Blending for a Belgian

[droid]

Hi all, top of the morning to yas.

Looking at making a Triple and decided to order 3787 Trappist High Gravity and 3724 Belgian Saison. It's a beer for the Mrs and she likes spice so that was the reason for having some Saison yeast in there. A mild beer will be made first and can be split to ferment out for the yeast cake/s

The questions are;

• Do I blend the yeast immediately and ferment out one plain mild for the cake?
• Do I make two separate milds and blend the cakes after ferment for the big beer
• Do I make two separate milds, then two separate Big Belgians with the Saison being the lower ABV and the Trappist being the higher ABV then blend once finished?

The latter would give me the option to alter ratio's but is more fecking about

Any thoughts? The recipe is yet to be finalised but getting the ball rolling now.

cheers
Jonny

 

[malt junkie]

droid, if you were going to no chill, you could do a second runnings beer off the tripple, maybe cost you an extra kg of grain. Cube both beers ferment second runnings first.

2c

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

I make a "Belgian" golden usually using a total of four yeasts including the bottle conditioning yeast. I prefer to ferment the three primary yeasts separately then blend for bottling. That way I can play with proportions into the bottles.

 

[droid]

droid, if you were going to no chill, you could do a second runnings beer off the tripple, maybe cost you an extra kg of grain. Cube both beers ferment second runnings first.

2c

I have a poor record with no-chill and bacteria so I gave up on it quickly. That would be the go tho otherwise. Cheers man

I make a "Belgian" golden usually using a total of four yeasts including the bottle conditioning yeast. I prefer to ferment the three primary yeasts separately then blend for bottling. That way I can play with proportions into the bottles.

It makes sense to let each yeast work in its own environment and also to blend. I'm in, thanks for that, do you alter your recipes a bit from yeast to yeast?

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

It makes sense to let each yeast work in its own environment and also to blend. I'm in, thanks for that, do you alter your recipes a bit from yeast to yeast?

If you mean within the same batch: yes but only slightly. The primary wort is the same* but the single yeast beers are generally refermented on glucose or other sugar source** after the primary is finished, I play with which yeast gets how much of which sugar. I also play with ferment conditions, frinstance one of the three yeasts is generally a lager yeast and I'm about to buy a "fermentasaurus" with pressure kit to play with that aspect.

If you mean between batches, yes, I'm constantly refining what I do.

* About 16oP, all pilsner malt (usually Weyermann), Saaz FWH to a bit over 30 IBU, Saaz and Styrian Goldings in the whirlpool.

** I've tried Belgian candi syrup, maple syrup (surprisingly good), golden syrup (unsurprisingly bad), treacle, molasses, moscovado sugar, raw sugar, glucose and sucrose so far. Yet to try grape juice concentrate, corn syrup and rice syrup but I will.

 

[manticle]

If you get bacteria in your nc, you're doing it wrong.

I think either start 3787 and finish with saison or (preferably) 2 beers, same grist, different yeasts.

Blend results to taste.

You don't need a yeast cake to make a good tripel - just pitch enough good, healthy yeast.

 

[droid]

If you mean within the same batch: yes but only slightly. The primary wort is the same* but the single yeast beers are generally refermented on glucose or other sugar source** after the primary is finished, I play with which yeast gets how much of which sugar. I also play with ferment conditions, frinstance one of the three yeasts is generally a lager yeast and I'm about to buy a "fermentasaurus" with pressure kit to play with that aspect.

If you mean between batches, yes, I'm constantly refining what I do.

* About 16oP, all pilsner malt (usually Weyermann), Saaz FWH to a bit over 30 IBU, Saaz and Styrian Goldings in the whirlpool.

** I've tried Belgian candi syrup, maple syrup (surprisingly good), golden syrup (unsurprisingly bad), treacle, molasses, moscovado sugar, raw sugar, glucose and sucrose so far. Yet to try grape juice concentrate, corn syrup and rice syrup but I will.

sorry I meant do you alter the recipe for each yeast that will be blended for the end beer, do you alter water, mash temps for your lager yeast beer for example

If you get bacteria in your nc, you're doing it wrong.

I think either start 3787 and finish with saison or (preferably) 2 beers, same grist, different yeasts.

Blend results to taste.

You don't need a yeast cake to make a good tripel - just pitch enough good, healthy yeast.

yep I wasn't saying I was doing it (NC) right but thanks, it's not worth the risk given my wrongness poor ratio of success...and I don't have/want/need to risk it

ok

ok

I don't need a yeast cake but on my RIS I did this and it worked out pretty well so am doing the same

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

sorry I meant do you alter the recipe for each yeast that will be blended for the end beer, do you alter water, mash temps for your lager yeast beer for example

As stated, the primary wort is the same across the strains.