fermentation time for BSDA

[BuckeyeOne]

I've had my extract/partial mash Belgian Strong Dark Ale (only my third brew) in the fermenter now for 12 days. It's reached its consistent FG of 1.017 for several days running. I noticed today, when I took the last FG reading, that the beer is quite clear --- it looks absolutely beautiful.

Here's my question: What is the benefit of keeping this in the fermenter for two more weeks, as recommended here in the forums?

I see no reason to move this to a secondary and plan to bottle condition when the time is right.

 

[pericles]

A couple of issues:

First, in my opinion, 1.017 is a little high for a belgian's FG: I like my belgians bone dry, so I'm aiming for something closer to 1.007. So, if it were me, I would rouse the fermenter and leave it there just to let it finish fermenting.

Second, belgian yeasts do more than just chew through the sugars to attenuate and ferment your beer. They also create flavor and aroma compounds in the week or two of conditioning. So, assuming that there really are no fermentables left in your carboy, the yeast are still working away to make your belgian taste like a belgian.

Third - and this is the real point - you should take a sample of your wort and taste it. If you think it tastes right, go ahead and bottle that bad boy. If not, give it another week or two and try again. Taste is the only measure that really matters.

 

[BuckeyeOne]

First, in my opinion, 1.017 is a little high for a belgian's FG: I like my belgians bone dry, so I'm aiming for something closer to 1.007. So, if it were me, I would rouse the fermenter and leave it there just to let it finish fermenting.

What do you mean by "rouse the fermenter" exactly?

 

[pericles]

The goal of "rousing" the fermenter is to kick some of the yeast that have settled to the bottom back into suspension. That way they'll eat a few more sugars before they floc out again. Professional brewers do that by bubbling some CO2 up through the bottom of the fermenter; unless you're working with a conical, that's basically not an option for homebrewers.

Instead, tilt your fermenter (bucket, carboy, better-bottle, what-have-you) just maybe five degrees off vertical so its weight is resting on the rim, instead of evenly distributed across the flat bottom. Then rock the fermenter back and forth around the rim gently. It's important to be gentle, because you don't want to introduce a lot of oxygen into the wort: you want gentle rocking, no sloshing.

 

[pericles]

Also: I wouldn't move this to a secondary: I keep my belgians in the primary for just three weeks and then keg.

 

[zachary80]

Just bottled my Gulden Draak clone after 13 weeks total in primary/secondary. Got 50 bottles out of it (highest yield I remember) and it tasted delicious, just a little hot at room temperature.

Not sure you would need to rise the yeast already. Most Belgian strains aren't very flocculent

 

[rexbanner]

Also: I wouldn't move this to a secondary: I keep my belgians in the primary for just three weeks and then keg.

How long do you keep them in the keg? A BSDA is going to need a lot of time, 6 months minimum. If you don't have a lot of kegs that's a long time to tie one up.

 

[Calder]

I've had my extract/partial mash Belgian Strong Dark Ale (only my third brew) in the fermenter now for 12 days. It's reached its consistent FG of 1.017 for several days running. I noticed today, when I took the last FG reading, that the beer is quite clear --- it looks absolutely beautiful.

Here's my question: What is the benefit of keeping this in the fermenter for two more weeks, as recommended here in the forums?

I see no reason to move this to a secondary and plan to bottle condition when the time is right.

As noted, that's a little high. What yeast? What temp. I like to raise the temp of my Belgians at the end of fermentation to 80 - 85 F to get the yeast to fully attenuate. Also, some Belgians don't like it cool, and can drop out of suspension.

To rouse a yeast, I would take a racking cane, sanitize it and gently stir up some of the yeast/trub on the bottom.

How long do you keep them in the keg? A BSDA is going to need a lot of time, 6 months minimum. If you don't have a lot of kegs that's a long time to tie one up.

I'll grant you that the taste will slowly change over time, but there is no reason why you can't start drinking it as soon as it is cooled and carbed.

 

[rexbanner]

I'll grant you that the taste will slowly change over time, but there is no reason why you can't start drinking it as soon as it is cooled and carbed.

I have a dubbel on tap that was brewed nearly six months ago. It tastes much, much better than it did before. A few months ago, I thought the recipe needed some work. Now I have one of the best beers I've made to date.

