Tripel Fermentation

[sweetcell]

belgian yeast going dormant below 70 is not normal behaviour, so if your yeast is there might be something else going on... maybe not enough oxygen? pitching too low a cell count? have you done this more than once?

i'm not aware of any belgian yeast that is inherently unhappy at 67-68. i've used at least 6 different strains (including the Unibroue yeast - amazing stuff, higly recommended!) and none have complained at starting off below 70. but as with all things homebrew, YMMV.

 

[solbes]

I've always had plenty of belgian character, and mine usually spend most of the fermentation in the 60's (start 64 ramp to upper 60's, finish 70-72). They always get plenty low in FG too (sub 1.008). I do wonder what would happen if I ramped it to the mid 70's at high krausen.

To this point I have only used 3787, which is beastly and has blown the bucket lid in 2/3 batches (even with foam control). I have no means of using pure O2, so just a regular bucket shake for 1-2 minutes. I use 1/2 tsp of yeast nutrient, keeps the yeasties chugging. And I pitch a lot of yeast.

 

[Vman]

belgian yeast going dormant below 70 is not normal behaviour, so if your yeast is there might be something else going on... maybe not enough oxygen? pitching too low a cell count? have you done this more than once?

i'm not aware of any belgian yeast that is inherently unhappy at 67-68. i've used at least 6 different strains (including the Unibroue yeast - amazing stuff, higly recommended!) and none have complained at starting off below 70. but as with all things homebrew, YMMV.

I'm wondering if my issues are coming from the partial mash..? I have heard it's different than AG. I use a lot of DME in my batches and maybe the yeast just struggles to convert it??

 

[jtp137]

Currently the beer is carbonated somewhat. I noticed that the huge yeast flavor the beer had when I kegged it is not as strong as it was. The beer is good obviously a little green. Wonder if the yeast flavor will intensify as it ages

 

[sweetcell]

I'm wondering if my issues are coming from the partial mash..? I have heard it's different than AG. I use a lot of DME in my batches and maybe the yeast just struggles to convert it??

as far as i know, DME shouldn't explain it. extracts sometimes result is higher finishing gravities, but there is plenty in there to keep the yeast happy.

Currently the beer is carbonated somewhat. I noticed that the huge yeast flavor the beer had when I kegged it is not as strong as it was. The beer is good obviously a little green. Wonder if the yeast flavor will intensify as it ages

you say it's "carbonated somewhat"... sounds like it needs more time. this will allow to yeast to finish eating up the priming sugar and for the yeast to settle out. speaking of which, what do you mean by "yeast flavors"? do you mean the by-products created by the yeast (esters, phenols, fusels, etc) or do you mean the taste of the yeast itself? if it's the latter, yes they will subside because with some time, the yeast will fall out and the beer will clear. if you mean the former, not really - the beer will evolve over time and change but those flavors will always be there, mostly.

 

[jtp137]

as far as i know, DME shouldn't explain it. extracts sometimes result is higher finishing gravities, but there is plenty in there to keep the yeast happy.

you say it's "carbonated somewhat"... sounds like it needs more time. this will allow to yeast to finish eating up the priming sugar and for the yeast to settle out. speaking of which, what do you mean by "yeast flavors"? do you mean the by-products created by the yeast (esters, phenols, fusels, etc) or do you mean the taste of the yeast itself? if it's the latter, yes they will subside because with some time, the yeast will fall out and the beer will clear. if you mean the former, not really - the beer will evolve over time and change but those flavors will always be there, mostly.

I forced carbed this one. In keg for about 5 days its a little fizzy. I like my belgians around 3.5 volumes I can tell it is not here yet. When i am talking about yeast flavors i am talking abou the esters. When the beer went into the keg it had incredible fruit esters and was pretty phenolic. After 5 days in keg those flavors are a lot less noticable. I can tell the beer is green i was just wondering as the beer ages those flavors will pop out again

 

[sweetcell]

When i am talking about yeast flavors i am talking abou the esters. When the beer went into the keg it had incredible fruit esters and was pretty phenolic. After 5 days in keg those flavors are a lot less noticable. I can tell the beer is green i was just wondering as the beer ages those flavors will pop out again

interesting that the esters disappeared like that! in my experience, esters don't fade with time. that's why you can have an aged belgian and know that it's unmistakably a belgian. i have no idea why yours would have gone AWOL like that. especially since it was partially carb'ed, right? that should have made the flavors pop even more.

 

[jtp137]

interesting that the esters disappeared like that! in my experience, esters don't fade with time. that's why you can have an aged belgian and know that it's unmistakably a belgian. i have no idea why yours would have gone AWOL like that. especially since it was partially carb'ed, right? that should have made the flavors pop even more.

Thats what I thought. I am hoping the green flavors are masking the esters

 

[highgravitybacon]

Esters will fade over time. Look at a hefeweizen. The banana aroma dissipates rapidly over several weeks to months.

 

[sweetcell]

Esters will fade over time. Look at a hefeweizen. The banana aroma dissipates rapidly over several weeks to months.

that's not the esters so much as the wheat. wheat beers don't keep for a long time, they are meant to be drunk fresh. what you're tasting is the whole beer going stale.

 

[highgravitybacon]

that's not the esters so much as the wheat. wheat beers don't keep for a long time, they are meant to be drunk fresh. what you're tasting is the whole beer going stale.

It has nothing to do with wheat. If you make a 100% barley beer with a hefe strain, it tastes like a hefe. And in time, it too will fade. There's nothing inherently in wheat that makes a beer stale faster.

 

[sweetcell]

hefeweizens fade because the yeast and long-chain proteins eventually drop out. maybe instead of "stale" i should have said "bland". check out this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/why-cant-wheat-beers-age-110492/

getting back to the original point: IMO, esters don't really fade. they might get taken over by even stronger flavors like oxidation, but they're still there.

 

[Calder]

Esters don't drop out or fade, they change over time. The yeast continue to work on the esters well after fermentation is complete. That is why it is recommended Belgians are kept for a while to allow them to balance more.

I generally like starting about 70 F and moving up to 80 or above over 5 days. This is not good for all Belgian yeasts. The Anchouffe yeast will give you lots of fusel alcohols if you take it above 75 F too early, while the Dupont yeast loves it up in the 80s.

Belgians can stall if the temperature drops rapidly, even if it is still in the recommended temperature range.