Belgian beer fermentation temp

[cseifert151]

I've recently had the pleasure of tasting a Few Belgian beers and wanted to try my hand at it! I have heard that fermenting it at 85-90 F really gets the flavor of the yeast going. And suggestions on good ways to up the temp accurately?

 

[flars]

Choose your recipe and then your yeast. Not all Belgian yeasts will tolerate high temps without producing off flavors.

 

[grittanomyces]

Saisons in particular have a higher temp range, but all yeasts you can buy have different temp ranges that will be listed. Stay towards the high side of those to get that really ester (banana) flavor if that's what you're going for, but don't exceed the temp range or you could have a bad beer.

 

[mmb]

I've recently had the pleasure of tasting a Few Belgian beers and wanted to try my hand at it! I have heard that fermenting it at 85-90 F really gets the flavor of the yeast going. And suggestions on good ways to up the temp accurately?

It really depends on yeast for temp. As to getting temp readings accurately, that will depend on your fermentation vessel. You can use a thermowell in a two hole stopper to put a temp probe in the fermentation and run your heating/cooling off those readings.

 

[solbes]

85-90 sounds even warm for a Saison. I have made 7 Belgian batches and never gone higher than 77F for a Duvel clone. So 85-90 sounds pretty high to me.

I would go by the recommended yeast working range and not exceed it. And don't start out at those temps or you will have fusel alcohol bombs. Typically I start out at 64, hold for 2 days and then start to ramp up 2 degrees per day. The warm temps on the back end of the fermentation help form the esters and also assure that the yeast finishes dry.

 

[GuldTuborg]

It all depends upon the exact strain, as others have said. To be clear, "Saison" yeast isn't a strain, it's a class of yeasts used commercially in saison beers, each of which is different.

 

[chickypad]

I agree with all the above. After reading Brew like a Monk and doing some of my own experimenting I pitch my Belgians in the lower end of the yeast's range, typically in the mid to high 60's, and let it rise gradually. With the particluar strains I tend to use I actually never go higher than the mid 70's (including wyeast 3711, a saison yeast), and I get plenty of yeast character for my tastes. You can certainly get fusel alcohols and other off flavors fermenting hot initially with Belgian yeasts. The book I mentioned is a pretty popular source if you want to do a little reading on the subject.

 

[Riot]

I'm gonna second solbes and say to definitely not start a ferment at 80 degrees, you will likely get banana flavoured nail polish remover. Start 64-68 and ramp it up slowly. It shouldn't hit 80 until its pretty much at final gravity.

 

[cseifert151]

Thanks everyone! I'll definitely do some more research before playing around with it!