Can You Ferment For Too Long?

[Captain BJ]

Hi Guys,

I've been fermenting a brew for almost 3 weeks longer than i've needed to. I was just wondering if it was possible for the brew to go off, and if the brew is still ok to bottle? Can you ferment a beer for too long before bottling? Its just been sitting in the airlocked fermenter all this time.

I put the brew down for a week and then added finings. I've since left the brew for almost 4 weeks in the fermenter (3 weeks longer than needed)

I know your thinking "what could be more important than bottling your brew?!". Well my cat became pretty crook and It needed alot of my attention for a while. He seems to be on the road to recovery now, so i'm ready to bottle but I don't want to waste my time if it's going to be a dud brew.

If it is ok to bottle, will the extra time in the fermenter actually give any improvement at all to the brew? Would I get away with leaving it bottled any less than normal before drinking?

Sorry if this all seems pretty basic to you all, but i'm still pretty new to Home Brewing!

 

[Thommo]

Bottle it.

I try not to leave my brews in the fermenter for any longer than three weeks, but you see people posting all the time who leave them for 6 weeks or so.

If it doesn't taste foul out of the fermenter, I can't see too many reasons for it getting any worse once in the bottle.

 

[dreamboat]

Marmite's Mighty - it's delicious
Marmite's Mighty - it's nutritious
Marmite's Mighty you'll agree
Eat it for vitality!





dreamboat

 

[Steve]

Captain - I'd be having a taste and smell of the wort and if all ok bottle immediately.
Cheers
Steve

 

[mark_m]

I agree with both the above - have a taste & smell, if O.K. bottle it, any strong "off" aromas, tip it out. I normally bottle at the 2 week mark, but have on several occasions (due to work travel etc) left for up to 6-8 weeks, only problems have been when the brew has been subjected to excessive summer temperatures during that time. That one was pretty ugly (think vinegar) but had smelt bad out of the fermenter.
Good luck!

 

[Phrak]

I've currently got an American Pale Ale that's been sitting in the Secondary fermentor for 3 weeks as of today. It was in Primary for 1 week before racking to Secondary. Both stages have been kept at a near constant 20C, occasionally dropping to 18C overnight.

Had a bit of an SG test and taste last night to see if anything had changed since my last test 2 weeks ago. The SG hadn't changed (unsurprisingly), but it tastses mighty nice!

The main reason I've left it for so long is that I don't have enough bottles available!!
(hint-hint??)

 

[user 384]

Marmite's Mighty - it's delicious
Marmite's Mighty - it's nutritious
Marmite's Mighty you'll agree
Eat it for vitality!

dreamboat

What dreamboat is cryptically alluding to is the possibility of autolysis. Autolysis occurs when there is very little fermentable sugars left and yeast start to cannabolise themselves. The yeast excrete enzymes and break down the cell wall of other yeast. The result is off flavours that have deen desribe as like vegemite. Autolysis is not inevitable, but the risk is increased by warm temperatures and a large yeast mass. Therefore to reduce the risk, it's often suggested to rack to a secondary vessle off the large yeast mass and and to keep the brew cool.

How long before you risk autolysis by leaving the beer on the primary yeast cake .......... how long is a piece of string? There is no definitive answer, so do as others have suggested and taste the beer. If you like it, then bottle it. If it has a strong vegemite flavour, then it's autolised (I doubt this will have happened yet).

Cheers
MAH

 

[sqyre]

Hi, I too am a newbie to Home brewing scene and curious about this question...

I have been brewing kits now for a few years and have recently switched to fermenting in large fermenters doing 5 kits worth in one hit (115 litres). I used to transfer the brew to cubes and add finnings and leave untill i needed it.
I then tried leaving the beer in the fermenter and just tapping off what i need when i needed. ( I pump co2 in through the airlock hole to stop any nasties getting in)

I tapped off a cubes worth from a batch that had been left in the fermenter for nearly 2 months and left it for another 3-4 weeks (3 months old total) then when i kegged it up i also kegged up another 18litres straight from the same fermenter (same batch 3months old).
Upon tasting the usual cubed batch it was the same taste, flavor, etc as i usuallly get (and was very happy with it)
But when trying the stuff straight from the fermenter i was in heaven and have never looked back.

