bottling belgian dark strong

[jack_a_roe]

what does one bottle at for a BDS? is it the same as a golden strong? or less like a normal stout would be?

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

Since the BJCP style guidelines suggest the below:

Mouthfeel: Very highly carbonated. Light to medium body, although lighter than the substantial gravity would suggest (thanks to sugar and high carbonation). Smooth but noticeable alcohol warmth. No hot alcohol or solventy character. Always effervescent. Never astringent.


I would go with the max your bottles can handle safely. I've had some BDSAs sitting for like a year in a warm place trying to get them to get rolling, even if your BDSA finishes dry, mine finished at 1.012 I believe, the carbonation is maybe 2 volumes, it comes off as VERY VERY sweet. I poured a 12oz bottle into a plastic bottle and force carbonated till the bottle was almost bursting, let it sit for a couple days in the fridge. When I tried it then, it was fantastic, dry and sweet without being syrupy and the dark fruit finally started popping.

 

[jack_a_roe]

isnt 2 volumes not that highly carbonated? most belgians are ~3 or so i thought...i have a bunch of belgian bottles that will b used so i can go pretty high there.

 

[botigol]

I would suggest tasting it and imagining how much carbonation you would like. Yes, I know, this is abstract and not that easy. However, despite the recommendations of high carbonation for Belgian ales, it isn't always the best result. I bottled my Chimay Blue clone at 2.3 and it is great. On a tangent, I bottled a dark saison at 2.7 and the extra carbonation covers some of the dark fruit flavors.

 

[DNKDUKE]

what does one bottle at for a BDS? is it the same as a golden strong? or less like a normal stout would be?

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[jack_a_roe]

so i guess ill give around 2 a whirl and see how that works...

 

[teamcoaster]

I believe that most Belgian Dark Strong Ales are carbed in the 2.5 to 2.7 range. I base that statement on my review of the Belgian clone recipes found on Candi Syrups, Inc.'s website (candisyrup.com).

Last weekend, I bottled a version of the Westvleteran XII clone. The CSI recipe calls for carbing it to 2.5 volumes. I wanted more gas than that so I pushed it to about 2.8 vol.

Be sure to use heavy bottles for anything above 2.5 or so. You'll want to age the beer for many months so you will also want bottles with a good seal. I think that eliminates swingtop (EZ-Cap, Grolsch) bottles for this application.

I recycle Duvel and Chimay .33L and .75L bottles for that beer.

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

 

[zachattack]

so i guess ill give around 2 a whirl and see how that works...

I'd go up as high as you can (probably 3 unless you're using heavy bottles) but I prefer a lot of carb on my Belgians. A very dry finish combined with high carbonation is the way to go. ArkotRamathorn's point was that at 2 volumes he considered it very undercarbonated and the beer tasted much better with the extra carbonation.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

I think lower alcohol BDSAs with lower finishing gravities (sub 1.010) will be fine with lower carbonation levels. But higher gravity versions, the example I brewed finished damn close to 12% ABV with 1.012-1.014 as the final gravity, I think that around 2 volumes, and the alcohol that high, made it seem very syrupy and sweet, and I really think it was the alcohol content making it seem that sweet (particularly at 1.012-1.014).

One thing I was listening to recently is, its not always what the volumes in the bottle is. If you pour a highly carbed beer very aggresively, you'll knock out a lot of the carbonation, I pour my bottled ESB very aggressively deliberately to try and get the cask level carbonation. Pour the same highly carbed beer very gently, just enough to build the head but retain the carbonation it'll come off as very crisp and pop. I think pretty much any of the major Belgian styles are better with higher carbonation, and if I open one and it seems WAY too highly carbonated, I'll just pour the bottle hard for the first half of the bottle and knock out some of that carbonation.

 

[jack_a_roe]

right on you guys. i very very much appreciate the info and experiences shared, ill definitely be going higher than 2 as i certainly wasnt reading carefully enough. like i said i got a ton of fat belgian bottles so thinking ill go for 2.8 or perhaps 3 volumes with this. havent taken a gravity reading but my recipe was supposed to go down to 1.014 i believe and right around 12%, all assuming them yeasties did their work.