Belgian Tripel WLP550 question

[dkziemann]

Hey everyone,

I got a kit from Midwest Supplies for a Belgian Tripel, and I chose to use the WLP 550 strain of yeast. I've been able to keep the temperature around 70°F since pitching it Sunday night (with a starter that was roaring). The fermentation for the past 3-4 days has been very vigorous (using a blow off tube... lots of residue and whatnot coming out and the thing has been bubbling like crazy).

I've got a few questions. I've heard from two sources to do completely different things with fermentation. Source one (who I trust completely) said to leave everything in the primary for 7-10 days, and rack to secondary for 3 weeks-ish until the bubble rate is about 1/minute (read that in a couple places too, even for the belgian). The other source says to rack it primary for a month, secondary for a month, and wait a while for the bottles to condition and mellow out. Any word on this?

Secondly, I'm going to be out of town for a week. I've been fermenting in my room in a plastic bucket (from the LHBS), and have been able to keep temperatures low thanks to my window AC. However, I've been reading that after fermenting at a low temp people have brought their fermentation as high as 80° for a belgian with great results. So, what temp should I ultimately be aiming for? Also, I'm going to be out of town for about a week, so it's up to my roommate to watch the temperature and adjust the AC accordingly. Any ideas on how to manage this so my brew doesn't produce off flavors or taste like crap? I'm taking my sweet old time with those, hoping to drink it around November or December....


Thanks so much, you guys are great!!

 

[maida7]

after the first 24 hours of fermentation keeping the temp low becomes much less important. If you pitched a good sized starter then I'd say your ready to package it when it's done fermenting (reached finish gravity and the yeast has all fallen to the bottom). That is usually in 7-14 days but go by observations and not an arbitrary time frame. You could always leave it longer but I don't think it will make it any better. In any case I see no reason to do a secondary ferment for this style of beer.

 

[TyTanium]

No secondary necessary, but age is your friend here. Belgians get better with some age. Just leave it in the primary until you get back, no need to rush it. Temp anywhere between 70 and 80 is fine.

The one thing I wouldn't do is rack to secondary while fermentation is still going - those Belgian yeasts are finicky and you don't want anything that could inhibit full attenuation. Just leave 'em alone!

 

[beergolf]

No secondary necessary, but age is your friend here. Belgians get better with some age. Just leave it in the primary until you get back, no need to rush it. Temp anywhere between 70 and 80 is fine.

The one thing I wouldn't do is rack to secondary while fermentation is still going - those Belgian yeasts are finicky and you don't want anything that could inhibit full attenuation. Just leave 'em alone!

^^^^^ this.

Let it be and let the yeast do. it's thing. Time is your friend with Begian yeasts. It is amazing that often when you think they are done they manage a few more points.

Here is a great quote form Brew Like a Monk...


"Let the fermentation finish, perhaps at a higher temperature. I may take as long to get the last few points of attenuation as it did for the first 80%"

The only time I have ever had gushers was with a tripel that I thought was done, but obviously it still had a couple of points left. Let your brew finish,.

 

[dkziemann]

Thanks for the replies so far! So leaving it around 70-75° is going to be okay? To try and keep it down around 68° means my room becomes Antarctica w/ the AC blasting!

 

[TyTanium]

Yes, in fact a little warmer is better and should help with attenuation.

 

[Poobah58]

Minimum 21 days for my Tripels. I've gone as long as 35 days. I always secondary a Tripel. I feel the movement kicks up the yeast again and finishes up nicely. 2-3 weeks for my secondary then into the fridge for 30 days to get it super clear before kegging!

 

[nealperkins]

Jamil Zainasheff & John Palmer (I'm a name dropper) say in Brewing Classic Styles pg. 240, to pitch at 64 degrees and slowly raise to 70 over one week. Different temp equals different flavor, maybe better??

I'm just about to brew this so this info was very handy (last year's effort was killed by a solitary fruit fly, but that's my problem.)

 

[TyTanium]

Yup, pitching low is key with Belgian yeast. They can drop out early if you try to chill them, so if you pitch low you can let them rise freely without getting to hot. Pitch at 62-64, free rise to 72-75.