Accidentally made incredibly good Belgian beer.

[thisgoestoeleven]

I made a simple Centennial pale ale (recipe here). I live in a very small apartment above a laundromat, which has dryer vents right below our windows. In addition, we've got 3 big windows that get a lot of sunlight. The result of these factors is a much warmer apartment than is conducive to traditional American and British beers during the summer months. That notwithstanding, I brewed my pale ale and let it ferment out at the ambient temperature of my apartment. The result is one of the most delicious Belgian pales I've ever tasted. I've done beers with Belgian yeasts before, but nothing has come close to a standard pale ale with Nottingham fermented at 78*F or so. Definitely a pleasant surprise.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Strangely enough I am also tasting a batch of Centennial Blonde that went Belgian on me that I made with a washed Nottingham yeast cake from a previous batch. Both batches were fermented at about 66F ambient in my cellar.

The first batch using a fresh package of Nottingham came out super clean. The second batch on the washed yeast cake came out super Belgian-y, lots of clove. I think the ferment took off too fast using the washed yeast and pushed the fermenter temperature a bit too high. It's not bad, but I am not a great fan of Belgians. I'll see if I can learn to love them, but I consider this a fault and a disappointment. I might get some oranges at the store tomorrow and try a wedge or two squeezed into the beer to see if that helps them slide down.

I knew I would have to knock off brewing ales for the summer due to my cellar temps, but I thought I could sneak one last batch in. If I used a fresh package of Nottingham and didn't overpitch I think it would have been fine. I'll have to remember to really watch my pitch rates when things get warm as the ferment can add enough heat to push you into Esterland. I really didn't think Nottingham could produce an flavor like that - in my experience it tends to get cidery when warm.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Hmm...squeeze of orange makes me think that I reinvented Blue Moon. Not bad.

 

[Cyclman]

A keg bucket filled with water and routinely replaced water bottles does wonders. Cheap ferm temp control.

Fortunately, this time it seems to have worked out positively, many yeasts won't.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

A keg bucket filled with water and routinely replaced water bottles does wonders. Cheap ferm temp control.

Fortunately, this time it seems to have worked out positively, many yeasts won't.

Waiting until cellar is good and cold for fermenting, even cheaper ferm temp control.

Seriously, what you say is true, but a hands-free approach appeals to the inner lazy slacker in many of us. I note and record the ambient cellar temperature, but it just turned out that my ferment got frisky and got extra hot. Live and learn. I'll drink my Belgian as a reminder about the importance of fermenting ales cool. I'm done brewing beer until the cool of fall hits.