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I am very newb at this. My first batch started fermenting 8 days ago. The liquid is still very cloudy but I'm wondering if its even possible to over-ferment your beer?

If I let it sit for another 2 weeks (or however long, length of time is unimportant to the actual question) prior to bottling will I gain/loss anything?

Thanks!

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2 Answers

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Basically, no. Beer yeast can only eat certain kinds of sugars in wort. And once they've exhausted their food supply, they can't ferment any more and they settle to the bottom of the fermenter. What kind of sugars they eat & how much they eat is dependent on the yeast strain, the wort and the fermentation.

The one time you might 'over ferment' is if your beer gets a wild yeast infection. Wild yeast can eat more types of sugars than brewer's yeast.

But don't worry about wild yeasts right now. A cloudy beer after 8 days is not a big deal. It will probably clarify over time. It might not ever be crystal clear -- because home brewers don't filter or centrifuge their beers like many commercial brewers -- but it will still taste fine.

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Beat me to the punch! – Pulsehead Jan 24 '11 at 15:29
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While you can't over-ferment, leaving the beer too long on settled yeast can cause off-flavors. Practice is to rack the beer to a secondary fermenter in order to allow it to ferment longer but not on settled yeast. – Bob Banks Jan 24 '11 at 17:20
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This is not as universally accepted as it once was. I know both hosts of Brew Strong, for example, don't recommend secondary. If your yeast is healthy and your beer uncontaminated, racking to secondary can be skipped. Secondary is useful if you are actually doing a secondary fermentation or you plan to age the beer in the carboy for longer than 6ish weeks. – Hopwise Jan 24 '11 at 18:07
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Well actually you can over-ferment. Given the right conditions your yeast can autolyze - essentially "exploding" and feeding off itself. I've had a batch do that - but it's easily avoided if you move your batch to a second stage.

With regards to your question, I think you're asking about the clarification of your beer. As the first person answered - let it sit. 3 weeks is a pretty good time to wait and you can pop it into the fridge (if you have room) which will chill it down and help with clearing.

A trick I like to use is Knox gelatin -- which is pretty cheap and you can get at any store. Boil up a cup or 2 of water, add 2 packs and dumpt into the second stage after 10 days or so. The gelatin gloms on to all kinds of particles and pulls them to the bottom - clearing things right up.

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Would using the gelatin change the flavor of the beer at all? – Mike Fielden Jan 28 '11 at 12:32

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