[CoffeeDankyNutJob]

I'll be brief on my first forum posting.

I have a brewing kit. A very dry Irish stout  father's day gift.

I followed my instructions correctly per the sheet that came with it. However, my kit did not specifically state how long I can leave it fermenting. It did state 2 weeks for the fermentation process. The longer it ferments, the better our results yield, aye?

It'll be a month in a week. Could I continue fermenting for another month before bottling/conditioning?

All, any, and whatever feedback you can provide. Helpful. Thank you.

[BrewBama]

When it’s done it done. Check gravity and then confirm a few days later. If it’s the same package it.

It doesn’t get any better by leaving it in the fermenter after fermentation is complete. In fact, it could get worse by oxidation.

[Megary]

Without knowing the particulars of the recipe...

If you pitched yeast 3 weeks ago and fermentation started as it should, then most assuredly fermentation is over.  Have you taken any gravity readings to check the progress of the yeast?

Right now, you are just aging uncarbonated beer at room temperature on dormant yeast.  Nothing wrong with that, until... at some point there is.  Yeast autolysis is a risk, even if it's difficult to pinpoint when it becomes an issue.  If your intention is to age the beer in hopes of improving flavor or round out flavors, I would rack the beer out of your primary fermenter and into a "secondary" fermenter...getting the wort off of the yeast.  But, doing that opens up a whole other set of issues, the biggest being the risk of oxidizing your beer if your transfer is not a tip-top, airtight procedure.

So, I would just bottle now.

[CoffeeDankyNutJob]

That's very helpful, much appreciated. I got a hydrometer from my father a bit ago and will check the gravity soon. I always thought that leaving the fermenter alone longer could improve the quality of the finished product? I must not be understanding it correctly then.

I do not have bottles yet, because I obviously thought I was the s.h.i.t brewing this kit the first time. However, I will be getting bottles soon. I have a racking cane, a rubber stopper, siphoning hose etc. But I appreciate it.

If I cannot find any bottles within a week will I still be okay?

[denny]

Leaving the beer longer will not necessarily make it better. In fact, with beers, the opposite could be true.

[Megary]

That's very helpful, much appreciated. I got a hydrometer from my father a bit ago and will check the gravity soon. I always thought that leaving the fermenter alone longer could improve the quality of the finished product? I must not be understanding it correctly then.

I do not have bottles yet, because I obviously thought I was the s.h.i.t brewing this kit the first time. However, I will be getting bottles soon. I have a racking cane, a rubber stopper, siphoning hose etc. But I appreciate it.

If I cannot find any bottles within a week will I still be okay?

You should be fine, but my suggestion is to get whatever you need as soon as is practical.  Get it bottled.

[CoffeeDankyNutJob]

I can definitely get it bottled.

Hey, if the outcome isn't what I was expecting. I'll just give it another go with another brewing kit, and another, and another.

I got my brewing kit from CraftaBrew fyi. In case anyone has any opinions of this seller, might help in the future as well.

[CoffeeDankyNutJob]

In hindsight I should ask this.

As Megary mentioned; racking my beer into a secondary fermenter would have probably been best.

I have my racking cane and my cap to keep anything unwanted coming through the cane and into the siphoning hose. I would just plug my cane into the rubber stopper/attach my hose to the cane, transfer into the second fermenter, attach another stopper to that fermenter, aerate it. Set it off in a cool dark, temperate space again, for another two weeks? Then that would constitute as a proper solution of aging the beer?

[denny]

In hindsight I should ask this.

As Megary mentioned; racking my beer into a secondary fermenter would have probably been best.

I have my racking cane and my cap to keep anything unwanted coming through the cane and into the siphoning hose. I would just plug my cane into the rubber stopper/attach my hose to the cane, transfer into the second fermenter, attach another stopper to that fermenter, aerate it. Set it off in a cool dark, temperate space again, for another two weeks? Then that would constitute as a proper solution of aging the beer?

OTOH, I would recommend definitely not racking that beer into secondary. There is virtually no risk of autolysis at the homebrew scale. Secondary would gain you nothing and carries its own downsides.

[jeffy]

In hindsight I should ask this.

As Megary mentioned; racking my beer into a secondary fermenter would have probably been best.

I have my racking cane and my cap to keep anything unwanted coming through the cane and into the siphoning hose. I would just plug my cane into the rubber stopper/attach my hose to the cane, transfer into the second fermenter, attach another stopper to that fermenter, aerate it. Set it off in a cool dark, temperate space again, for another two weeks? Then that would constitute as a proper solution of aging the beer?

Keeping the beer free from air is to your advantage.  So, NOT transferring to a secondary is preferred.  Unless it’s going to be months before you bottle, leave it alone in that cool, dark place until you have the bottles.

[Megary]

In hindsight I should ask this.

As Megary mentioned; racking my beer into a secondary fermenter would have probably been best.

I have my racking cane and my cap to keep anything unwanted coming through the cane and into the siphoning hose. I would just plug my cane into the rubber stopper/attach my hose to the cane, transfer into the second fermenter, attach another stopper to that fermenter, aerate it. Set it off in a cool dark, temperate space again, for another two weeks? Then that would constitute as a proper solution of aging the beer?

That's not exactly what I said.  If given the choice of aging a beer for some extended period of time on the yeast or off, I would choose "off".  But that assumes I have some oxygen free way of transferring the beer to secondary.  My suggestion is to bottle asap.

[CoffeeDankyNutJob]

That was a good point. Thank you.

Whatever shall happen, I will post the success... or failure, on the forums. With Pictures!

Regardless, I will continue to update on  any brews I make, your information is invaluable

[Megary]

That was a good point. Thank you.

Whatever shall happen, I will post the success... or failure, on the forums. With Pictures!

Regardless, I will continue to update on  any brews I make, your information is invaluable

Good luck with it!

[reverseapachemaster]

When I started brewing the month long primary thing was really hitting it off. I don't always think a beer has to be packaged the second fermentation ends but if you are doing everything you should before pitching you shouldn't need that much time to count on yeast fixing your mistakes before packaging. For beer styles best consumed young I try to get them packaged as soon as it makes sense but I don't agonize over it, either. A stout can survive a few extra weeks in primary. You'll be fine if you have to wait another week or two to get it in bottles.

[CoffeeDankyNutJob]

This response is for everyone really. Just bottled two days ago. My  yield was 10 0f 12 bottles... I am certain it's not the worst thing to happen. It took me nearly two hours to try to siphon from the carboy to a kettle with my sugar water and then into the bottles... My instructions were pretty basic. However, my brain is more simple than basic. I know I made a couple mistakes with this.

I did not get a final gravity reading nor a percentage. I had in fact tasted a sample right before bottling and it tasted like a flat Guinness. After it's been conditioned for about 2-4 weeks, I hope it comes out like a dry stout. I'll post my results here.

Anything I could have learned from this. Please let me know.