The question is - Have i just gotten a lucky streak doing this or possibly is my taste in my arse and i should run out and get a Vegemite kid T-shirt???

Any info, suggestions from experienced brewers is more than welcome as i'm a tad worried now..
:huh:

p.s Thanks for posting the Can you ferment for too long post as it may have saved me from travelling down the wrong path.

 

[peas_and_corn]

That's interesting! haven't done something like that before, mainly because I don't have a fermenter that holds 115 litres! I only have the standard ones... fermenter envy coming along...

Anyway, there have been posts in the past that have talked about the impact of the size of the vessel impacting on the overall flavour while the beer is maturing. This has generally been one of the main arguments pushing kegging over bottling; since while the beer is maturing in small containers (stubbies/long necks), in a keg there's a larger volume and the beer matures better there. I'm not entirely sure why this is so; past threads may have mentioned it and I have subsequently forgot; mostly due to that fact I was probably also reading about self determination or something else like that at the same time (it's annoying when I write something about attenuation in the middle of an assignment )

Anyway, I was supposed to have a point, was I? Oh yeah, perhaps the idea of bottles vs. kegs when it comes to maturation volume can be applied to a larger scale. While you were lucky to not get autolysis, it could be that the larger volume ended up in better maturation of the beer?

Well, that's my theory, and I'm sticking by it, even after it's proven to be wrong!

cheers,

Dave

 

[sinkas]

I have left a belgian strong ale in 2ndry for 4 months, and it was fine, I lef t awheat beer in secondary for 6 months, and its is,,well a little funky

 

[Jens-Kristian]

I think the idea may be to make sure that you get the beer into a secondary after a bit. My most recent beer sat in the primary for three weeks with no ill effects and has presently sat in the secondary for 12 days. I put it into a colder room for CCing two days ago.

I was planning to bottle one of the next couple of days, but I'm now wondering if perhaps I should try and let it sit cold in the secondary for another couple of weeks to see if this improves the beer . . .

It's a bit of a beast this one. 8.1% with a slightly too heavy alcoholic taste that I would not be unhappy if faded just slightly.

Ofcourse, my fermenter is only 25 litres, so I don't know if it would matter all that much . . .

Cheers,

Jens-Kristian

 

[PistolPatch]

Howdy Captain. Good to see another pirate on board!

As the guys said, unless it tastes awful, go ahead and bottle. I left a Coopers Lager in the fermenter for 4 weeks with no worries at about 20-25 degrees. It tasted a little of bananas but certainly drinkable.

Re your question as to whether the beer will have improved in the fermenter, I'd say bottle it and taste one in 2 weeks. See how it is. I had some kits take 4 months to come good which is an awful length of time to wait so...

If you're starting out I reckon go for basic kits that have a high turnover such as Coopers. These beers will come good sooner. Keep a record of the use by date on the tin as if you get a crappy beer, it may often be due to the can sitting on the shelf too long.

Sqyre asked above (howdy Sqyre) whether he should have his taste buds checked! If you enjoy your beer then that's all that matters. So Sqyre don't worry about the Vegemite T-Shirt.

For you Captain, you may find you are really pleased with the brews you are getting. You could also find that you are not. If this happens then you should post back here and you'll find lots of help. I'd do about 4 or 5 kits first and see how they go.

To help you with these, have a really good read of the following 2 links. They are not completed as yet but there's already enough info there to get you started on your beer brewing as well as a few tips on quick ways of using this forum.

All the best,
PP

Here's the 2 links to click on...

Frequently Asked Questions For The New Brewer

Outline To Using The AHB Website

 

[mika]

Agree with the above, I've left brews for a while in the fermenter but would be cautious in summer... winter, to my thinking, not such an issue.
Racking to secondary and allowing to Cold Condition (CC) is a good thing if it can be achieved, but from what I've read, you want to be closer to 12deg. Ambient temp even in winter just ain't going to cut it.
It proably would help a bit, but you're starting to run the vegemite gauntlet.

Your Cat got sick ?? that's the kinda excuse you give to someone whne you crash into their car... not because you can't bottle a beer. But then I'm not a fan of cats