Allowed myself to get suckered by Midwest Brewing's marketing team and grabbed a few extract kits. Had two questions regarding this brew.
First:
This saison looks like it'll be a blast and has great reviews but the original ad's for the kit said it should be aged for at least 10 months. Looking on the recipe sheet it says 10 weeks.
2-4 weeks primary
4 weeks minimum secondary with a dry hop 1-2 weeks before packaging
I use buckets and worry about oxidation issues with leaving to bulk age for so long. My buckets are all 7.5 gallon and have a considerable amount of head room. I'm not sure what is an "appropriate" amount of time before this becomes an issue. If I do a secondary or even take a gravity reading, I usually flush with C02 afterwards. No idea if this helps prevent oxidation, but figured it would minimize the time exposed to 02. I'd like to leave it in the secondary for several months but I'm think it might be better to bottle condition to minimize exposure.
Second:
Looking for recommendations on yeast for this batch. I don't have a stir plate for a starter so I usually buy extra yeast unless I'm using something from Omega. Haven't brewed a batch this high in ABV for awhile though. I've been interested in Sigmunds Voss Kveik yeast from Yeast Bay for awhile as it appears I wouldn't even have to tie up my mini fridge. However any suggestions and comments would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
First:
This saison looks like it'll be a blast and has great reviews but the original ad's for the kit said it should be aged for at least 10 months. Looking on the recipe sheet it says 10 weeks.
2-4 weeks primary
4 weeks minimum secondary with a dry hop 1-2 weeks before packaging
I use buckets and worry about oxidation issues with leaving to bulk age for so long. My buckets are all 7.5 gallon and have a considerable amount of head room. I'm not sure what is an "appropriate" amount of time before this becomes an issue. If I do a secondary or even take a gravity reading, I usually flush with C02 afterwards. No idea if this helps prevent oxidation, but figured it would minimize the time exposed to 02. I'd like to leave it in the secondary for several months but I'm think it might be better to bottle condition to minimize exposure.
Second:
Looking for recommendations on yeast for this batch. I don't have a stir plate for a starter so I usually buy extra yeast unless I'm using something from Omega. Haven't brewed a batch this high in ABV for awhile though. I've been interested in Sigmunds Voss Kveik yeast from Yeast Bay for awhile as it appears I wouldn't even have to tie up my mini fridge. However any suggestions and comments would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance