It's Been a Long Time, Been a Long Time....

It's been quite some time since my last post, and there hasn't been a whole lot of brewing going on this year. This is due mainly to the situation with my previous job, change to a new job, family obligations and recently the process of selling and buying a new home. Add the upcoming move to the mix and there's almost no time for anything. I did, however, manage to squeeze in a Belgian Tripel back around the end of February. This was my first attempt at a Tripel, but I think it went pretty well.

I started this recipe with one from Northern Brewer, but had been reading Stan Hieronymus' book "Brew Like a Monk", which is essential reading for anyone wanting to brew Belgian or Trappist beer. I started with Wyeast 3787, Trappist High Gravity yeast, creating a starter that I stepped three times - the first two were 1000 ml starters, both of which overflowed my 2000 ml erlenmeyer flask, the third a 500 ml starter - to ensure a good, healthy and hungry batch of yeast.

5 gallon batch recipe:

11.5 lb pilsner malt

1.0 lb clear candi sugar

0.5 lb honey

0.25 lb Cara pils

1.79 g baking soda

0.88 g canning salt

2.01 g calcium chloride

2.46 g gypsum

1.75 oz Czech Saaz pellets (5 minutes)

1.50 oz Tettnanger pellets (60 minutes)

Infused mash w/ 5 gallons 166 F strike water (salts added to mash); mash at 148 F for 60 minutes. Recirculated through HERMS to raise the mash temp to 170 F for mash out. Pre-boil SG 1.040, sparge stopped at 1.010; added candi sugar and honey at the start of the 90 minute boil. OG 1.093, aerated for 2 hours, pitched 700 ml starter. FG 1.022 for a 96% efficiency and an ABV of 9.3. Spent 20 days in the conical (primary), 20 days in secondary and bottled all 4.5 gallons using Fermentis S-33 dry yeast to bottle condition.

I've cracked open a few bottles so far, and in a side-by-side taste test against Tripel Karmeliet, the taste is pretty darn close, but the appearance differences are obvious. The Karmeliet is very clear with a high level of carbonation that seems to float throughout the glass; my tripel is a bit cloudy and not quite as highly carbonated, although it's carbonated enough for the style.

All told, it's a pretty good first attempt. Hopefully once the move has been completed I'll get back to brewing. I've got a wit on tap, and I know Mikey is itching to get back to brewing as well.