Can you Primary for too long?

[Jekster]

Hey everyone,

Just a simple question for those people out there that don't believe in secondary fermentations. Is there a point when you could potentially have a beer in primary for too long? If so, what adverse affects would this have on the finished brew?

I ask because I have a porter that has been in primary for about 4 weeks now. I wanted to siphon directly into a keg, but have yet to receive my kegs yet. Debating whether I should siphon into a secondary for a while and then toss it into the keg at a later date or just keep riding the snake.

Thanks as always!

-Jek

 

[DeathBrewer]

i'd say a month is about tops for me. even if it's a big beer, i usually will transfer at that point to mix things up..

Quote from "How to Brew": http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html

Soapy
Soapy flavors can caused by not washing your glass very well, but they can also be produced by the fermentation conditions. If you leave the beer in the primary fermentor for a relatively long period of time after primary fermentation is over ("long" depends on the style and other fermentation factors), soapy flavors can result from the breakdown of fatty acids in the trub. Soap is, by definition, the salt of a fatty acid; so you are literally tasting soap.

 

[david_42]

I rarely go more than 4 weeks, but the max. has been 9 weeks. Cool it as much as possible until the kegs arrive or just rack it. Won't hurt, other than dirtying another container.

 

[EdWort]

I've gone over 4 weeks before with no problem, but that's always at 39 degrees during the crash cool phase. That's one thing I like about cooling, I'm able to deal with my travel schedule between keggings.

 

[Jekster]

Thanks for the information everyone. I'll probably go ahead and rack tonight just to be safe in case my kegs take even longer to get here then expected. I don't want this beer to have soapy flavors considering that I feel it's going to be a pretty good brew once I'm done with all this waiting. That, and it's my big Christmas celebration beer! I want everyone to love it. =D

 

[Brewer3401]

Been listening to Jamil's podcasts. He NEVER racks to a brite tank, except for barleywine and mead.

He lets ales sit for 4 weeks, then straight to the keg. Lagers sit for 6+ weeks, then straight to the keg.

I normally use a brite tank (secondary), but on my next brew, I'm going to let it sit for 3 weeks at 64 F, then add gelatin and crash to 36 F for 1 week, then keg it. (Blonde ale, no dry hopping - if I dry hop, that's another story).

I'll let you know in about 5-6 weeks how it turned out.

And, he said he never uses any clarifiers, other than WhirlFloc in the boil.

This guy is really stirring up some siht, but he wins competitions on a regular basis

 

[Jekster]

Brewer3401: Yeah, off Jamil's Advice I plan to not really use secondaries as well. However, my Porter has been in primary for four weeks and I want to keg it so it's on draft for Christmas. Since I don't have my kegs yet, I'm going to toss it into a secondary for a while and then keg it and let it age in the keg once I get them. You're right, the guy wins comps and makes some amazing beer, so I've heard, so he has to be doing something right.