Got a BSGA on deck, looking for tips

[Just1pepsi]

I'm planning on doing a Belgian Strong Golden Ale extract w/ specialty grains, wyeast 1388 from NB.
I initially plan to do a starter, despite the instructions stating that it is optional, and am wonder what other tips some of you folks who have experience with a beer of this style may have. I'm in no hurry to rush the aging here as I've got a fresh batch of weizenbier bottle aging now, but I'd like to have this one ready around the holidays if at all possible.

I've read some other threads regarding this same topic, and there is much discussion about temperature, staring low, gradually increasing, and doing a cold secondary. Also some discussion regarding repitching before bottling time with the same or different yeast. I'm not opposed to any of these possibilities, however my other carboy is currently fermenting apfelwein and that wont be done until around the same time I'd like this BSGA to be ready.

So basically just any tips some of you with experience may have would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lowlife]

what is a bsga

 

[danorocks17]

what is a bsga

i'm wondering the same thing

 

[Just1pepsi]

Belgian Strong Golden Ale

 

[beergolf]

I do a lot of Belgians because they are one of my favorites.Dublels, Tripels, BGSA,BGGA. Yummmm

I like to pitch the yeast at about 64 and then let it slowly raise up in temp. Be sure to give it plenty of time to finish. Belgian yeasts can take a lot of ti,e to finish the last few points. I usually don't even look at them until 5 weeks.

Another tip that works great is to add the sugar after fermentation slows. Boil the sugar in a small amount of water to make a syrup, cool and add to the fermenter. I usually add it after 3-4 days. This way the yeast can eat a good portion of the fermentable sugars in the wort before it starts on the desert (sugar).

The last tip. Don't drink all of them up young. Make a point so set some aside to age and you will be rewarded with some great brews. They really change with age. I just pulled one out theother day that has been aging in the bottle for 8 months and I am pissed that I drank up a lot of that batch whenit was still young. Now it is awesome.

 

[Just1pepsi]

Are you referring to the candi sugar?

 

[beergolf]

Yes. If it is the clear candi sugar you can really just use regular sugar. But since your brew is a kit you probably already have the rocks.

 

[Tinga]

nah belgian candi sugar isn't just normal sugar. It's inverted by acids and heat..... err something like that. It is different though. I would suggest doing staggered sugar additions. after 18 hours of fermentation has started add some sugar and then again 18 hours after the first addition. other than that what you have said in the original post sounds good about increasing temp, a starter and cold conditioning. If you plan to add yeast after conditioning you can wash the yeast from primary save it and add that at bottling time.

 

[Just1pepsi]

My kit i'm working with 2lb of candi sugar - Since its just sugar, this would be a matter of collecting a certain amount of water, boiling the sugar into it down to liquid (Syrup) and adding directly into the fermenter one lb @ 18hr, and another lb @ 18hr. Is there a suggested volume of water to use, and should I top off the initial volume of wort with less since I'll be adding X oz's of liquid (syrup) later?

Just thought about it, but wouldnt this make it next to impossible to determine the abv since I wont have a full idea of what the OG was or is there some method to adjust.. or since its an extract I'll probably be close anyway I suppose.


Thanks for all the tips so far!

 

[beergolf]

If you have some brew software (and you should) just plug all the ingredients in as if the sugar was in the boil to get the actual OG. Then you can take the sugar out to get the OG without the sugar. But since you are using extract it is almost impossible to miss your OG unless you really mess the volumes.

Don't worry about the xtra water. It really does not take much to get the sugar to a syrup form.

 

[beergolf]

nah belgian candi sugar isn't just normal sugar

For the clear it makes no difference. It is the darker ones that matter.

From page 167 of "Brew Like a Monk"........... "plain sucrose- the stuff you can buy at your local grocery store- works just as well as clear candi sugar (rocks)."

 

[Just1pepsi]

mine is certainly clear, good to know for future use.
I'm guessing probably use just enough water to cover the rocks, boil them down to syrup and add the the primary.

Any recommendation on whether repitching before bottling is necessary and if so, should I do it a few days before hand, or immediately before?

 

[bruin_ale]

for a BGS you don't need to use candi sugar. The breweries in belgium use beet sugar for the golden strongs as they don't want a candi sugar flavor like in a dark strong.
I brewed a golden strong in July using the White labs 570 strain. OG was 1.072, it fermented to nearly done in two days, then I added 2 lbs of sugar (made using the above hot water method). The yeast chewed through that and after 5 days total it was at 1.007.

Ferment temp was started at 65 ambient and after I added the sugar I let it run wild.
Turned out awesome, very drinkable after about two months.

 

[beergolf]

I have done several in the 9% ABV range and have had no problem with them carbing up without repitching. They all spent 5-6 weeks in the primary.I might consider repitching if I did an extended time in a secondary, but 5-6 weeks is no problem.