Second Batch -- Tank 7 Clone Kit

[kyoun1e]

I thought I posted something already but don't see it. If it re-appears, mods feel free to delete.

Thinking about my 2nd batch now since the first one seemed to go well. Up next: Tank 7 Clone kit:

http://shop.greatfermentations.com/product/tank-seven-extract-beer-kit/brewing-supplies

In reviewing the kit and the instructions have some questions. A lot of this may have to do with the fact that a recipe for a saison is quite different for an IPA (which I just did).

Anyways, some questions:

1. Yeast: I have white labs belgian saison and the kit is saying that "2 to 3 packs of standard yeast are recommended." Does that mean I dump in 2 to 3 times the normal amount? Seems like a lot. Do saison's take on more yeast?

2. Irish Moss: It's optional. Worth it? Doesn't seem difficult.

3. Malt vs Grains: This recipe calls for very little grain (2 lbs) vs. mailts (6 lbs). is this normal? In another thread, somebody questioned the use of this grain here at all. Open to recommendations to make this close to a Tank 7.

4. Golden Candi Syrup: Ditto on this. Somebody questioned this. Use it? Or maybe replace with something else?

5. Dry Hoping: Calls for 1 oz of Amarillo and Citra hops during boil and then dry hoping the same amount for both after 14-21 days and having 4-7 days of contact. Sound about right?

In general, I'm curious what dry hoping does. Why do it?

6. Fermentation Temperature: Homebrew guy indicated that saison's like heat. As in, 85 degrees would be ok. Kit says 65-77. Curious what folks would do here. .Not only that, how do I warm up a fermenter that sits in a centrail AC at 62-66. Blankets?

Thanks in advance!

 

[kyoun1e]

1. Yeast: I have white labs belgian saison and the kit is saying that "2 to 3 packs of standard yeast are recommended." Does that mean I dump in 2 to 3 times the normal amount? Seems like a lot. Do saison's take on more yeast?

4. Golden Candi Syrup: Ditto on this. Somebody questioned this. Use it? Or maybe replace with something else?

Well, mentioned to the local homebrew store guy I was doing a tank 7 clone and he said he had talked to the head brewer at Boulevard and indicated they use a 3787 Trappist yeast from Wyeast. They had some on hand so I guess I'll go with it.

Also recommended 2 packages as well and that the golden candi syrup would be alright.

 

[kyoun1e]

Quick Question...

So this has been sitting in the fermenter since 5pm Friday and started bubbling about 30 hours later. Looking good. However...

...I'm realizing that the instructions in this kit call for dry hopping AFTER a primary fermentation period of 14-21 days. When I look at other recipes for other beers I see that dry hops are usually added 3-4 days after fermentation or maybe 7 days.

Does this make sense for a saison? A tank 7 clone more specifically?

If it doesn't that would be a problem. I'm going to be heading out of town Thursday or Friday for a week plus. Was thinking I'd let this sit for a while and then add the dry hops when I return (or later even since it seems like the longer this higher gravity beer takes the better).

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I would dry-hop before you head out. I expect the 3787 will have finished or almost finished fermenation by then. You can check the gravity to see, and if you are keeping it cool it will take longer.

As for, "does it make sense for a saison?" Others can chime in, but I don't think so. Saisons are yeast-forward. The saison style guide caps at 35 IBU, so 2oz Citra and 2oz Amarillo may hide a lot of that yeast character. Then again, I really like citra and amarillo, so that may not be a bad thing.

What was the OG (original gravity) prior to pitching the yeast?

In any event, I expect you are going to have a nice finished product on your hands.

In reviewing the kit and the instructions have some questions. A lot of this may have to do with the fact that a recipe for a saison is quite different for an IPA (which I just did).

Saisons will be quite a bit different from IPAs.

Anyways, some questions:

1. Yeast: I have white labs belgian saison and the kit is saying that "2 to 3 packs of standard yeast are recommended." Does that mean I dump in 2 to 3 times the normal amount? Seems like a lot. Do saison's take on more yeast?
3 packets seems overkill to me. I would rehydrate the dry yeast or make a starter. Since this is only your second batch, I would not worry about it too much.


