Brew then go on Holiday?

[Calum]

Simple question, is it safe to add the yeast to my wort and then leave it for a week?

It is not the ideal situation but I have an opportunity to get a batch ready on Friday night which would mean that it would be ready to pitch the yeast on Saturday morning. I then head off on holiday for a week so would be unable to attend to the brew until the next Saturday.

My issue is whether to go for it or would I be better to wait until I have time in a couple of weeks? Will the beer be effected dramatically if I don't rack it off into another bucket after the first couple of days?

[deadlydes]

i have done that loads of times. it will be fine. just make sure you dont fill the fermenter up too much just in case it foams

[Seveneer]

I did this when I went away earlier in the year. Turned out better than my normal beers. I now leave all my beers at least a week in primary.

I'm interested to know why this wouldn't be the ideal situation though.

/Phil.

[deadlydes]

i never move to secondary as such. i wait till its finished fermenting then straight into the keg (king keg) normally if not straight into the bottles.

some people say that leaving in the primary can impart a yeasty flavour and or the flavour of the trub. cant say i or anyone that has tasted my beer has noticed anything

[Vossy1]

I leave mine in primary for 10 days as per forum advise

[oxford brewer]

My brews can sometimes sit in the primary for 2-3 weeks and i have not had any problems so far

Colin

[Calum]

Thanks for all the replys.

My reason for not being sure is that I have only ever followed the Graham Wheeler book before and he advises that you should drop the beer after the first couple of days - I don't think he was too kean on leaving the beer on the by-products. He also advised racking it off again for about 12 hours prior to sticking it in a keg.

As long as yesterdays malt and yeast order arrives by Thursday at the latest (to get the yeast started) it lookslike I will be busy on Friday night.

Thanks again for your advice.

[RabMaxwell]

I work away for 2 weeks at a time have always wondered about brewing just before leaving.I would put it under air lock and set the temperature on the controller.But normally i clean all the crap that comes to the top the first couple of days.Would leaving this gunk to fall back into my beer produce off flavours guys . Cheers

[Vossy1]

Would leaving this gunk to fall back into my beer produce off flavours guys

It imparts bitterness apparently.

I now hang a stretched, sanitised muslin bag about 1"over the yeasthead during fermentation. It's flexible and moves up as the yeasthead develops.

Then when the head subsides the brown gunk is left suspened on the muslin and not in my beer

[RabMaxwell]

I think i will give it a go but brew about 4 days before i leave for skimming purposes. Then after 10 days turn the temperature down to stop yeast autolysis. The hard part will be teaching the wife to reset the controller.Not that it is very hard wimmin. Cheers Guys

[deadlydes]

i have never skimmed any brew i have done and have no ill effects

[mysterio]

My reason for not being sure is that I have only ever followed the Graham Wheeler book before and he advises that you should drop the beer after the first couple of days - I don't think he was too kean on leaving the beer on the by-products

A lot of written home brew advice goes out of date pretty quickly, unfortunately. I think Wheeler was talking about some English yeasts which flocculate very quickly without completely attenuating, and so 'dropping' would stir up the yeast in order for them to chew up some more sugars. If anything, by-products (green beer taste) will be cleaned up by the yeast leaving it in the primary for extra time. In fact your beer will probably taste better fermenting at slightly lower temps (assuming you're leaving your heating off). I never skim either, by the way.

[Matt]

Would leaving this gunk to fall back into my beer produce off flavours guys

It imparts bitterness apparently.

I now hang a stretched, sanitised muslin bag about 1"over the yeasthead during fermentation. It's flexible and moves up as the yeasthead develops.

Then when the head subsides the brown gunk is left suspened on the muslin and not in my beer

That is cunning