For my 2nd NB Homebrew attempt, I brewed the NB Saison de Noel Extract Kit (with the dry yeast). I hit all of the numbers as far as grains up to 170 degrees (almost exactly 20 minutes), and timed all of the additions of hops right on. Was able to cool the Wort pretty quickly in my bathtub filled with ice/water (approx 20 mins), added water and pitched the yeast at approx 78 degrees.
I am in South Florida, so it is difficult to control fermentation temps, but I manage by swamp cooling to keep at 75-78 degrees for the most part. OG and FG came in on point.
I put into Primary on 10/2/15. I moved to Secondary about 10/13/15, and into bottles on 11/1/15. I put a few ounces into a glass during the bottling process and it was flat as expected. It was also VERY boozy, and strong. Definitely good flavors underlying, not overly sweet, can really taste the dark sugar syrup influence. Color was pretty dark brown. The other extract Kit I did (American Wheat) was also darker than I expected.
If anyone has brewed this kit, sound like I am on track? I have plenty of time to keep in bottles before giving out (4-6 weeks) to allow it to mellow. I was able to yield 25 22oz bottles, so I may pop one in 2-3 weeks to give it a try.
Any feedback would be great! Got 2 more Extract Kits today to refine my craft. Then onto All Grain!
Larry K
Boynton Beach, FL
Hi Larry. Welcome to the forum. Sounds like all is well. Just give it plenty of time in the bottle.
I’m getting ready to do the same recipe in all grain. Sounds like a good one.
:cheers:
Ron
Looking closer at your temps, you were at the very top of the range for this yeast, although I’ve never used it. There will be others chime in with good advice on temps for this yeast.
What is your swamp cooler setup? I’m usually able to keep my fermentor at 60 or even a touch below, even when the house is 74-75.
Ron
I fill my bathtub with about 6 -8" of water and put a cotton t short over my carboy. The evaporation keeps it cooler. It has been 90-95 here in SoFla all summer and still. The AC is set at 80 when I am at work. I am looking to gut a dorm fridge and out in a temp controller to better stabilize my fermentation temps.
I have fermented this kit at about 78 degrees or warmer. Wyeast has a Farmhouse Reserve strain (3726) that’s VERY heat tolerant and also works well with this beer. I have now made it 3 times. The last attempt was with bitter orange peel, seeds of paradise, and coriander at flameout and ~2g of saffron into secondary.
