[BigUnclePhil]

Hello all,

I'm currently waiting on my first AG beer to finish fermenting, I used this recipe http://i.imgur.com/bfITU9X.jpg

Im still currently seeing 1-2 bubbles in the air-lock every 8-16 seconds, so I don't think I should open it to start taking readings just yet.  After consistent OGs, Im going to dry hop for one week, then rack and crash-cool to cold age for a week. 

My problem is that I have a 6-day vacation coming up starting the 19th.  Depending on how things work out, I may need to keep the beer in one of the stages until I'm back.  If fermentation continues and doesn't complete until close to the 19th, I should be able to dry-hop right before I leave so I can rack as soon as I return.  Is it ok to leave a completely fermented beer in a sealed carboy for a few days while I wait for the right time to dry hop?  I assume the recipe means 7 days when it says a week, will the flavor be negatively affected if it is only in contact with the hops for 5 days vs 7?  Anyway, in the event that things finish up faster and I get it in the fridge before I go on vacation, is it ok to leave the beer cold aging for longer than the recipe states (one week)?

Sorry for the lengthy post, this is my first brew and I keep coming up with questions.  And thanks in advance for the assistance, this is such a great community!

[cascadesrunner]

None of those scenarios should impact your beer in a negative way assuming all is good to this point.  I would imagine that most likely outcome would be more time cold crashing.  With that being said, I wouldn't think twice about adding the dry hops and throwing it in the fridge at the same time.  The best practices when racking is to purge the fermenter with CO2 and make sure you avoid any splashing.  If you do those two things, then you can buy some time until you can keg or bottle it.  Let us know how that turns out.