Belgian Quad with too low FG

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heywatchthis

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In the process of boiling a Belgian Quad that will finish around 1.103. Got busy with SWMBO and forgot to check the mash temp until close to 45 minutes. Turned out to be ~145F.

Maybe this isn't an issue, but if I end up with a 1.103 Belgian Quad with a FG of ~1.010, it might taste a little thin (and a little like rocket fuel).

Any ideas how to approach this...if its a problem. I'm fermenting with a second generation cake of Ardennes.
 
Are you adding any sugar in the boil? Most Belgians have sugar in them to keep things dry. Maybe you could just skip the sugar?

Regardless, it shouldn't taste like rocket fuel as long as you control the temperature. I like my Belgians on the thin side anyway (the monks call it "digestible") so I'd just proceed as planned.
 
I am guessing there is no way it is going to finish that low. I really doubt over-attenuation will be an issue here. Just pitch enough yeast and pay attention to your fermentation temps and I bet it will be great.
 
I'm not planning on doing anything until its done fermenting, just trolling for ideas on how to deal with a potential problem. One other thought I had was to make sure to have really low carbonation for serving it (kegging it). Was also wondering about a small amount of lactose...etc.
 
Really low carb on a Belgian? No way. I like my Belgians dry and with a ton of carbonation, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.
 
If you pitched enough yeast, controlled the temp you should be just fine. Belgians can go low and still taste great. Or as was mentioned by another poster the Belgians refer to it as digestable. I just did a quad that had an OG of 1.097 and it is at 1.010 right now. I tasted the gravity sample and it is great.

I agree with zachattack...dry with a lot of carbonation is fine.
 
Thanks guys...only my second attempt at this, and my first attempt was pretty good, though I used 1214 to ferment. Wanted to get one going, and had a fresh yeast cake of Ardennes. Any thoughts on the yeast? It's been aerated and sitting at 65F right now....let it ferment there for 2-3 days and then free rise til its finished.
 
Thanks guys...only my second attempt at this, and my first attempt was pretty good, though I used 1214 to ferment. Wanted to get one going, and had a fresh yeast cake of Ardennes. Any thoughts on the yeast? It's been aerated and sitting at 65F right now....let it ferment there for 2-3 days and then free rise til its finished.

Since you're worried about the beer drying out more than you want, you might consider keeping the fermentation temp under control the whole time instead of letting it go after a few days.
 
Since you're worried about the beer drying out more than you want, you might consider keeping the fermentation temp under control the whole time instead of letting it go after a few days.

I wouldn't. You'll have less delicious esters and possibly a stalled fermentation. Belgian yeast doesn't like to be constrained!
 
I agree with the above posts: let the fermentation temperature rise and add simple sugars to the recipe. You won't dry the beer out too much.
 
Congratulations on accidentally doing what is extremely difficult to do! Do not worry at all! I aerate and ramp up temperatures to make my 1.080 quad finish at 1.010, and I wouldn't mind going lower. I've brewed a lot, a lot, a lotttt of Belgian beers, and lower is better. I'm three months away from opening my own nano, with a focus on traditional Belgian beers. My quad finishes at 1.009, and it has gotten rave reviews, mostly because it is much smoother and less cloying than a lot of commercial examples. The same with my dubbel, which scored a 45 and a gold at a competition. I am all about candi syrup.
 
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