Delirium Tremens clone questions about fermentation.

I did an extract clone 4 weeks ago of Delirium Tremens with an OG of 1.085 from "Beer Captured" using Wyeast 1214 Abby. The instructions say to transfer after a week to a secondary (I did it around 11 days) and bottle when fermentation is complete, target gravity is reached (6 weeks). Prime the beer in the second stage with another dose of the same strain of fresh yeast 3 days before bottling.

So here's my question, I'm assuming they mean 6 weeks in the secondary. What if my target gravity is already reached before the 6 weeks is up? I haven't taken a gravity reading yet. What if my gravity reading is far from the target reading and stays that way? Should I immediately prime the beer with the second dose of yeast? Should I wait it out, like the instructions say. Do I bother taking a gravity reading now to see where it's at, or wait it out? Also, I didn't do a starter for this brew.

Anyone? I need some advice here. Thanks!

losman26 said:

target gravity is reached (6 weeks)

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there is no guarantee that your target gravity will be reached in exactly 6 weeks. it's like saying to get to montreal from new york, drive north for 7 hours then stop. that's not helpful - what if you drive faster? or slower? took breaks along the way? the only way to know if you've reached your destination is to check if you're in montreal, not if you've driven 7 hours. same thing with fermentation: "6 weeks" is a good gauge, but you can't count on that. there are a lot of variable that go into beer making, any number of things could have put out off that 6-week mark.

losman26 said:

So here's my question, I'm assuming they mean 6 weeks in the secondary. What if my target gravity is already reached before the 6 weeks is up?

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then stop. it's about reaching FG, not about a set time-frame. also, after you're pulled a sample to test the gravity, don't throw it into the fermenter - taste it instead. does it taste good? then chances are that after priming and a little aging, it will taste even better.

losman26 said:

I haven't taken a gravity reading yet.

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i'm sorry, i'm picking my jaw up off the floor. for a second there i thought you said that you didn't take any hydrometer readings. you joker, you!

(hint: FG = the destination. all the signs say you're in montreal, are you going to keep on driving because it's only been 6 hours since you left and not the google-maps-ascribed 7?)

losman26 said:

What if my gravity reading is far from the target reading and stays that way?

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hitting gravity readings on the nose is rare. it's more like a guideline. if the recipe says FG = 1.020, and you get 1.025, you probably shouldn't worry about it too much. it more of a range, given the number of variable that go into determining final OG. but if the recipe calls for 1.015 and you stall at 1.030, then you probably have an issue. you might need to put the fermenter somewhere warmer, or possibly even re-pitch.

sweetcell said:

i'm sorry, i'm picking my jaw up off the floor. for a second there i thought you said that you didn't take any hydrometer readings. you joker, you!

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what I meant to say, is that I didn't do a SG reading yet, but did an OG reading, and wasn't sure if I should go ahead and do one for the hell of it to see where it's at. Seeing that I didn't do a starter and it's a higher gravity brew, I'm a little worried.

but if the recipe calls for 1.015 and you stall at 1.030, then you probably have an issue. you might need to put the fermenter somewhere warmer, or possibly even re-pitch.

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The instructions have me pitching another dose 3 days before bottling, so this is partly to clear any undone fermentation, and to aid in carbonation, right?

Sorry to be redundant with these questions, but I wanna make sure I get this brew right, even though I'm probably on the right track.

Just take a gravity reading to see where you are. If you are still a long way from your target FG then pitch more yeast. The refermentation 3 days prior to bottling is a second fermentation. This is fairly common technique in high gravity Belgian ales. Make sure you have the 25 oz heavy duty bottles because your standard bottles may not hold the second fermentation. Plan on conditioning for 6 to 9 months.
Good luck!

phuff7129 said:

Just take a gravity reading to see where you are. If you are still a long way from your target FG then pitch more yeast. The refermentation 3 days prior to bottling is a second fermentation. This is fairly common technique in high gravity Belgian ales. Make sure you have the 25 oz heavy duty bottles because your standard bottles may not hold the second fermentation. Plan on conditioning for 6 to 9 months.
Good luck!

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That's a little worrisome for me, seeing that I don't have any 25 oz bottles. I was talking with the lady at the LHBS who is one of the authors of the book "Beer Captured" where I got the recipe from, and she said I could wait as long as a week, if I was worried about bottle bombs. I guess I'll see where I'm at. If I'm at 1.025, I'll feel fine, if it's at 1.040 then I guess I should be worried. I didn't do a starter, and the temp in my room has been at 68F since the beginning of fermentation. The recommended temp is 70-72.

Your ok at 68, fermentation might take a little longer. I really like Belgians but I tend to stay away from the double fermentation just because everything I have read it bottle bombs can be a problem without the right bottles. If you look, a lot of the big Belgians are in the big, heavy bottles and are corked. Virtually all of them are double fermented and bottle conditioned. I am sure if the lady wrote the book she would know better than me. Good luck! Be sure to let us know how it turns out.

I also see a lot of these belgians in 11.2 oz bottles, but they seem to be thicker material.