2. Irish Moss: It's optional. Worth it? Doesn't seem difficult.
Irish moss is a clarifying agent, the same as a whirlfloc tablet. Saisons can be cloudy so it is not necessary, but I use a whirlfloc in every beer I make, so take it as you will.


3. Malt vs Grains: This recipe calls for very little grain (2 lbs) vs. mailts (6 lbs). is this normal? In another thread, somebody questioned the use of this grain here at all. Open to recommendations to make this close to a Tank 7.
I am not surprised. The malt extract is giving you the base fermentables to make the alcohol. The steeping grains are providing color,
body, and non-fermentables that provide additional sugar and flavor. The tank 7 recipies I have seen (and borrowed from) use highly fermentable grains (flaked corn, pale malt, wheat) and no or almost no darker grains.


4. Golden Candi Syrup: Ditto on this. Somebody questioned this. Use it? Or maybe replace with something else?
I would follow the kit, especially early on. Get a hand on the process, and then once you are comfortable, start playing around.


5. Dry Hoping: Calls for 1 oz of Amarillo and Citra hops during boil and then dry hoping the same amount for both after 14-21 days and having 4-7 days of contact. Sound about right?

In general, I'm curious what dry hoping does. Why do it?
Dry-hopping imparts some flavor and a lot of aroma.
The heat of boil additions (even late boil and flameout additions) can drive off volatile oils that contain hoppy goodness. Dry-hopping preserves those volatiles. Basically (and summarizing a lot of organic chemistry that I really don't understand), some hop flavor compounds come out at lower temperatures and some come out at higher temperatures. Early, mid-, late-boil, and dry-hop additions all bring different hop aspects to the party.



6. Fermentation Temperature: Homebrew guy indicated that saison's like heat. As in, 85 degrees would be ok. Kit says 65-77. Curious what folks would do here. .Not only that, how do I warm up a fermenter that sits in a centrail AC at 62-66. Blankets?

My last saison was in a blocked off room. I would try to keep it warmer than 66 (also, how low is your AC?) Stressing saison yeast with warmer temperatures causes the yeast to make the esters/phenols that drive the saison flavor.
!

 

[kyoun1e]

I would dry-hop before you head out.

What was the OG (original gravity) prior to pitching the yeast?

In any event, I expect you are going to have a nice finished product on your hands.

Well...crap!

I don't have a lot of time for dry hopping. I'm heading out Thursday night and the recipe calls for "4-7 days of contact." I wouldn't be back until July 23rd so if I just leave it in there that's way more contact than prescribed and if I drop it in tonight and take it out Thursday that's less than 2 days of contact.

And right this second, not feeling super confident on the dry hop process. I have the hops, I have a muslin bag...that's it. If I can just throw them in there ok fine. Not sure I have time to get to the homebrew store.

As for OG...well...um...I couldn't get a good read. Damn foam and bubbles kept fouling it up. One read was super low. Then the next read was SUPER HIGH at like 1.090. No idea to be honest. That's my biggest flub on this, my second batch.

Any recos on how I should proceed with dry hopping would be welcome!

Thanks

 

[kyoun1e]

Well...crap!

I don't have a lot of time for dry hopping. I'm heading out Thursday night and the recipe calls for "4-7 days of contact." I wouldn't be back until July 23rd so if I just leave it in there that's way more contact than prescribed and if I drop it in tonight and take it out Thursday that's less than 2 days of contact.

And right this second, not feeling super confident on the dry hop process. I have the hops, I have a muslin bag...that's it. If I can just throw them in there ok fine. Not sure I have time to get to the homebrew store.

As for OG...well...um...I couldn't get a good read. Damn foam and bubbles kept fouling it up. One read was super low. Then the next read was SUPER HIGH at like 1.090. No idea to be honest. That's my biggest flub on this, my second batch.

Any recos on how I should proceed with dry hopping would be welcome!

Thanks

More info on this to help:

* Dumped wort into the carboy on Friday, July 7th at apprx 5 pm.
* 30 hours in, there was a ton of bubbling.
* Now, 3.5 days after the start of fermenting activity has slowed a bit but still going.
* The recipe calls for 1 oz Amarillo and 1 oz of Citra.