The strong darks I made are still young, and they do taste drinkable at this point, just a tiny bit hot. But when you're spending 40+ bucks on a beer (and a lot of effort, they are double decocted) you may as well wait until they hit peak flavor. Otherwise, what's the point? Unless you only like BSDAs, just brew something else that will peak in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[BuckeyeOne]

What yeast? What temp.

I used Wyest 3787 and I've had it fermenting at 70-74 degrees.

 

[Calder]

just a tiny bit hot.

I consider any 'hot' alcohol taste to be a fault. It is generally a result of high ferment temperatures, but can also result from both under and over pitching. Proper yeast management and temperature control should never result in a 'hot' beer.

I don't know if there are any commercial examples of BSDA, but there are certainly a lot of BSAs, and I'm sure they don't keep them for 6 months before getting them on the supermarket shelves; stored product costs money. The reason Dupont ferments high (90 F) is to get fermentation done as quick as possible. I'm sure they don't accelerate fermentation to have the beer sit longer in bottles; they know their yeast, and their product is probably on the shelves in a couple of weeks.

 

[Calder]

I used Wyest 3787 and I've had it fermenting at 70-74 degrees.

That's about the right temperature for it. I would still push it higher to finish it off. Probably the mid 80s if possible.

Did you use any simple sugars. Often people (including the Belgians) use quite a bit of sugar (table sugar) to help get a dryer finish. Up to 10% as sugar, possibly up to 15%.

 

[rexbanner]

I consider any 'hot' alcohol taste to be a fault. It is generally a result of high ferment temperatures, but can also result from both under and over pitching. Proper yeast management and temperature control should never result in a 'hot' beer.

I know how to brew, thanks.

I don't know if there are any commercial examples of BSDA, but there are certainly a lot of BSAs, and I'm sure they don't keep them for 6 months before getting them on the supermarket shelves; stored product costs money. The reason Dupont ferments high (90 F) is to get fermentation done as quick as possible. I'm sure they don't accelerate fermentation to have the beer sit longer in bottles; they know their yeast, and their product is probably on the shelves in a couple of weeks.

Aging these types of beers is pretty well-established. If you don't believe me, feel free to ask around. We're not commercial brewers, so we don't have to push product.

 

[KG-Brew]

If you read "brew like a monk" and listen to the Jamil show the major brewers, rochefort, whimsy, etc all leave them in primary for 10ish days then 4-7 in secondary at temps around 34 - 40F. Jamil's award winning BSA also used a similar schedule...that being said, my BSA has been in primary for 3 weeks, probable going to rack to secondary tomorrow and cold crash for a few days...but then again, this is my first brew, so who knows!

 

[BuckeyeOne]

That's about the right temperature for it. I would still push it higher to finish it off. Probably the mid 80s if possible.

Did you use any simple sugars. Often people (including the Belgians) use quite a bit of sugar (table sugar) to help get a dryer finish. Up to 10% as sugar, possibly up to 15%.

Would fluctuations in temperature harm the beer? The only place I can get the fermenter to over 80 degrees is my garage. The temperature could drop 10 degrees at night.

Also, I used 1.25 lbs. of dark brown sugar in the boil, 11%.

 

[pericles]

Would fluctuations in temperature harm the beer?

The short answer is yes: large fluctuations in temperature will stress the yeast and cause them to throw off off-flavors. Sudden cold-temperatures can cause the yeast to precipitate out of solution, which will prevent you from reaching full-attenuation.

I like to finish belgians around 78; lots of people push for higher temperatures, but I've had good luck with 78. Doesn't mean they're wrong - that's just what works for me.

If you have ten degree temperature changes in your garage, I think that's a bad place for your beer. . . unless you insulate the fermenter somehow, like in a fermentation chamber, a swamp cooler. . . basically anything to increase the wort's thermal mass.

 

[pericles]

As for how I condition my belgians. . .

Usually I transfer directly from primary to a keg after three weeksish. If I've got other beers in the pipeline, I'll just leave it in the keg to condition while I finish them off so, after maybe another two weeks or so, I'll carb them. I dump a pint or two to get the settled trub out, and then counter-pressure fill bottles.

As for when the bottles are good to drink. . .

The beers that I LIKE are beers that don't age well: wheats and IPAs. I look at belgians and sours as an opportunity to build my cellar. So, while I have definitely drunk, and enjoyed, belgians I've brewed after less than a month, I usually end up leaving them for a year or more before I get to them.