and it's still going - started at 1.042 and today it's at 1.014 (instructions say it needs to be steady at 1.008). My problem is that on day 7 I go away on holiday for 5 days. I'm hoping to get it bottled before I go - but if it's not finished on day 7 - is it going to be ok to leave in the sealed fermenter for a further 5 days until I'm back from holiday? That would mean it would have had circa 12 days rather than the suggested 6...grateful for any advice. Thank you

 

[Brewsmith]

12 days will be fine. Leave it and deal with it when you get back. As long as you were sanitary when you brewed, it should be fine.

 

[RM-MN]

. My problem is that on day 7 I go away on holiday for 5 days. I'm hoping to get it bottled before I go - but if it's not finished on day 7 - is it going to be ok to leave in the sealed fermenter for a further 5 days until I'm back from holiday?

Enjoy your holiday. Extend it if you can. Your beer will be better for having spent 3 to 4 weeks in the fermenter than rushing to get it bottled when you are under a time restraint.

Manufacturers try to rush your beer. I suppose that they think that if you have it bottled early they can sell you another kit. Instead of rushing the beer, buy another fermenter and get a second beer started.

I have left a beer in the fermenter for 9 weeks once and it came out very good. If I wasn't so impatient, I would leave more of my beers for a longer period.

 

[wallyLOZ]

Agree with @RM-MN . Let it ride. I routinely leave beer in the fermenter for three weeks. IMO it allows the yeast to clean up, minimize or eliminate off flavors, and allows the yeast and byproducts to settle to the bottom of the fermenter.

 

[Steveruch]

6 days is too short, 16 (or more) would be better.

 

[hotbeer]

By an overwhelming majority, the beers I left in the fermenter for a long time were better than the beers that were only in the fermenter for a short time. In fact, all of the beers I left in for more than 3 weeks up to my longest at 6 weeks were good to great beers.

It's a toss up for anything with less than 10 days in the FV. Some good, some not so good.

So it seems other stuff happens even though the actual beer achieved FG in 3 or 4 days. Maybe it will have done all that other stuff if bottled and conditioned longer before consuming.

But if nothing else, leaving it in the FV keeps me from drinking it before it's time.

 

[stevechilds34]

Thanks for all the replies - really appreciate - a great community!

 

[Rish]

I don't even check the fv sg until the beer has been in for at least a month and think my beers are better for it. Relax, enjoy your vacation! Your beer will be fine.

 

[Martys1]

Time is one of the most important ingredients in homebrewing,beer can always out wait you.

 

[bellhp]

Yes , all of the above . Let it ride it will be fine ... just check your fermentation lock before you go so it doesn't dry up.

 

[marckovach]

Not sure what yeast you are using. I like to give ale yeast a minimum of two weeks and lager four. I have been disappointed any time I rushed it quicker, regardless is gravity readings.

 

[AZ Maverick]

I'll just be an echo chamber here.
Let it sit and enjoy your holiday (just make sure your airlock bubbler is full before you leave...).
I routinely leave all my beers ales/lagers in the fermenter for a minimum of six to eight weeks.
After that, they get a dose of gelatin and a cold crash then go straight to the keg - I don't do 'secondary'.
My beers all come out clear and taste very good.

 

[skeeterman]

Time is one of the most important ingredients in homebrewing,beer can always out wait you.

Time. Also known as patience. Not sold in stores.

 

[bike2brew]

I have a Muntons Connoisseur Pilsner which suggests it needs up to 6 days in the fermenter - today is day 5 and it's still going - started at 1.042 and today it's at 1.014 (instructions say it needs to be steady at 1.008). My problem is that on day 7 I go away on holiday for 5 days. I'm hoping to get it bottled before I go - but if it's not finished on day 7 - is it going to be ok to leave in the sealed fermenter for a further 5 days until I'm back from holiday? That would mean it would have had circa 12 days rather than the suggested 6...grateful for any advice. Thank you

I have recently adopted a 28 day fermentation cycle, previously 21 day, and have seen dramatic benefits from the additional 7 days. Have a Tripel in fermentation now and have been thinking seriously about 35 days before bottle conditioning 3 to 4 weeks. Patience.

 

[brewbama]

@stevechilds34 It depends on the fermenter. If it’s a high end sealed unit you’ll probably be OK. If it’s a bucket or tote and lid I wouldn’t leave it in there.

Oxygen can get into a fermenter through the lid/fermenter seal just as it can get into a bottle through the neck/crown junction. But bottles are better than most bucket fermenters.

I believe once the beer is within 1-2% of remaining extract (~5+/-1 days) it should be packaged and allowed to rest about 7 days at or 5°F above ferment temp.

The residual yeast in suspension and remaining extract will carbonate the beer as well as consume any byproducts of fermentation and O2 inadvertently introduced during packaging.

Then cold crash 7+ days (preferably under CO2 pressure which, granted, is tough to do in bottles) and keep cold until consumed minimizing the time from production to consumption.

my .02

 

[ncbrewer]

Besides the beer quality issue, there is also a safety issue if you bottle. Check SG when you think it's time to bottle. (Various opinions on when this is, as seen in this thread). If the gravity is reasonable for FG, check again three days later. If gravity is the same, the beer is clear or slightly misty, it's ok to bottle. If not, wait and check again later. If you use the standard bottling technique (adding priming sugar for carbonation) and the fermentation isn't complete, it will finish in the bottle. This causes over carbonation and can even result in exploding bottles. This really is not what you want.

 

[bike2brew]

Thanks for comments. Sealed fermenter and conical bottom so 28 days not a problem. Hit FG @ 1.012 @ 7 days so everything steady state until bottle day.

 

[pvtpublic]

I keep my lagers at 50F for three weeks, room temp for a week, back to 50F for a week, keg, then 33F for 2 months.

......With the exception of my HBC's stone beer, which I kinda neglected. We do an annual stone beer event, and split it into three batches. One of which we put S23 in and I brought it home. That was July 28th. I kegged it last night. It actually tasted pretty good.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I'll add my $0.02. I'm lazy, so I tend to leave my beer in the fermenters for 4 weeks, sometimes longer. I always leave my lagers in the fermenters for 6 weeks or more. I've found that the beers are much better than shorter term ferments. So, 12 days? That's too short, in my opinion.

 

[AZ Maverick]

I leave all of my beers in the fermenter for at least 6 to 8 weeks before I process them further.