13
Jun
Make sure you understand the type of beer you are crafting and follow any special time frames that might follow whatever recipe you are using. So in conclusion yes you can ferment beer for too long.
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Fermenting beer too long. As a general rule of thumb one can leave the beer in the primary fermenter as long as one needs. There is no set maximum time limit though there are a couple of slight risks to keep in mind. Many brewers simply follow the beer recipe or instructions on the malt kit and leave their wort to ferment for around a week to ten days.
This usually allows enough time for fermentation to have completed. So in conclusion yes you can ferment beer for too long. Beers are different and some require you to ferment for longer than others.
Make sure you understand the type of beer you are crafting and follow any special time frames that might follow whatever recipe you are using. The problem with leaving a beer in the primary fermenter too long is the yeast. After the yeast have flocculated and cleaned up any of the byproducts created during fermentation they begin to break down.
The yeast cells die and this creates unwanted flavours in the beer. This process is called yeast autolysis. Show activity on this post.
It takes three to nine days for yeast to ferment a typical wort. After yeast consumes all the available food or produces too much toxic alcohol it goes into a dormant stage flocculates and drops out of suspension. At this point it does not produce alcohol or co2.
In terms of timing there is no specific need for you to cut your fermentation short. A primary fermentation of 1 2 weeks followed by racking to secondary for 2 4 weeks is sufficient for most styles. Adding additional time may help with clarity and allow any harsh flavors to mellow and mature.