After reading on here, I'll admit that a big Belgian probably wasn't the best thing to start with. My wife bought me the kit as a gift and she knows i like chimay so she got me supplies for an extract Belgian strong ale. I've done lots of reading on here, bought "Brew Like a Monk" and even listened to Jamil's show on Belgian strong ales...that being said, looking for a bit of help.
I am currently 4 days into primary fermentation. My OG was 1.086 and things seem to be going well so far. I was planning on just doing primary, but after reading I see it might be better (and typical Trappist style), once fermentation is finished 7-10 days, to rack to secondary fermenter and chill quickly for a few days. In brew like a monk the chilling ranges from 32-45F for 4-10 days. Is this recommended?
...and if I go that route, after chilling for a few days, is it recommended to then bottle and age in bottle for a while? Would that aging be done at room temp for a while before finally chilling prior to drinking?
I know, several questions all thrown together, any advice would be really helpful. I'm really enjoying home brewing, just trying to do things right without getting too far over my head. Thanks
I am currently 4 days into primary fermentation. My OG was 1.086 and things seem to be going well so far. I was planning on just doing primary, but after reading I see it might be better (and typical Trappist style), once fermentation is finished 7-10 days, to rack to secondary fermenter and chill quickly for a few days. In brew like a monk the chilling ranges from 32-45F for 4-10 days. Is this recommended?
...and if I go that route, after chilling for a few days, is it recommended to then bottle and age in bottle for a while? Would that aging be done at room temp for a while before finally chilling prior to drinking?
I know, several questions all thrown together, any advice would be really helpful. I'm really enjoying home brewing, just trying to do things right without getting too far over my head. Thanks