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saq · 07-04-2010, 04:00 AM

You need to follow the fermentation schedule properly if you want to get it to finish in the right place. IMO 1.020 is way too high of a finish gravity for this beer thats supposed to finish fairly dry and yes I would be worried about bottle bombs. You need to get the fermentation temperature up to 78f minimum to get the high attenuation that defines this style. 1.012 is to style and I think 1.016 wouldn't be too sweet, but 1.020 is over the top.

Once you get the fermentation temperature down to 55f you are going to put the yeast into hibernation and it starts to drop out. In order to fix this you are going to need to get the temperature back up to 70+ and pitch some new yeast. You can take some of the yeast you have and put it in some new wort to get it going again, but this yeast likes to crash and go to sleep once it hits a significant temperature swing.

The belgian's don't really mean "lagering" in the conventional sense of the word, its really just "cold conditioning" and no fermentation activity is occurring.

Tall_Yotie · 07-13-2010, 05:32 AM

Question regarding the 55F 7 weeks part. Do I need to do that, or can I do another method at standard temperatures? I have no method of holding a batch at that temperature, but would LOVE to make this. Thanks a great deal!

saq · 07-13-2010, 07:41 PM

Its probably going to result in some different flavor characteristics, but if the fermentation is strong and finishes as expected and you get it off the yeast you can try other temperatures. This is just what I usually shoot for.

smuth10 · 07-16-2010, 04:38 PM

I just kegged this with the intention of bottling from the keg. I have never done this before, especially with a Belgian, so I have some questions. I kegged at 16 PSI at roughly 35 deg and according to my chart, this gives me ~3.1 volumes. I was going to leave it at 16psi for about a week and then bottle at about 2psi. Do I still need to add a little yeast when bottling this way. Any pointers would be much appreciated.

MilwaukeeBrewGuy · 07-16-2010, 05:22 PM

i would think not. I have bottled this way with no yeast and have not seen any carb loss after several months. (haven't gone beyond that).

I plan on doing the same thing with mine (which is currently lagering)

saq · 07-20-2010, 04:22 PM

I bottle from keg when it sat about 3.1 vol/co2. Its a bit of a pain, make sure you have frozen bottles to reduce the temperature shock which will keep the foaming down.

smuth10 · 07-20-2010, 08:02 PM

Great tip, thank you. What psi did you bottle at? I was thinking 2 or 3 psi.

saq · 07-20-2010, 10:26 PM

About 3 psi. Depends on your system.

burtonbaton · 07-24-2010, 03:41 PM

I went and tried The Pious at Thunder Canyon. Having never had Westvleteren 12, I have to say it was great, and I hope to get back for several more. How does it compare to your homebrewed version?

saq · 07-24-2010, 09:16 PM

Its really damn close, I made a few changes to the recipe we brewed that I feel were some improvements. Rate it on ratebeer if you've had it!