Also, I've watched a couple of videos on dry hopping and it seems like many just dump the hops in there and leave them in while others use the strainer bag and remove the hops. Again, this recipe calls for 4-7 days of contact.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

If you dry-hop on Thursday, 7/13, and get back 7/23, that's 10 days dry-hopping. If you can bottle on 7/24 that would work pretty well.

Theoretically, a long dry-hop can cause "grassy" flavors but 10 days is not that long. I expect you will be fine. To put it in perspective, my pliny the elder clone (an "irresponsible" amount of hops) will spend a week fermenting on 2"+ of hop trub, another week on 3oz of hops, and another week on yet another ounce of hops. Very different beers, of course, but my point is that big IPAs will dry-hop with a LOT more hops than you are talking and come out fine.

I dry-hop directly, without a bag or anything - just toss them in and give it a shake to help them settle. Keep your racking cane or auto-siphon ~1" above the bottom of the fermenter.

1.090 would be pretty high. Was your final volume lower than expected, i.e., a 5 gallon batch that ended at 4 gallons?

For hydrometer measures, get a cheap plastic hydrometer test jar, and after you fill it, let it sit for half an hour or so, then take your reading. 6# of DME and 1# of candi sugar in 5 gallons come out to a OG of ~1.052, so adding in for the steeping grains puts you at 1.055 give or take. We've all mis-read hydrometers, so don't worry about it.

One other thing to be cautious of is your FG. Take a gravity reading before you leave and again when you come back. Saisons can get really dry - my last one with Omega's Saisonstein went all the way down to 1.000. The 3787 probably won't go that low, but I would try to verify gravity readings a few days apart to make sure it is not dropping. Also I have read that 3787 may stall at 1.020 or so, so when it doubt, let it sit. Bottling should be fine once you have at least two gravity readings 2-3 days apart that are at or below 1.015. If you were to bottle at 1.018 and fermentation is not completely finished, the bottles can explode.

3787 attenuates kinda high (meaning the FG is low because the yeast eats all the sugar) and likes it warm, so you may have to wait another week or so to bottle to make sure the gravity is stable. Even if you wait another week, the dry-hop should be fine.

Or you can just relax for now, let the yeast do its thing, and taste/dry-hop when you get back. That means waiting longer for beer though, but sometimes patience is a virtue.

 

[kyoun1e]

I dry-hop directly, without a bag or anything - just toss them in and give it a shake to help them settle. Keep your racking cane or auto-siphon ~1" above the bottom of the fermenter.

So this would mean that once I dump them in...minus the paint strainer bag (which I don't know that I can get...busy)...these hops are staying in there until I bottle. Understanding that this is a Tank 7 clone, you think that makes sense?

1.090 would be pretty high. Was your final volume lower than expected, i.e., a 5 gallon batch that ended at 4 gallons?

It was a little less than 5 gallons after topping off.
OG was expected at 1.073-1.076 and FG is expected at 1.011-1.014.
To be honest, I think I just messed it up. And this after nailing it on my first batch. Oh well.


Or you can just relax for now, let the yeast do its thing, and taste/dry-hop when you get back. That means waiting longer for beer though, but sometimes patience is a virtue.

What is the impact on the final product of dry hopping now and leaving them in vs. waiting 10 days, dry hopping, and then letting it sit? If there is no real difference I think I'd rather wait. Everyone around here keeps saying to be patient and with what should be a higher gravity beer,
maybe it pays to just wait a bit and then deal with dry hopping?

Thanks much!

 

[TungstenBeer]

So this would mean that once I dump them in...minus the paint strainer bag (which I don't know that I can get...busy)...these hops are staying in there until I bottle. Understanding that this is a Tank 7 clone, you think that makes sense?

I'm not familiar with Tank 7, but that is a fine dry hopping process.

It was a little less than 5 gallons after topping off.
OG was expected at 1.073-1.076 and FG is expected at 1.011-1.014.
To be honest, I think I just messed it up. And this after nailing it on my first batch. Oh well.

How do you think you messed it up? Do you use a testing jar to test? If there are a lot of bubbles like you mentioned before you can just let it sit for a while and take a reading later (you have to discard the wort, yes, but it's a minimal amount that you should taste anyway because it's fun and helpful). If you are just taking a reading in the bucket or something then that's definitely cause for a "mess up."

