How long can I leave the beer in the FV

[GazzaW57]

Due to ‘external pressures and family commitments’, I’ve been unable to bottle the Raja’s Reward that has been brewing away in my kitchen. The latest situation is that the hops were added two weeks ago and I’ve just kept the brew at a steady 22 degrees in the hope that it’ll be ok.
Will it still be okay to bottle it, if I can get to do it this week, or wouldn’t it be any good?

 

[RichardM]

You might have lots some of the hop aroma but it should be OK. Next time drop the temperature to a couple of degrees centigrade and call it a cold crash.

 

[GhostShip]

If you haven't taken the lid off since you added the hops then it should be absolutely fine. Removing the lid would obviously allow oxygen into the brew, which could lead to oxidation over a period of time, but if the lid has been left on, the layer of CO2 above the beer will protect it.

 

[GazzaW57]

Thank you. I’ll hopefully be bottling it either this afternoon or tomorrow sometime.

 

[The Baron]

I have left brews too long and as long as they are kept sealed it should be ok IMO

 

[GazzaW57]

Thank you to all who came back with really good advice.

I’m currently sorting out the bottles to brew the Raja’s Reward. When I say ‘sorting’, I’m a little short of bottles, so I went in to my shed and found 2 crates of bottles with beers I brewed some two and a half years ago.

Some bottles contained Munton‘s Imperial Cream Stout and some had a Wilko Hoppy Copper bitter. I just thought I’d do a quick taste test to check they were no longer drinkable, and I’d get rid of them, ergo freeing up bottles for the Raja’s Reward. Well the Stout is flatter than a witches thing-a-me-jig and most definitely not drinkable, but some of the Hoppy Copper bitters are very, very nice and I’m loathed to just pour them down the sink, so I’m doing a taste test . The Wilko kit is one I will do again.

At the moment, out of 9 bottles, three were more than just drinkable, they were flipping lovely. I’ve only got 28 bottles left to go. I may be sleeping by 6pm but it’s all in the name of research and recycling. Let’s be honest, no one likes to see waste.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Let’s be honest, no one likes to see waste.

Like your style luv!

 

[Jim Brewster]

2+ months is the longest I have gone between brewing and bottling, brewed a Porter mid October last year and bottled it Christmas eve

 

[Pennine]

I'm a bit contrary here, if you are using plastic buckets I would say no more than 14 days to be safe. If you are using stainless then 21 to 28 days is ok.

I have had some batches go off, like a cask ale sitting too long from leaving them in plastic buckets for 3-4 weeks so I am extra cautious now.

 

[GazzaW57]

I'm a bit contrary here, if you are using plastic buckets I would say no more than 14 days to be safe. If you are using stainless then 21 to 28 days is ok.

I have had some batches go off, like a cask ale sitting too long from leaving them in plastic buckets for 3-4 weeks so I am extra cautious now.

I‘m usually pretty careful too, but I had no choice but to delay tho bottling of the beer. I’ll be bottling it today, so we’ll see how it goes.

 

[Jim Brewster]

I should add that the one I left for 2 months was in a glass demijohn.

I wouldn't ordinarily leave it that long it's just that I was away for longer than intended.

 

[Bernie]

Due to ‘external pressures and family commitments’, I’ve been unable to bottle the Raja’s Reward that has been brewing away in my kitchen. The latest situation is that the hops were added two weeks ago and I’ve just kept the brew at a steady 22 degrees in the hope that it’ll be ok.
Will it still be okay to bottle it, if I can get to do it this week, or wouldn’t it be any good?

I often transfer to a secondary fermenter to take the beer off the lees and if I add a bit of fermentable to restore the CO2 above the liquid I feel confident that it can stay there for a while,
I sometimes have kegged beer in an old Boots keg and added sugar to prime it ie it fermented again. Left in a cool place these have been, eventually, some of the best I've made. After all, isn't beer in a primed bottle stored with some lees at the bottom?

 

[GazzaW57]

Thank you for all the suggestions and advice. I’ve now bottled the brew and time will tell if it’s going to be ok. The bottles are now in the airing cupboard for the next week or so, followed by at least 2 weeks in the garden shed.

 

[matt.]

2+ months is the longest I have gone between brewing and bottling, brewed a Porter mid October last year and bottled it Christmas eve

Interesting. The 2+ months were planned?

 

[Jim Brewster]

Interesting. The 2+ months were planned?

No, wouldn't ordinarily leave it that long it's just that I was away. It was bottled as soon as I got back

 

[Jim Brewster]

Update to this - the ones left for 2 months are ****. One tastes of sherry (I suspect a hairline crack in the airlock may have left it exposed), the other isn't oxidized but isn't great.

The longest prior to that was a Jester pale ale in the FV for a month and that had no issues at all, was great in fact.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I haven't had chance to bottle my pseudo lager, I'll get round to it on Thursday evening, that will be 3 weeks 6 days.

 

[Covrich]

I try and keep mine in the FV for 3 weeks , I have done 4 before and it was fine.

I think 3 weeks generally is better than 2 weeks in the FV

 

[dad_of_jon]

If the OG is below 1.060 or its a wheat/wit or voss yeast then I give it 2 weeks in the FV otherwise the stronger stuff gets an extra week in there.

 

[Victor Churchill]

My last couple of brews, I've left in the FV for 14 days (latest; Youngs Old Suffolk Ale) and 21 days (previous; Youngs Belgian Style Pale Ale) - they both bottomed out on the iSpindel gravity reading quite early i.e. sat in the FV for at least 7 days after the gravity settled at final level. With both of them, the carbonation and head retention has not been great - pleasant to drink but a flattish look, very little tongue tingle, very little head to retain. I wonder if the yeast has gone to sleep / died before getting round to bottling.