HOME BREWING! help please

Question

just wondering i have a brew going in the fermenter, the yeast has used up all the sugar about 4 days ago and i havent had time to bottle it yet just wondering how long u can leave it in the fermenter for? b4 its no good to bottle? ill mostlikely get around to it tomorow but that will mean its been fully fermented for 5 days without being bottled, anyone had any problems with stuff like that or is it ok?

Answer 1

Relax, your beer will be just fine. 10 -12 day in primary is not out of the norm. However, you will not want to leave it too long as off flavors to put is simply will beging to develop. Rack it this weekend and let it condition for some time. Enjoy.

Answer 2

In most cases you don't want to leave beer in primary for much longer than a month because once the yeast run out of sugar to eat they begin eating eachother.  This is called "yeast autolysis" and it leads to wonky off-flavors in beer.  Feel free to leave it otherwise, no harm will really come to it.  5 days isn't that big of a deal.  Any longer than a month or so and you'll want to move it off the yeast cake (or trub as it's known) and put it in to a secondary fermentor.

Answer 3

If you have another bucket or carboy, rack (move) it into there, and get it off of the yeast. I usually do this around 10 days after pitching the yeast. But I also agree with everyone else, 5 days won't hurt for sure, and up to a month is probably ok if need be.  

Answer 4

you're fine, my friend leaves it for 2 weeks before he bottles it.