What is the impact on the final product of dry hopping now and leaving them in vs. waiting 10 days, dry hopping, and then letting it sit? If there is no real difference I think I'd rather wait. Everyone around here keeps saying to be patient and with what should be a higher gravity beer,
maybe it pays to just wait a bit and then deal with dry hopping?

Some people think that dry hops added while yeast are finishing up will produce some flavor concepts that can't be done if you wait until fermentation is completely done. I haven't really experimented with that too much myself so I can't give an opinion on that. I think you will end up with great beer either way, so if you're more comfortable, it will still turn out very well if you dry hop when you get back.

 

[kyoun1e]

How do you think you messed it up? Do you use a testing jar to test?

The kit I was given came with a very narrow tube to put the hydrometer in. When I dumped the hydrometer in there was just too much foam commotion in there, and of course, I didn't wait because I was eager to get going on capping that thing. I jar would have been better!



Some people think that dry hops added while yeast are finishing up will produce some flavor concepts that can't be done if you wait until fermentation is completely done. I haven't really experimented with that too much myself so I can't give an opinion on that. I think you will end up with great beer either way, so if you're more comfortable, it will still turn out very well if you dry hop when you get back.

Interesting. I thought it was imperative that you take these hops out. Doesn't seem to be the case. And 5 out of every 6 videos I see people just dump the whole damn bag in without any paint strainer bag.

Torn on approach. Could certainly just dump these suckers in say Thursday. That's almost a full week in the fermenter. Or, just kick back and wait 10 days.

Another option: Do a little of both? Put either Amarillo or Citra in now and put the other half when I get back?

Oh the options...

Thanks

 

[Oldskewl]

I would wait til you get back. I would be worried that 10 days is long at room temp.

 

[kyoun1e]

I would wait til you get back. I would be worried that 10 days is long at room temp.

I think I'm going to chill out and wait. It will only be a little over 2 weeks in the carboy and everything I've read about high gravity beers says it takes more time for these. Not only that, I don't want to mess with the yeast...it's going crazy right now.

There's another Tank 7 clone thread thats 30+ pages long. Many on that thread let there's sit for several weeks.

Think patience makes sense here.

 

[kyoun1e]

Well, came back mid week so we're now 10 days in the fermenter. Recipe calls for 2-3 weeks and they dry hop so still have a ways to go.

I left and the thing was quite active. Not bubbling as much, but if you looked at the wort closely you could see all kinds of swirling. Now it looks pretty much dead in the water.

See pics below. Would anyone pitch yeast again? Or just let it be.

I'd also add that the TRC temp unit and the fermenter warmer is working like a charm. Set it for 75 F and when I returned I saw that the low temp was 70 so this thing has been cranking at 75+ since I left. I could ramp up the temps even more considering many who brew saisons sometimes let it sit in 90 degree +.

Thanks

 

[TungstenBeer]

There is absolutely no need to pitch more yeast. What you described and what the picture looks like seems to describe an absolutely normal (and correct) fermentation.

It's not "dead" or "dead in the water" - it's probably just done all that it is supposed to do.

You have temperature control now, so this is pretty typical of the timeline you should see just about every time going forward (with slight variations of course).

 

[kyoun1e]

There is absolutely no need to pitch more yeast. What you described and what the picture looks like seems to describe an absolutely normal (and correct) fermentation.

It's not "dead" or "dead in the water" - it's probably just done all that it is supposed to do.

You have temperature control now, so this is pretty typical of the timeline you should see just about every time going forward (with slight variations of course).

Good to hear.

My current plan is to leave this be until Monday, August 7th. At this point, it would be a little over 4 weeks in the fermenter. The recipe calls for 2-3 weeks but everyone in here says it doesn't hurt to go longer and may actually help. I'm also doing this because I have a week's vacation that last week.

One thing: I need to dry hop. I was thinking I do it that Monday, August 7, let it do it's thing for 4-7 days, and then bottle. At this point, we are five weeks in.

Anyone see a problem with that scenario? Or should I be dry hoping a bit earlier?

