Belgian Strong Golden finished really low, ? on how to condition

[elproducto]

Brewed my first Belgian Strong Golden using Wyeast 1388.

Finished lower than I thought, at 1.005. OG was 1.080.
Don't want it to be too boozy, so should

A. I leave it in primary (been 3 weeks)?
B. Rack to secondary?
C. Bottle condition

 

[Yooper]

Yes!

Leave it in primary until it's done and fairly clear, and then rack to secondary to let it age and condition a bit, especially if you can do it in a place that is 55 degrees or so. After a couple of months, it can be bottled.

You can bottle much sooner of course, but a boozy beer takes some time to age and I prefer bulk aging.

 

[AmandaK]

I find that bulk aging at a lower temp tends to calm those alcohols down as well.

Sounds like you got a good brew going there!

 

[elproducto]

I was shocked, because I think I had read that the yeast can be a little sluggish in the home stretch, but that was after only 2 weeks. I started at 68, and ramped it up to 80 as per Jamil.

Thanks for the tips. I'm feeling lazy right now, and will probably just leave it in Primary for a while, until I feel like sending it to secondary. I'm not in any rush for this beer.

 

[bknifefight]

Holy attenuation! Have you tasted it yet? I imagine it is a little boozy but with time it will be great, I'm sure.

 

[elproducto]

I tasted the hydro sample and it was really smooth. Bit of warmth on the end, but surprisingly easy to drink.

I used a 4L starter as per Jamil, so that may have had something to do with it.