National Homebrew Club Ireland

Brewing Discussions => Kit Brewing => Topic started by: dh on June 03, 2015, 01:04:38 PM

Title: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: dh on June 03, 2015, 01:04:38 PM
I started a batch of Bruphoria HipHop about 10 days and according to the instructions, it should be ready for bottling in another 4.

However, in a fit of excitement, I bought some of the cheap kegs and gave away all my bottles. Which would be fine except that it seems to be really hard to find a regulator right now (HBC say they'll be in stock in the next week or two). I found another one online but it's more expensive.

So, my question is: Once the beer has reached its final SG, how long is the recommended/max time you can leave it in the FV before it goes bad?
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: Pheeel on June 03, 2015, 01:50:09 PM
It should be fine on the yeast for a couple of months.

Why don't you transfer to the keg after a month and naturally carb it. If you only started it 10 days ago then you've can easily wait a month until it's ready
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: dh on June 03, 2015, 02:43:18 PM
Quote from: Pheeel on June 03, 2015, 01:50:09 PM
It should be fine on the yeast for a couple of months.

Wow. I had no idea it could sit for so long. In that case I can wait for the reg to get back in stock.

Thanks
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: dcalnan on June 04, 2015, 04:13:26 PM
It can develop soapy flavours from being left in primary too long, the breakdown of fatty acids in the trub. If I were going to be leaving it longer after primary fermentation was over I would transfer it to another fermenter and get it off the trub.
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: baphomite51 on June 04, 2015, 04:31:44 PM
its recommended by white labs not to leave beer on yeast for more than 2 weeks, 3 at a push, yeast wil begin to autolysis and cause off flavours, my 2 cents

what you could do is contact alex on here he should have a keg thread in the for sale section he sells kegs and accesories he'll fix u up with a reg at a great price
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: slayerking on June 04, 2015, 05:11:27 PM
Quote from: baphomite51 on June 04, 2015, 04:31:44 PM
its recommended by white labs not to leave beer on yeast for more than 2 weeks, 3 at a push, yeast wil begin to autolysis and cause off flavours, my 2 cents

what you could do is contact alex on here he should have a keg thread in the for sale section he sells kegs and accesories he'll fix u up with a reg at a great price
Do you have a link to this white labs recommendation? I've never heard anyone say a 3 week primary is pushing it.
All my beers all get a minimum 2 weeks primary, many get 3 weeks if they are bigger or I feel they need it.

Palmer has the following:
'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.'
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: Pheeel on June 04, 2015, 05:21:01 PM
Of all the things that can go wrong with your beers I think autolysis is the least of people's worries. Many folks here don't secondary and leave it on the yeast for a month+
Moving to another vessel has it's own issues. I should know my last batch got horribly oxidized :(
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: Jonnycheech on June 04, 2015, 05:54:59 PM
I think 3-4 weeks in primary is fine. I'll only move a beer to a secondary if it is big and needs a few weeks longer, otherwise the risk of oxidation outweighs any benefits from the secondary conditioning, imho.
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: LordEoin on June 04, 2015, 10:25:28 PM
if it's finished fermenting you could just stick the FV somewhere cold until you have your regulator. It should be nice and clear by the time it goes in the keg.
Otherwise just keg and prime. After a few days purge it to try and get the o2 out before too much pressure builds up.
Title: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: Leann ull on June 05, 2015, 12:15:10 AM
Transferring to secondary will often wake up a beer to finish fermenting and I always do it to clean up the beer before dry hopping or crash cooling before I keg.
With co2 so cheap a blast always goes into the FV and beer hose below that.
Saw a brewer shaking a bottle recently, after bottling, what are you doing? I'm mixing the sugar in! No your not your oxidising your beer
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: LordEoin on June 05, 2015, 12:20:48 AM
If the oxygen is in the bottle already it's staying there regardless of whether it's shaken or not.
best case scenario he's giving the yeast a bit of oxygen to work with.
worst case he's introduced the little bit that will be forced in with later pressure anyway.
shaking or not shaking doesn't change the amount of oxygen in the sealed bottle. Only the yeast will do that.
Title: Re: How long can I leave beer in FV?
Post by: Leann ull on June 05, 2015, 12:52:45 AM
When bottling there is O2 at the top of the bottle by shaking the bottle you are mixing that O2 directly into the beer.
Molecules of the various flavour compounds and alcohols within the beer undergo an irreversible chemical reaction with oxygen to form the molecules responsible for the stale taste.
By not shaking the bottle and conditioning you allow the yeast to gobble the fermentables and the necessary O2 producing C02 which will not only be forced into the beer but also replace the O2 in the headspace minimising oxidation.