Thanks

 

[mirthfuldragon]

One thing: I need to dry hop. I was thinking I do it that Monday, August 7, let it do it's thing for 4-7 days, and then bottle. At this point, we are five weeks in. Anyone see a problem with that scenario? Or should I be dry hoping a bit earlier?
Thanks

Take a sample, taste it, check the gravity, and see what you want to do. Regardless of what the starting gravity was, a saison should finish at 1.010 or below. Spray down everything, take a sample with a turkey baster or whatever, write down the gravity (let it sit for a few moments until the bubbles and foam subside), and give it a taste. You'll have to use your imagination just a bit to get an idea of the finish product, but it should give you a baseline. A cold, carbonated beer is going to taste different from a flat, warm beer, of course. I keep a 5-ring notebook with notes for each batch - temperatures, observations, tastings, gravities - you name it. For instance, my brett-saison was at my sour limit when I decided to bottle it - at about 7 or 8 weeks. Now that it is bottled, carbonated, and served at the proper temperature, it is sublime but could have used another month in secondary. Now I know that, so next time I will let it sit longer. Each beer is a learning experience.

You can use the recipes for guidelines, but ultimately it will be ready when you say it is ready. Dry hop now if you like, but taste it first. You might find you like it as-is, or not. And as always, RDWHAHB.

 

[kyoun1e]

Take a sample, taste it, check the gravity, and see what you want to do. Regardless of what the starting gravity was, a saison should finish at 1.010 or below. Spray down everything, take a sample with a turkey baster or whatever, write down the gravity (let it sit for a few moments until the bubbles and foam subside), and give it a taste. You'll have to use your imagination just a bit to get an idea of the finish product, but it should give you a baseline. A cold, carbonated beer is going to taste different from a flat, warm beer, of course. I keep a 5-ring notebook with notes for each batch - temperatures, observations, tastings, gravities - you name it. For instance, my brett-saison was at my sour limit when I decided to bottle it - at about 7 or 8 weeks. Now that it is bottled, carbonated, and served at the proper temperature, it is sublime but could have used another month in secondary. Now I know that, so next time I will let it sit longer. Each beer is a learning experience.

You can use the recipes for guidelines, but ultimately it will be ready when you say it is ready. Dry hop now if you like, but taste it first. You might find you like it as-is, or not. And as always, RDWHAHB.

Totally forgot about taking the gravity. Duh. Recipe kit says final gravity should land at 1.011. I couldn't get a read on the original gravity...don't ask.

Couple of questions on taking gravity readings:

1. How many do you all take throughout the process? I keep hearing that you want to keep that airlock on and minimize the risk of infection. I didn't even take one in my first batch.

2. How quick do you get in and out for the gravity reading? I'd imagine you want to do it as quickly as possible.

Thanks

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I take a gravity reading after the mash, after the boil, then two weeks later, then every 5-7 days if I am trying to confirm FG has been reached. Once I get two matching readings several days apart, I know that gravity won't change so I can bottle if I like it.

I use a turkey baster - it actually stays in a closed bucket of starsan. I fill it up and clear it with starsan a few times. It takes 3.5 slurps to fill up my test glass, so the entire draw process takes 30-45 seconds. When I pull the airlock I drop it back in the buck of starsan while I take the reading. I also mist down the top of the fermentor prior and dunk my hands in the starsan first. Some sensible precaution is in order; sanitation is important, but remember: beer was created to keep liquid potable. Between the alcohol, hops, and pH, beer is not exactly a hospitable environment for your everyday microbe. And don't put the sample back in the fermentor, of course

On my brett saison, for example, I took samples every 10 days or so - to taste if nothing else, and to ensure the gravity was stable. I pulled enough off that I only netted 46 bottles instead of my usual 50-52 in a 5 gallon batch. Brett is a little different though, since the funk changes over time - but the concept is still the same.

Final gravity on saisons can be tricky - Saisonstein was predicted to finish at 1.007-1.010 and instead finished at 1.000. Stability is more important. If I had bottled at 1.007 and it kept going to hit 1.000, that would be something like 5 volumes of CO2, which is about twice the safe limit for bottling.

