Warming a Belgian???

There is talk in the beginner forum about once fermentation has finished warming the carboy up to 74ish.

I kept the primary in the basement ambient temperature 62* the bucket temperature reached 68* and as it tapered off after four days I moved the bucked upstairs where the ambient temperature is 68*, the bucket is at 70* now and I'm in the process of warming it up to 74* for the next week or so.

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I've never heard of this. I know warming it during fermentation is not a bad thing but after?

I've been following Duvel's process as reported in Brew Like a Monk. A quick primary ferment (usually 7 days or less), followed by a 2-4 week lagering at 32F, then bottle and warm condition for a month at 80F. I've been really pleased with the results.

The head brewer at a local micro brew says he does this with all his ales. He raises the temp by a few degrees for a few days as a diacetyl rest just to make sure he doesn't get any diacetyl in his ales. Seems like overkill to me, but his beers are very clean!

Ya, Brew Like a Monk says that a lot of the Trappists do this. The difference is the Trappists usually (or at least used to) allow the fermentation to naturally warm itself up over the time it is fermenting (usually 4-7 days).

A quick look through BLaM also shows that most other Trappist style brews follow similar procedures, though some do seem to follow the method you mentioned by keeping it cool for the first 4 days, then warming up for the next week or so.

Ya, Brew Like a Monk says that a lot of the Trappists do this. The difference is the Trappists usually (or at least used to) allow the fermentation to naturally warm itself up over the time it is fermenting (usually 4-7 days).

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This is exactly what I do when I brew my Belgian beers - pitch around 68° and allow the fermentation to ramp up on its own accord. If the area where you ferment is around this temp, it'll climb easily.

Gotta ferment those Belgian strains on the warm side, or they're just too bloody clean.

flyangler18 said:

This is exactly what I do when I brew my Belgian beers - pitch around 68° and allow the fermentation to ramp up on its own accord. If the area where you ferment is around this temp, it'll climb easily.

Gotta ferment those Belgian strains on the warm side, or they're just too bloody clean.

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Exactly. I generally let them warm up on their own (except in winter, too cold fr that to happen). You need to get those fruity, delicious esters in there, but not too much, which is why we start low and end high

I do this with all my ales... except Belgians... I pitch at the low end, ferment in the middle range for the strain, and when fermentation slows I let them come up to room temp. For the more flocculant strains like the English ales I will also give the fermenter a gentle swirl to rouse the yeast as well.

Belgians I cool to about 65*F and pitch, and let them do what they will. Whenever I have applied temp control with the Belgians I haven't been happy with the esters (too clean!) or the speed of fermentation. They seem to like hanging out in the tropics!

Good thread about temperature ramping and Belgians: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/be...-010-1-week-how-i-did-if-you-want-know-93035/