Time in Primary

[Pschof]

I know people around here are all fans of leaving the beer on the yeast for a while after the beer is done fermenting. Two questions: (1) What is the "science" behind the benefit of doing so (or is there science)? That is, I am sure every aspect of brewing has been studied by now--- so is there some sort of scientifically verified theory about what this does for the beer? (2) Are there any drawbacks to leaving beer on the yeast?

Right now I have a batch of Midas Touch-- a big beer-- that has been on the yeast for two weeks. It stopped fermenting maybe 2 days ago. I am happy to leave it on for a while longer, but would just like to know why, and to know if I am sacrificing anything by doing it.

Thanks!

 

[Revvy]

There is a ton of threads on this..nearly daily. You will find the reason's and justification and anecdotal info on it by simply doing a search for "Long Primary" or "No Secondary" or even "Yeast clean up after itself."

This has been done to death including the science, the stories of why we do so, quotes like the palmer one below, and even the counter arguments.

You will not have any trouble searching through the discussions. In fact you can start by looking through the similar threads box below...You'll prolly find the info right there.

But I will leave you the quote from John Palmer on the subject.

From How To Brew;

Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermentor for a total of 2-3 weeks (instead of just the one week most canned kits recommend), will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the beer. This extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. And, three weeks in the primary fermentor is usually not enough time for off-flavors to occur.