 

[TungstenBeer]

Final gravity on saisons can be tricky - Saisonstein was predicted to finish at 1.007-1.010 and instead finished at 1.000. Stability is more important. If I had bottled at 1.007 and it kept going to hit 1.000, that would be something like 5 volumes of CO2, which is about twice the safe limit for bottling.

Yeah, this is pretty important. You have to be certain it's done with a saison.

 

[kyoun1e]

I take a gravity reading after the mash, after the boil, then two weeks later, then every 5-7 days if I am trying to confirm FG has been reached. Once I get two matching readings several days apart, I know that gravity won't change so I can bottle if I like it.

Ok, looks like I'll be taking some gravity readings.

Heading out of town tmrw and will be back Monday. This will be a little over 2 weeks in the fermenter. Think I'll take the first reading Monday and then take another end of week on Friday and see where I'm at.

I also like the idea of tasting the two samples. I need to dial in my taste buds.

After that, I'm gone for another week so I'm probably not dry hoping until the 5th week and then I'd probably bottle.

And man, I am confused on dry hoping. Will have to start another thread on this. Have read quite a bit on this and it seems all methods are good methods.

 

[bassmang4]

Kind of late on this thread, but after reading all the info out there on this one I used 3522 on this last winter. I was skeptical. After it was don't it wasn't very saison-y and not what I remembered. Then Boulevard became available in WI and I tried it again. The different yeast flavor that I thought was wrong was actually right on. I was very surprised.

 

[kyoun1e]

Kind of late on this thread, but after reading all the info out there on this one I used 3522 on this last winter. I was skeptical. After it was don't it wasn't very saison-y and not what I remembered. Then Boulevard became available in WI and I tried it again. The different yeast flavor that I thought was wrong was actually right on. I was very surprised.

Not exactly sure what you're saying here.

Did you do this kit but with the 3522 yeast? And it came out alright?

Would be interested in more details around length in the fermenter, timing on dry hoping, etc. if that's the case.

Thanks

 

[bassmang4]

Not that kit, but close to it. My comment was on the yeast selection. Kit says to use a saison yeast. This thread mentioned 3787. Found other info recommending 3522...and that seemed to turn out tasting spot on.

9.5# 2-row
2# flaked wheat
1# Dememera Sugar
0.2oz Simcoe FWH
.5 oz Simcoe @ 15
4 oz Amarillo @ 5
1.5 oz each Amarillo and Citra DH 4 days
mash 148F for 60
3522 yeast
Dont remember how long in the fermenter. Probably 1.5-2 weeks, unless I was busy and let it sit longer. I always dry hop in the keg.

It would probably be great using 3711...but different. I think of this beer as sort of a New England - Belgian IPA. Mine was hazy and soft with a Belgian yeast character.

 

[kyoun1e]

Ok, so I took a gravity reading. Final expected gravity per the recipe kit was 1.011...and that's exactly what it was.

Attached is a look at it. Took a taste and it feels like it's in the ballpark. Looks..."saison ish."

I'm still just 2+ weeks into fermentation. Recipe calls for 2-3 weeks. I still need to dry hop.

The plan:

* Take another gravity reading Friday before I go on vacation.
* Come back Monday, August 7th and take another gravity reading. It will be 4+ weeks in the fermenter by then. I'd expect to dry hop at that point. Let sit for 4-7 days.
* Bottle basically at the start of week 6.

Really need this 2nd batch to land. If this works out I'll be super excited.

 

[kyoun1e]

So I brewed this beer on July7th and just left for vacation. By the time I get back it will be August 7th. One month in the carboy and still with dry hoping to go.

I've read other Tank 7 clone threads and people left theirs in for weeks.

Assume leaving it in for 4-5 weeks is ok?

May not dry hop until week 5 or 6.

 

[kyoun1e]

Well, just dry hoped yesterday. Just dumped them in and plan on putting a paint strainer bag around my racking cane. We'll see how it works out.

And of course, my narrow neck dry hopper shows up right after I just dumped the hops in! Always next time.

Had a fly infestation in my basement. Possibly because I didn't clean up well enough after my first batch. Not good. Spent quite a bit of time cleaning the whole space and getting rid of the flys. And wouldn't you know it, right after I finished putting my hops in and I put the airlock back on, a damn fly nose dives right into the starsan solution in the airlock. Dodged a bullet.

