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Thanks for the insight! Since it's our first time bottling something with brett, we opted for the "better safe than sorry" approach. Last thing I wanted to risk was bottle bombs! Final product is good, my personal preference is just a slightly higher carbonation level. Know better for...

We were on the cherries for about 3.5 months and have been in bottles for about a month now. Since the beer was 18 months old when we added the cherries, the concern was that the brett wouldn't get through all of the cherry sugars and risk bottle bombs. So there's a chance we could get some...

Carbed, this is fantastic! We're really pleased with how it turned out. Only thing is that the carbonation level is a bit light. We purposefully underprimed a bit to avoid bottle bombs in case there were remaining sugars from the cherries. Currently, it's great as is, but I'd prefer it with...

Bottled this up last weekend after about 3.5 months on the cherries. Flavor and aroma were absolutely fantastic in the warm, flat sample. Ended up with about 5 gallons on the nose after trub/cherry loss. Very much looking forward to trying the finished version. Added champagne yeast to...

Interesting discussion. From the research I've done, I usually saw the recommendation of 3-6 months on the fruit. The shorter time frame typically left more aroma and I saw some debate on if the flavor started to fade if left longer. Initially, our main concern was getting 18 months on the...

Dredging this back up. After time got away from us, we finally moved this onto the 10 lbs of frozen pie cherries on New Years. Thankfully everything fit quite neatly into the carboy. So it had been chilling for a little over a year and a half. It smelled fantastic when adding the...

Since there's not a lot of info out there about this yeast, may as well put my experience out there. One thing I did find was that WLP860 was a vigorous fermenter and I can confirm that. The starter blew the foam plug out of my Erlenmeyer flask in about 12 hours. Haven't had a yeast do that...

I've got a stirplate so the current plan is to start with a 1L starter, spin it for 48 hours, crash for 24, decant and repeat. Yeastcalc suggests this should be sufficient. Once the Helles done, looking to split the slurry and do the Vienna and Munich concurrently. If I don't have a second...

Getting ready to start my first series of lagers: Helles, Dunkel, and a Vienna. Original plan was to use WLP833, but the LHBS was out. Ended up with WLP 860 instead. I know this is a "platinum strain" with limited release. However, there doesn't appear to be much information out there...

I've also had Boon and Timmermans (both sweetened and traditional) in Belgium. All were tasty (although the sweetened Timmermans was not my fav). I preferred the Boon over the traditional Timmermans but the Mort Subite is what stuck out in my mind. Perhaps it was the atmosphere/food pairing...

Well, the stars managed to align this past weekend and the lambic base is happily fermenting away in the basement. Signs of active fermentation in 12 hours and a nice krausen within 24. Cherries will be procured and frozen once they come into season later this summer. Now to forget about it...

The quad is scheduled to finish six months of bulk aging in early June. I'm hoping it will be done! :mug:

Thanks everyone! Looks like the next step in my process is just waiting for my quad to finish bulk aging to free up the carboy.

I'll agree that everyone has different tastebuds! At this point, I think I'll worry about the residual sweetness when we get to the bottling point... or in 18+ months. If needed, I can always backsweeten with something non-fermentable at that point. I'd rather taste first and see where we're...

Thanks everyone for the replies! Sounds like I should plan on 12 months in primary and then at least 6 months on fruit. Assuming nothing goes too haywire, I'm tempted to rack to secondary and then use the yeast cake to start a new round. (Just need to convince the hubby to let me tie up two...

I'm planning on trying my hand at a lambic later this summer and want to make sure I know I'm getting myself into before starting anything. If I'm investing this much time, I want to give myself every chance to succeed! My goal is to end up with something similar to Mort Subite Kriek. For a...

Working to use up some of the stuff I have on hand. I've been on a bit of a Belgian kick lately and am looking to brew something lighter to go with my saison for the summer. Thinking a Belgian wheat sounds tasty. I've got 3787 for yeast and Pacifica for hops. Those two should give me the...

Noted. Glad to hear they do well with long primaries. That's been one of my solutions to avoid drinking green beer. Will have to stash a few of these away for long term aging then. I have a chocolate stout that is similar. Good at three months, great at six, and amazing after a year. Once...

beergolf, Thanks for the words of wisdom! That is extremely helpful. Belgians seem like they're a bit more complex in terms of fermentation than what I've been doing. Should be worth it though in the end. Sounds like I should really get my hands on Brew Like a Monk. The initial plan...

Looking for some advice from those familiar with big Belgians. After brewing several porters, stouts, and other "neutral yeast" beers, I'm looking to brew my first Belgians for this summer. The main inspiration behind this decision was a beer from one of the local brew pubs. "The malt body...