High FG ale - how long to ferment for?

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WelshPaul

WelshPaul

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Hi folks,
I have a small batch of ale fermenting away vigorously. It finished THE BOILING STAGE at 1077 and I'm using a Safale S-33 yeast.
Now, I usually ferment most of my beers for a week in primary, a week to ten days in secondary and then bottle or keg them and leave to condition. However, I've read on a few forums that this yeast benefits from being left for up to 4 weeks in the FV!
Is this correct? Can anyone who has used this verify this statement as I am concerned about the beer getting infected if left for that long?

EDIT: clarified the beer's gravity for the pedants on the forum!!! :sulk:
 
If its at 1077 then it certainly needs to be left. :lol:

But assuming that is a typo what is the actual fg. :wha:
 
I'd leave it for at least two weeks. Probably three.

People talk about autolysis but both cider makers and lambic brewers leave it on the yeast for months with no autolysis issues.
 
OK, I'll let it reach its FG but will leave it on the yeast bed for a while before racking it to secondary and fining it. Does autolysis of the yeasts cause any distinct "off" flavours?
 
Aleman said:
WelshPaul said:
Does autolysis of the yeasts cause any distinct "off" flavours?
Click to expand...
Burnt Rubber!! :sick:
Click to expand...

Interesting I always associated meaty flavours with old yeast samples in the fridge which i assumed was autolysis. :hmm: :hmm:

Personally I always take my beer off the yeast and trub after a week to 10 days then leave for another week before bottling. With High gravity beers you could leave it a lot longer I have left a barley wine for 6-8 weeks before bottling, but what good it did apart from leaving the beer devoid of any yeast viable to carb the bottles :evil: .

Welshpaul said:
EDIT: clarified the beer's gravity for the pedants on the forum!!!
Click to expand...

Pedant indeed :twisted: :twisted:
 
graysalchemy said:
With High gravity beers you could leave it a lot longer I have left a barley wine for 6-8 weeks before bottling
Click to expand...
Was this left on the trub or in secondary?
 
No as I described secondry after a week- 10 days off the trub. Some more sediment fell out obviously over the following weeks. :thumb:
 
Jamil Zainashelf reckons that on a home brewing scale with flat bottomed fermenters and healthy yeast there is very little risk of off flavours from autolysis, and I would agree. I've had a lager in the primary for 5 weeks with no off flavours, and you would taste them in a lager.

I'd just let itself ferment out in the primary.
 
Fair enough. I lost my very first AG attempt after 3 weeks in the FV, although this was most likely due to poor sterilising of the turkey baster that I was using at the time to take samples, so I'm still a little wary of going over 2½ weeks.
 

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