Beer making question.?

Question

I've just made my first lot of beer with a kit and it came out fine. I want to make some more and thought that maybe this time I'll let it ferment for longer, but I was wondering if you can over-ferment or not? What happens the longer you leave it?
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I don't think you can have a problem of "over-fermenting." When the yeast doesn't have any more sugar to eat, or when the alcohol level is too great for them to survive, they'll start to die off, and no further fermentation will be possible. In your kit, the beer was probably done fermenting when you bottled. Presumably though, some yeast were still alive enough to consume the priming sugar you added, which produces the carbonation in your final product (as well as a marginal level of additional alcohol).

If your fermentation was not complete at bottling time (which would be evident by bubbling in your airlock or a gravity that was still falling), then allowing it to ferment longer will produce a drier, more alcoholic final product. It will also likely be clearer, if you had a cloudy beer in the end.

So should you let it sit longer next time? That depends on your preference and the beer style. If you have a dark beer, aging can actually be beneficial, and bulk aging (i.e., letting it sit in your fermenter) may not be a bad choice. I would definitely rack into a clean container after the first week or so though, otherwise the gunk at the bottom of the container may lend off flavors. A glass carboy would be ideal for this, although for a dark beer you could get away with leaving it in plastic for a bit longer.

One word of warning: if you leave the beer to sit for too long after it's done, there's a chance the yeast will conk out for good. If that happens, then the priming sugar won't get fermented in the bottles, and you'll have flat beer (obviously, you should add the priming sugar when you bottle, not before you bulk age).

Answer 2

If you leave the beer fermenting in the yeast for too long, the yeast will start autolysize (die). The dead yeast will make the beer start tasting like bandaids. For most ales, yeast should only be allowed to stay in the beer for no more than 14 days. For lagers and high alcohol ales, the beer should be transferred to a secondary container for further conditioning after primary fermentation is complete.

Answer 3

fermenting beer longer won't make it stronger once the sugar has fermented and turned to alcohol that's it, test the gravity make sure it is as close to zero as possible, you could try a little extra sugar to start and use a quality yeast it may work but with most kits it is best to stick to the instructions. remember to drink it in moderation it can sometimes be a lot stronger than you are used to

Answer 4

fermentation stops when the yeast has converted all sugars. Remaining in the fermentation container can result in a vinegar product not beer.

Answer 5

unlike wine, beer does not improve with age...

over fermenting can often lead to explosions.

Answer 6

the yeast will start consuming itself once you run out of sugar. that leads to an off flavor. add more DME if you want to increase the alcohol content.

Answer 7

Left too long it will go flat,Even turn to vinegar.