Headspace for Flanders Red

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JWBC

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So I am planning on doing a Flanders red this week and using roeselare as the primary strain.

The plan is an 11 gallon batch split between 2 x 6 gallon carboys. I'm not sure if that would be to much headspace if I left it on the cake for 18-24 months.
 
I'm planning to do my first Flanders Red soon (I'll also use roeselare), so still trying to work things out. I thought you racked to secondary for long term ageing? Leave on the yeast for ageing with lambics, to get the stronger Brett profile (Brett eats the autolised yeast)? Or is it a preference thing?
 
I'll be brewing a Red Flanders on the 16th, but will be using 6.5 gal carboys. I am thinking 1/2 gal head space might not be enough. I plan on transferring mine to a secondary after 2 months for it to age a year. I'm going to use the Wyeast 3763 Roeselare Ale Blended yeast.
 
I'm planning to do my first Flanders Red soon (I'll also use roeselare), so still trying to work things out. I thought you racked to secondary for long term ageing? Leave on the yeast for ageing with lambics, to get the stronger Brett profile (Brett eats the autolised yeast)? Or is it a preference thing?
I've been going back and forth on whether to leave it on the cake until kegging or bottling most consensus seems to be it is up to the brewer. The last one I read was from brulosophy and had good notes. It's not set in stone that I'm not going to rack, I just dont know what I would have available at that time and what fermenters I want to dedicate to sours. I have thought about letting it sit for a year then do another Flanders red and rack on top of the cake, hearing that the roeselare blend is better the second use.

My end goal once my brewery is built is to run it as a solera in a sanke but that is still another year out.
 
1/2 gal headspace is fine IF you don't disturb the pellicle. If you like to sample a lot and don't have a spigot or if you need to move the carboy at some point, you may want to reduce headspace. Top it up with wort or beer after the primary dies down.

Ported Fermonsters are great for sampling because the pellicle remains intact and so the amount of headspace is irrelevant. The PET also provides desirable micro-oxygenation.

Be smart and use a blow-off tube. Primary can get messy.

I'm a fan of leaving it on the cake because supposedly it gets more funky, but either way works.

I have thought about letting it sit for a year then do another Flanders red and rack on top of the cake, hearing that the roeselare blend is better the second use.
I'd pitch a fresh pick of Roeselare too, so there's live Saccharomyces.
 
1/2 gal headspace is fine IF you don't disturb the pellicle. If you like to sample a lot and don't have a spigot or if you need to move the carboy at some point, you may want to reduce headspace. Top it up with wort or beer after the primary dies down.

Ported Fermonsters are great for sampling because the pellicle remains intact and so the amount of headspace is irrelevant. The PET also provides desirable micro-oxygenation.

Be smart and use a blow-off tube. Primary can get messy.

I'm a fan of leaving it on the cake because supposedly it gets more funky, but either way works.


I'd pitch a fresh pick of Roeselare too, so there's live Saccharomyces.

Yeah it wouldn't be moved, fortunately I have enough space to leave it there for the long term.

I was planning on using a blow off since it is less headspace then I want for primary. I didn't know how active of fermentation it would be so I planned on being on the safe side.

Good Idea on the new pack, I know some people prefer to ferment it with a sacc strain then pitch roeselare but since it does have sacc I just prefer to use roeselare.
 
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