Low Temp Bottle Conditioning???

[sremed60]

I've read from several different sources recently that Belgian tripels are bottle conditioned at 55F to 60F. There's a pdf file from Northern Brewer called "Advanced Bottle Conditioning" that states 60F, although that is based on adding 1tsp of dry yeast at bottling. So I actually have a few questions.

I read a while back that if you add yeast at bottling you should always add the same strain of yeast that you used in the brew. The Northern Brewer data just says to add a tsp of dry yeast and doesn't seem to be concerned with whether or not dry yeast was used originally. (hold that thought).

I brewed a Belgian tripel (5 gal batch) using one vile of White Labs WLP500 Monastery Ale Yeast which I made into a 1.5L starter. After I got the starter going I realized the vile I used was 4 months old. Maybe that mattered, maybe it didn't. Just to be safe I pitched a vile of WLP510 Bastogne Belgian Ale Yeast as well. (the scientific reason being - I didn't have WLP500 but I did have WLP510).

According to the manufacturer; "Optimum temp range for WLP500 is 65-72°F. Lower temperatures (under 65°F) will result in less fruity and more earthy beers." Optimum range for WLP510 is about the same, 66-72°F, with nothing noted about lower temps.

I had this in primary for 9 or 10 days at 68° and secondary for 14 days at 68°F. 3 days before bottling I moved it out of the fermentation chamber, put it where I was going to rack it to the bottling bucket and kept it iced down. (Not really a cold crash - more just to let it settle down).

I bottled it yesterday and I have it conditioning at 60°F. I did a slight miscalculation on the dextrose so it's carbed at almost 4.0 volumes of CO2 and not the 3.4 I was shooting for. I'm not too concerned about that. It's bottled in 750ml Belgian bottles, cork and cage, and stored horizontal.

MY QUESTION(s): Since I didn't add dry yeast, is 60°F too cold to bottle condition? Fermentis T-58 states that the optimum temp range is 59-68°F

 

[Build]

I think you're fine at 60F since I assume you won't be drinking these for many months or longer? It will have time to carb and age properly. The remaining yeast for carbing won't effect the taste all that much at 60F vs 65F, fruity or earthy. It does very little work compared to what happened with the yeast fermenting such a large beer. Sounds like it will be a great beer.

 

[porterpounder]

Every conditioning room I've been to in Belgium (most of the Trappist monasteries) have the conditioning warehouses well into 70s. Warmest large spaces I've ever stood in filled with beer.

 

[Mainer]

Most yeasts will carb up eventually at 60. It'll just take some time, which you'd presumably want to give a triple anyway.

 

[sremed60]

I bumped it up to 62F and I'll give 5 or 6 weeks there and see how it tastes. Thanks guys. My fear was that after a month I'd wind up with flat sweet beer but I feel better now. The aroma and taste from the sample I took yesterday were unbelievable so I'm pretty excited about this one.

Cheers