Also took a gravity reading just prior. It was 1.011 (the target FG) a week or so again. Now at 1.005 so I guess it needed more time (or it's going to taste boozier than it should).

Away for a few days, but planning to bottle next Monday or Tuesday. That would be a week of dry hoping which as I understand it should be the upper time frame limit. The recipe called for 4-7 days.

Once I bottle, that will have been 5+ weeks in the carboy. I'm not touching this thing for three more weeks. Will sample one per week, but the lion's share will not be ready until footballs are flying.

Really hope my water isn't an issue (per other threads). I feel like I nailed every part of the process this time around vs. my first batch that didn't taste quite right. While this beer conditions I'm going to send my water off to Ward labs. Not starting batch #3 (Trillium Fort Point Ale Clone) until after I get the results back.

 

[kyoun1e]

Well, I'm 9 days into bottle conditioning. Decided to sample one. Also had a Tank 7 alongside to compare.

Wow. Funky!

I drank the worst bottle as a start. This one was only half full and definitely had some sediment in there. I figured I'd start with this one and hope I set the bar low as I continue to sample every week for at least 4 weeks of conditioning for the batch.

Definitely tastes saison ish. Doesn't have that front end juicyness the Tank 7 has (yet I hope).

Also, I'm a little afraid we have some off flavors early on. I could swear there's a little apple in there and I've read that this is due to Acetaldehyd. Hoping 3 more weeks of conditioning even this out.

 

[shoengine]

So you are at seven or so weeks since start of fermentation?

 

[griffi]

I'm 9 days into bottle conditioning.

I drank the worst bottle as a start.

Also, I'm a little afraid we have some off flavors early on. I could swear there's a little apple in there and I've read that this is due to Acetaldehyd. Hoping 3 more weeks of conditioning even this out.

This reminds me of my tank 7 clone (homage). I bottled too early to make it into a competition and would up with astringency/bitter apple off flavor, but I had already sent bottles off... I was disappointed but completely understood the judges' comments when I got my scoresheet back. The happy ending to the story is that about 3 weeks later the beer had totally turned a corner -- what had been an off flavor was now just a wonderful dry finish. I entered it in a second comp just a month after and it took first place! Give it some time and unless the off flavor is due to an infection, I'll bet you will be very happy with it.

 

[kyoun1e]

This reminds me of my tank 7 clone (homage). I bottled too early to make it into a competition and would up with astringency/bitter apple off flavor, but I had already sent bottles off... I was disappointed but completely understood the judges' comments when I got my scoresheet back. The happy ending to the story is that about 3 weeks later the beer had totally turned a corner -- what had been an off flavor was now just a wonderful dry finish. I entered it in a second comp just a month after and it took first place! Give it some time and unless the off flavor is due to an infection, I'll bet you will be very happy with it.

Yeah, I'm hopeful time is what it needs. This is a higher gravity beer so I think it will need more time. I have no problem popping one or two each week and letting the lion's share sit. I've got plenty of other beer to drink lol.

 

[kyoun1e]

So you are at seven or so weeks since start of fermentation?

Exactly 7 weeks.

Was in the carboy for 5+ weeks. Temp controlled to not go below 75 degrees F.

Reading some other Tank 7 clone threads I see that some let theirs sit FOREVER.

 

[shoengine]

I am currently fermenting the AHA version, and am really curious to see how it compares. Mine will be racked to a keg here in something like a week (two weeks into fermentation) and will tap it sometime at the end of September or first week of October.

Mine fermented at 78 and has maintained 75-76 for the last week.

 

[kyoun1e]

I am currently fermenting the AHA version, and am really curious to see how it compares. Mine will be racked to a keg here in something like a week (two weeks into fermentation) and will tap it sometime at the end of September or first week of October.

Mine fermented at 78 and has maintained 75-76 for the last week.

Yup. Mine I bet was 80 degrees plus with it being the heat of the summer here in New England. Everyone says saisons love heat so...

Just noticed that the other bottle I took out...another one where I was mining the bottom of the bucket...has TONS of sediment in it. So early on here, I'm not exactly sampling the cream of the crop.