How long can my beer sit on yeast?

[bklynbrewer]

What about autolysis in the bottle? I just cracked a Jolly Pumpkin that sat for about four months in a dark closet, but at very high temps 75-90 F (I live in Thailand), before I was able to get a beer fridge. We thought we were being smart by saving it for a special occasion, but it certainly has an off flavor in the finish. The aroma is still nice and sour, but it has a chemical flavor in the finish. I'm not quite sure how to describe it other than, bad, it doesn't seem like sulfur or rubber, but it feels as though it coats my tongue.

[Cliff]

I've let beer sit for more than a month in the secondary.
In the primary I'd not be so cavalier about it though because of the sheer quantum of yeast. A little Autolysis is one thing a whole lot is another altogether and a nice thick yeast cake from the primary is going to have more cells popping open than the smaller cake of the secondary will simply because there are so many more of them.

[Gibbon]

I've kept Ales for close to a month without any issues. I never secondary, unless it's for bulk aging something I plan on bottle conditioning later.

I even cold crash and fine my beers right in the primary and it works great as long as your not planning on reusing the yeast cake.