What is the appropriate way to ramp temper when say brewing a Belgian beer?
Would I expect to have off flavors from the higher temps?
What's the best range for ramping?
Do I actively manage the temp myself or can I hold the temp cool with a fermentation fridge then let it free rise? When do I start the rise?
For a Belgian beer, I prefer to start the temp in the low-mid 60s for the first 3-5 (maybe as many as 7) days . After that, I let the beer free rise, shooting for a final temp around the low 70s. The majority of fusels and disagreeable esters are created in the first few days, so after that there should be no negative affect on flavor by letting the temp rise.
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1Are you pitching a normal amount of yeast from say a 2L starter with that long of a low temp "lag time"? – brewchez Jul 13 '11 at 17:59
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My starters are almost always in the 2-3 qt. range. Low-mid 60s doesn't seem especially "low temp" to me. – Denny Conn Jul 14 '11 at 15:47
