1762 Abbey II flavor character control

[Bellmer]

Belmer,
The WYeast reccomended temp range is 65-75F, so I would think that your temp schedule would work, but it seems this yeast must have a sweet spot. I hit the sweet spot the first time by accident. I think it might be someware within 65-68F. It also seems that a slow rise in temperature for the first few days may also help.

Personally, whenever I've tried keeping belgian yeasts at a low temperature for the majority of fermentation (like between 65 and 68) I get banana and/or no belgian yeast character depending on the strain, which is not a desirable profile for me. I think to get the characteristic flavors, they really need the rise and higher temperatures for at least some of the fermentation. Like you said, the key is finding the sweet spot for each yeast, which I have not for the Abbey II. I tried it once on my belgian yeast schedule I mentioned before and got hot alcohol and banana, the next time I tried it at a straight 67 and got all banana and no other esters. If I ever did it again I think I would start lower and end higher (if that makes any sense). Best of luck with it.

[cosmo]

You have given me some good data points belmer. This reinforces my thoughts that I was fermenting to hot and need to keep the temp below 68F at least for the first few days to get rid of the hot alcohol. I really don't mind the banana so much. Maybe the Belgian character you are looking for has more to do with pitching rate and oxygen level than it does with temperature. What pitching rate and oxygenation did you use when you got the bannana esters?

[Bellmer]

You have given me some good data points belmer. This reinforces my thoughts that I was fermenting to hot and need to keep the temp below 68F at least for the first few days to get rid of the hot alcohol. I really don't mind the banana so much. Maybe the Belgian character you are looking for has more to do with pitching rate and oxygen level than it does with temperature. What pitching rate and oxygenation did you use when you got the bannana esters?

I suppose I should mention I'm still super-ghettoing it in my small apartment and I don't have real temp control because I'm unemployed and don't have money. So...the best I can manage for temp control is putting my carboy in a big insulated plastic bucket packed with ice packs and for aeration I just shake the hell out of it, which I keep hearing is as good or better than direct aeration methods. For the temp control, I can keep it within one degree of my target by swapping out ice packs often and keeping a close eye on it. However, either of these factors may have lead to my problems.

At a guess, I think the esters/phenols that I am looking for that I consider as exemplary of belgian character occur on the higher end of the thermostat. The key is to figure out how long to leave it low and start raising it while you still have sugar to ferment and create those phenols. It seems like the Abbey II is more finnicky than the Trappist High Gravity, which is my favorite belgian yeast and easy to work with. Not to say that Abbey II can't be great, but based on it's previous performance, I am somewhat loathe to use it again until I get some real equipment for temp control so that I can more precisely control things. One of my problems is that my temperature rises and drops are slow and at the mercy of my ambient. So, I think once I am letting it rise it is too gradual. Something like that. I hope that some of my past experiences are helpful and I don't completely fuck you up lol

Anyway, at a guess based on my experiences with the yeast, I would try starting lower, end higher, and raise the temp faster than I currently and able to do. But, that is just my limited experience guess.

[cosmo]

I'm with you on the temp control. I use an "Ice Cue" Beverage cooler with frozen bottles of water in it to control the temperature. Similar to your method. Like you, I can also keep the temp controlled within a degree as long as I constantly monitor it the first few days. Times are tough. I appreciate your feedback. I have much more to go with now. The only thing I'm still wondering is how the pitching rate affects the character. I always thought you just use the calculator and do as told. I'm wondering if it can be tweeked to dial in the results with this yeast. I just don't know which way to tweak it or how much. Maybe someone will chime in with some info on this. Anyhow I'm going to go ahead and brew another batch with the Abbey II this weekend.