longer time in primary

[poggor]

I was wondering if there were any negatives to leaving the brew in the primary fermenter on the yeast longer (say a month)? is there an increased risk of infection doing this? I'm finding that there are harsh flavors in my brews and I wonder if they might condition out by doing this?

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[black_labb]

Could be. Give us more information on the harsh flavours, the recipes, your process, temperatures, times etc.

 

[poggor]

I don't know... i was just kinda asking generally. although my main problem is that the bitterness in my beers seems to taste really harsh and unpleasant.

 

[Smokomark]

Do you use galaxy for bittering?

 

[Moad]

I've found the difference between 2 and 3 weeks in primary to be significant... for the better.

As long as no oxygen gets in I don't think you will have any issues.

In saying that I've never left anything more than 3 weeks so take my opinion with a grain of salt

edit: bitterness will mellow with age in keg/bottles too

 

[black_labb]

I don't know... i was just kinda asking generally. although my main problem is that the bitterness in my beers seems to taste really harsh and unpleasant.

Would you call a mechanic and ask him if putting more air into your tyres will make the car run better on the highway without any indication of what the pressure is at currently or any other details of the car and still expect a useful answer?

 

[hwall95]

I've had both ales and lagers on their yeast cake longer then a month without any noticeable problems. I wouldn't imagine infection could cause by leaving it primary unless the infection was already there or you opened the lid to much.

What do you mean by harsh? Could you compare it to anything, as harsh is a bit of a broad term for beer.

 

[manticle]

What hops are you using?
Could be a number of things but start with the obvious

To answer your question though - yeast eventually breaks down and live yeast can/will consume dead yeast, ultimately resulting in various off flavours, break downs of fatty acids etc. The process is known as autolysis and the time it takes is not fixed. Too long on the yeast and the likelihood increases.
That said, not long enough will also result in bad flavours, one month is unlikely to be too long and if the beer is kept in the cold once fully fermented and matured then the reactions are likely significantly retarded (as in slowed down, not intellectually deficient or disabled)