Belgian Trippel Bottling Question
Any thoughts?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Masaryk on -
Unless you filter your beer before bottling, you don't need to add any extra yeast; there'll be more than enough left in suspension even though it may look clear. The person who suggested adding more was probably just trying to speed up the process by adding an extra amount but again, it's totally unnecessary and will likely cause more harm than good especially if you plan on aging the beer for any length of time. A little yeast in the bottle is good for aging but a lot is bad.
Be sure to let it sit out at room temp for a few weeks to develop the CO2. If you do it cold, it could take a really long time.
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Competition CommitteePermalink Reply by David Schollmeyer on -
On strong beers you sometimes need to add additional yeast as the yeast from fermentation can have trouble carbonating due to the higher alcohol content and tired yeast. If you do want to add yeast you don't need much - about 1/5 a dried packet of yeast would probably be enough. If you are pitching a good, healthy quantity of yeast in the primary and have a good quality fermentation, you should be fine with what is left in solution at the end of fermentation. Another time you may want to add yeast at bottling time is if you are doing an extended secondary - say more than 6-8 weeks - as a lot of the yeast would drop out over time. As Kevin mentioned, the temperature you condition at will really make a difference. If they are in a closet around 60 it may take a month or two, but at 70+ it should carbonate in a couple of weeks. You also may want to rouse the yeast periodically to keep them in suspension by inverting the bottles every few days if they are carbonating slowly.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Beswick on -
Thanks guys. I think I'll just let a bit more of the secondary trub than usual make it into the bottling bucket. The plan is for about four weeks in the secondary at 68 degrees. Estimated alcohol is about 8.6%, but I'm using Wyeast Trappist so it should be able to handle it.
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Permalink Reply by ASH Editor on -
Belgians bottle condition in a warm room. How warm? Warmer than you think.
de Glazen Toren bottle conditions at 29.5 °C (about 85.1 °F).
Read this too.
http://www.byo.com/stories/techniques/article/indices/14-bottling/1...
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Permalink Reply by Chris Beswick on
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Another quick question: My beer has been in primary for two weeks and is still actively fermenting, although a bit slowly. Should I agitate it to kick-start it a bit, or just let it go at it's own pace? Refractometer is reading 1.020. Tastes very dry with quite an alcohol bite.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Masaryk on
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If I were you, I'd leave it in the primary until it's completely finished, which will probably be soon, and forgo the secondary. Rack directly from the primary into the bottling bucket once it hits terminal gravity.
Rousing the yeast won't hurt and may speed up the last bit of fermentation. I'd also see if you can move it to a warmer location...maybe in the low-mid 70's. 1.020 is still a little high for a tripel but, yet, you say it's very dry. I'd double check the accuracy/calibration of your refractometer and consider using a hydrometer for the FG.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Beswick on
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What is the reasoning for skipping the secondary? To keep more yeast in suspension? It has a lot of floaties still, such as orange peel that I would like to remove. If I'm trying to keep the yeast, can I filter it through some muslin, or will that trap too much yeast?
Kevin Masaryk said:If I were you, I'd leave it in the primary until it's completely finished, which will probably be soon, and forgo the secondary. Rack directly from the primary into the bottling bucket once it hits terminal gravity.
Rousing the yeast won't hurt and may speed up the last bit of fermentation. I'd also see if you can move it to a warmer location...maybe in the low-mid 70's. 1.020 is still a little high for a tripel but, yet, you say it's very dry. I'd double check the accuracy/calibration of your refractometer and consider using a hydrometer for the FG.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Masaryk on
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Using a secondary fermentor is one of those things that was popular in the early days of homebrewing based on some misinformation at the time about yeast autolysis and trub break down. Within reason, these really aren't issues for homebrewers because of the comparatively small fermentors we use. The main reason for avoiding secondary is the belief that the benefits are not worth the extra risk of contamination. Really, the only benefit is clarity of the beer. A far better method for clarifying the beer is "crashing" it. If you can drop the temp on it to about 35F, more of the yeast will drop to the bottom and compact better which will help with transferring. As I mentioned earlier, even though it'll look clear there will still be plenty of yeast in suspension..enough for bottle conditioning but if you want to be safe, you can do as David said and pitch a little extra fresh, healthy yeast in the bottling bucket.
If you're careful, you should be able to transfer without sucking up the orange pieces. What type of device are you using to transfer with?
Are you saying you also want to harvest the yeast for later use?
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Permalink Reply by Chris Beswick on
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Thanks for the info Kevin. I've always used a secondary just to clarify. I transfer using an auto-siphon. I do usually save a sample of my yeast cake for future endeavors.
Kevin Masaryk said:
Using a secondary fermentor is one of those things that was popular in the early days of homebrewing based on some misinformation at the time about yeast autolysis and trub break down. Within reason, these really aren't issues for homebrewers because of the comparatively small fermentors we use. The main reason for avoiding secondary is the belief that the benefits are not worth the extra risk of contamination. Really, the only benefit is clarity of the beer. A far better method for clarifying the beer is "crashing" it. If you can drop the temp on it to about 35F, more of the yeast will drop to the bottom and compact better which will help with transferring. As I mentioned earlier, even though it'll look clear there will still be plenty of yeast in suspension..enough for bottle conditioning but if you want to be safe, you can do as David said and pitch a little extra fresh, healthy yeast in the bottling bucket.
If you're careful, you should be able to transfer without sucking up the orange pieces. What type of device are you using to transfer with?
Are you saying you also want to harvest the yeast for later use?
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Permalink Reply by Sean Morrill on -
Hello, new guy here but I can chime in on this. The wife and I brewed an extract recipe from Northern Brewer this last October, it was the one listed as "The Number 8". It is a Belgian Dark Stong that came out at 9.7% ABV. We let it ferment out and then transferred to a secondary after about a month. Then bottled 2 days before Thanksgiving. It was already carbonated by mid December (14-20) days and is quite delicious. I did just a touch extra sugar than I normally would for priming but no extra yeast and it seems to have turned out fine.
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