It's said that Dupont bottle conditions their saison for 6-8 weeks, after a 1-2 week primary/secondary. Any idea why they set it down for so long? I have to imagine the flavor profile is set by the time they bottle. And it's not a huge ABV beer that would need extra time. Are they just waiting for it to clear?
Dupont Conditioning Time
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Really? Why? To play devil's advocate, there's quite a bit of discussion around here about how many beers improve with time in the bottle, especially if they're bottled after only 1-2 weeks.
If I had to wager a guess, it's because they feel the flavor is superior after laying it down for that length of time before distribution. That's just a guess, though. Maybe there's an interview somewhere where the brewer's chime in. I can consult my copy of Farmhouse Ales if you like.
Yeah, I've been rereading farmhouse ales and there is a comment about how it takes on vinous qualities over time. The brewer said the conditioning time gives it the signature character and that its best at six months.
6-8 weeks just seems like a long time for a production brewery. I can't imagine that it changes that much from two weeks in bottle to six weeks, but I'm also not a brewer at one of the best breweries in the world!
6-8 weeks just seems like a long time for a production brewery. I can't imagine that it changes that much from two weeks in bottle to six weeks, but I'm also not a brewer at one of the best breweries in the world!
I dunno. Plenty of my beers improve from the 2 week mark to the 6-8 week mark. Some don't; it depends upon the beer, and if I've bulk aged it.
The only way to know is to taste it at both points in time. I'd trust they know what they're doing. If it's worth it to them to absorb the cost of storing beer that long before releasing it, there's probably a good reason.
Well, the strange part is that they use a centrifuge to clear it of all the primary strains before bottling. So the only organism acting in the beer at that point is the bottling strain. I could see if one of their wild yeast from primary was continuing to break down alcohol into esters, but a regular sacc bottling strain shouldn't be imparting all that much.
It seems that a lot of Belgium Breweries continue to practice long conditioning. They don't worry about production time etc. etc. Besides once you have the pipeline going it does not matter that a beer sits in your warehouse for a month or longer.
I toured Brasserie du Bocq near Namur last summer and they condition most of their beer for 4 weeks
I toured Brasserie du Bocq near Namur last summer and they condition most of their beer for 4 weeks
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
Are you suggesting they use a different yeast for bottling than for primary fermentation? And there is wild yeast in the primary mix? Is this also from FA? I don't remember that being in there.
TheBigLebrewsk1
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I have "heard" this too but not seen it documented. Email Randy Mosher, if anyone knows it is him.
This is from a virtual tour on drinkbelgianbeer.com. The author is a pretty prolific beer writer. It has pics and all so it seems like he actually took a personal tour.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1455109029.515803.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1455109029.515803.jpg
Huh, learn something new every day. I'll have to look into this website you've pointed out. Thanks for the detail, tagz!
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