Fermentation temps for my belgian

i made a golden strong ale using 14 pounds pilsener, 3 pounds sugar, starting gravity about 1.094

recipes i have seen say to start the fermentation low and slowly raise it to 82 degrees over the course of a week

does anyone have any more specific advice that that? like, should i keep it really low the first four days and then turn it up more near the end? do i need to worry about excessive ester/phenol production if i keep it in the low 70's for the majority of the fermentation?

ive been icing the carboy for the past few days, but my temps are averaging about 72

any advice?

In general the hotter the fermentation the faster it will go, but the more ester production you will get. Belgian beers get a lot of their character and flavor from the yeast so the temperature you use depends on the style, type of yeast, and what your going for.

If I remember correctly the Belgian Golden Strong Ale style is expected to be fairly estery, so you probably want to target near the low to middle of the 70s. I would stick with this temperature during the most intense portions of the fermentation as not to produce too many esters, then ramp up the temp after it has slowed. The added heat at the end SHOULD add just enough extra ester properties and provide additional heat to help the yeast fully attenuate.

I'm not sure about the 82 degrees that seems to be a bit high, but I believe I have read similar descriptions from a Duvel recipe. Give a try if you want, worst case is it will be a little estery but no doubt still enjoyable.

Lots of discussion about this all over:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/fermentation-temps-belgian-triple-71234/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/belgian-experiment-98018/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/be...-how-i-did-if-you-want-know-93035/index2.html

Really depnds on what you are looking for - but Belgian yeast are definitel ok to go higher with (some of the Trappist breweries let it get up into the low 90s)

I haven't brewed one of these yet but I seem to recall Jamil's podcast stating something about ramping the temperature up during the last 3rd or so of fermentation - like when it shows signs of slowing down. The goal is to attenuate as well as you can - but not get alot of harsh, higher alcohols.

GT

That sounds right to me. It will certainly help it attenuate more, not sure about preventing harsh alcohols.