I'm Thinking...The Best Beer I've made

[berryman]

I brewed Lawnmower de Saison, http://www.midwestsupplies.com/lawnmowe ... n-kit.html a Midwest extract 5 gal. kit March 30. This was my third time brewing this because I like it. Well this time as some might have read back then my yeast arrived froze, not solid froze but definitely ice inside the pack (Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison) and I was asking about a replacement yeast to use and I bought some Belle Saison after receiving advice from the Borg. On brew day I whacked and smacked the pack and it swelled up good so I pitched it thinking if I didn't see any activity the next day I would re-pitch with the Belle, it took off big time so I let it go. Now here is what I did and a little different then when I brewed this recipe before, I pitched quite warm around 78 degs. I wrapped the carboy (my big mouth bubbler) with a heating blanket it was cold in my basement at that time and I fermented for a week in the high 80's, transferred into a secondary and kind of got busy with outside stuff in the spring and kept thinking to myself I really got to get this beer bottled sometime. Well I bottled it the 3rd of July, batched primed and I tried one last Sunday which was just a little over a week in the bottle and it was a warm one that I put on top of my fridge for early samplers and it was very good, so I put a couple more in the fridge and tried the next day and WOW they are really really good cold. I drank them and put more in, Got good carb in just a little over a week.
Now My question, What did I do right or wrong to get a beer I consider the best I've ever made? At least for a Belgian. Was it because the yeast count was down, or the higher brewing temps, or the long secondary time, or a combination?


Not the amount of lacing I like to see but I really like this beer. Sorry for the long post but this is my new favorite if I can do it again just like it................I'd be a happy person forever.

[Inkleg]

No Saison expert here, but the two I've made we're pitched at 68* and taken to the mid 80s within 6 days. One was with Belle Saison the other with White Labs WLP656 yeast. Both were wonderful, so high fermentation temps is what I'm going with.

Congratulations on a great beer.

[John Sand]

"Now My question, What did I do right or wrong to get a beer I consider the best I've ever made? At least for a Belgian. Was it because the yeast count was down, or the higher brewing temps, or the long secondary time, or a combination?"
Yes, it was.
I'm not sure. I made a Belgian that was technically under-pitched and over-heated. It turned out to be one of my best brews, maybe the best. I say just roll with it.

[BigPapaG]

Belgian Saison is an interesting yeast...

Like most Belgian strains, under pitching is sometimes a good thing as it forces the yeast to replicate and the extra stress usually results in more flavor development.

It likes high temps and is notoriously stubborn in that it often gets stuck and then wakes up days or weeks later.

Your combination of a high fermentation temp and a long secondary could be considered proper care and feeding of that strain.

You might just have done everything right! (even though your secondary was kind of long)

And since you allowed the yeast to throw off a lot of flavors, you ended up with a very nice brew that you really like!

I love it when a plan comes together!

[berryman]

Belgian Saison is an interesting yeast...
You might just have done everything right! (even though your secondary was kind of long)
I love it when a plan comes together!

That's the longest I've ever done a secondary on beer, we use to do that on wine when I helped my Dad do it. But I do think it had some good condition time by being in there that long and maybe why it is good, for only being in the bottle for a short time.
I also love it when a plan comes together, just would like it to happen more often

[mashani]

I think BigPapaG's assessment is spot on. When I use Belgian Saison, I pitch in the mid-upper 70s and like to get my fermentation temps up into the the upper 80s-90s at peak because at those temps it doesn't get stuck, and it produces great flavors. A lower cell count will add even more flavors, and as long as your have healthy nutrient/oxygen rich wort, it will still ferment out.

[DaYooper]

Agree. I generally start out around 66-68F and ramp up about two or so degrees a day until I hit the 90s. BUT, I let the yeast do what it wants and do not try to do any cooling. Ive found this to give a wide taste profile and have come out with some tasty brews - although SWMBO would tend to disagree with me as she does not like that style at all.