I've been thinking of trying a Belgian Tripel and was curious about something I saw in the book Brew Like a Monk. In the book there are some recipes for a lot of the trappist beers, and the Chimay Red (along with others) states the temperature in the secondary needs to be 32 degrees Fahrenheit for two weeks I think it was. When I go to beersmith or elsewhere for home brew clone recipes the same or other similar belgians, most seem to state 67 degrees. I'm assuming this is due to the fact that not everyone is set up for the 32 degrees secondary for up to two weeks, etc.? Does the 32 vs. 67 degrees not really matter much? Or do they simply adjust the homebrew ingredients/recipe accordingly to compensate for the lack of the 32 degrees capability? Just curious how that works. I will not have the capabilities for the 32 degrees so I was glad to see the 67 degrees in the homebrew recipes.
Conducting a secondary at 32 degrees F is similar to what some homebrewers refer to as cold crashing. The purpose of the cold crash is to get 'stuff' to precipitate out of solution; 'stuff' like yeast for example. The net result is a clearer product in a shorter period of time. There is no absolute requirement to conduct a cold crash (cold secondary) when brewing a Belgian Ale. By simply conducting a warm (e.g., 67 degrees F) primary fermentation the resulting beer will taste just fine. It is your choice whether obtaining a clearer beer in a shorter timeframe is important to you. FWIW I homebrew Trappist style Belgian Ales frequently and I just conduct a warm primary fermentation and bottle once primary is completed. Cheers!
Interesting thanks. When you say warm fermentation...how warm? That's cool that you do no secondary. I imagine the secondary you do is in the bottle and that you let it stay in the bottle awhile?
My preferred yeast for making Trappist style Belgian Ales is Wyeast 3787 (Trappist). I pitch the yeast in the upper 60's and the bulk of the fermentation occurs in the lower 70s (e.g., 72-73 degrees F). What temperature you decide to ferment at will significantly influence the types and amounts of flavors produced by the given yeast strain. I am a fan of the type and amounts of esters (fruity flavors) and phenols (spicy flavors) that 3787 produces in the lower 70s. Below is a link to a chart that White Labs generated for their range of Belgian Ale yeast strains indicating the varying flavor profiles for varying temperature ranges. According to the Mr Malty website the White Labs equivalent of 3787 is WLP530. http://www.whitelabs.com/files/belgianchart_0.pdf Cheers!
Yes, bottle conditioning is conducted warm (e.g., 70 degrees F) and after about two weeks it is carbonated. At this point in time you can start drinking the beer or allow it more time in the bottle for further conditioning (aging). This is a matter of personal preference. I homebrew my version of a Dubbel every year and for my palate I prefer this beer on the fresher side (1-2 months after bottling). I have a friend who thinks this beer is 'better' with 6+ months of aging (the esters are more subdued and the dark specialty grain flavors are more noticeable). You can conduct the 'experiment' on your homebrewed beer. Drink some young (e.g., 1 month after bottling) but save some for later (e.g., 6 months or even longer). Cheers!
Cool. Was thinking bottle conditioning for a lot of Belgians was a must and for a long time, but I haven't really read enough on it yet. Just getting my feet wet. My Founder's BS clone (first homebrew) is coming up on two weeks in the bottle. Going to try one this weekend and then again maybe in the third weekend. Definitely will sample again at one month though.
For some people's palates long term aging is a "must" for them. Let's consider Orval for example. Orval is dry hopped. If you want to enjoy the hop aroma from the dry hopping it is important to drink this particular beer fresh(er). Orval is also brewed with Brett added at bottling. If you want to enjoy the Brett character (i.e., funk) then you need to age this beer at least 6 months to permit the Brett character to be noticeable. Different strokes for different folks. If you are ever able to locate fresh Orval (this has never occurred for me) buy a few bottles and drink some fresh and drink some with age (6 months, 1 year, 2 years) and decide for yourself which is your personal preference. Cheers!
yep... like tomorrow the temp outside will be 33-34 for most of midday, so I'll take my stout which is literally 1 away from FG 1.017 going to 16.... and it'll sit out there for about 9-12 hours... I'll bring it back in and set it in some cold water till I can get to bottling-it late late tomorrow/day after... and it's a stout.. with the added dark chocolate and of course yeast and pellet hops particles it'll help me fine the beer before bottling without the worries of over-attenuation, bad appearance, or wasted time... done is done, especially if it's not an an ipa or high grav... given your style.. I dunno man... that type of beer really needs a lot of exact temp control and attn. imo. personally think anything in that spicey Belgian/monkshit territory really need to be fermented at lower temps... I defo would try to keep the majority of fermentation below 60... at least Ive had better luck that way myself. also keep in mind any cold-fermentation/crashing can certainly add to carbonation time if you're bottling... if youre ever going more than a month at 40 degrees or less, you're probably going to need to repitch some slurry at bottling(not much though as it would completely undermine the lagering - about 1.5 cups of slurry per 5 gallons)
