Belgian Ale

We bottled the Belgian Ale today. It was a beautiful event putting that dark brown heavenly liquid into the bottles. The very first bottle we filled was the Chamay Blue from which it all started, we then did another 15 330ml bottles as this is a heavy beer that is best had in small quantities (well at least we hope so!) All in all we bottled 25 liters.

Two months seems like a real long time to wait ...

Monique's Turn

OK

Monique here, so now it's my turn.

The house has become a bit of a brewers heaven for Tom and Gerry but not I have to say for me. I have 3 dozen beer, 1/2 dozen wine (which I don't like) and a large barrel of something reddish and vile smelling in the corner of the wardrobe in our master bedroom. There is a old cupboard sat almost in the centre of my dining room with another barrel of something that hasn't taken - the yeast has not made the usual lovely plopping and gurgling sounds that I have come to know well. (Notice the missing "know and love well") I am so looking forward to the "Monique's favorite" beer but so far have not been offered one sampling.

Here is hoping some day they will remember me and offer a wee glass.

I do have to say that I have been impressed in their fervor and passion. If either one of you read this may I ask that the outside beer cupboard be built sooner rather then later.

Love

Monique

belgian yeast again

This day we made a normal brew but through in some of the belgian yeast we had been saving.

We started with the a 1.7kg

750g of malt of some sort and 250g of Monique's organic sugar (thank you Monique)

Added 100g of crystal malt

5g of NZ Hallerbeu (sp?) at 40 minutes

10g of Motueka at 20 minutes

15g of Golding at 5 minutes

1 tsp Irish Moss

More train

I generally ride the train downtown in the mornings, and take the bus home in the evenings.

Wellington Metro trains are so very old. Yesterday on my way into town (ironically on the bus - long story) I was talking to a long time wellintonian about the arrival of new cars on the Johnsonville line (my line) I was wondering why they were replacing perfectly serviceable trains abet old.

He informed me that recently Kiwi Rail approached a local museum to offer to refurbish one of their cars on display.

Of course there is a catch.

They needed to put the car in service for a few years as there is a shortage of cars and spare parts to operate them.

The museum piece was too tempting to pass up all its spare parts laying there unused for 20 years or so.

New cars are on the way they are wider but I expect still will not have any leg room.

Sunday afternoon draft

Today I went to our brewhause to create another cullinary masterpiece (to make up for 13 & 14 - more on that later)

1 Can of Coopers Draft

250g of Crystal Malt

750g of Spray Malt

250g of Organic (very expensive she says staring at me and gritting her teeth) Golden Fair trade sugar

30g of Hops full boil Hallerbutu

15g of Saaz (moteau)

1tsp of Irish Moss

Houston we have a problem

not a major problem, i don't think. but the brew is flat, flat as a pancake. could be because i kept it in the basement for the two weeks. oh well what a loss, will let you know in two if it is any good.

Belgian Ale

Them there trappist monks have come up with quite a wonderful brew, or two. There is no reason why we cannot duplicate it here at home, especially if we can get the yeast ... and I did just that. I bought a bottle of chamay ale, not just any bottle, but chamay blue the best of the best, and I cultured the yeast. that means I decanted all but the last dregs of the bottle and tossed that into a small jar of warm diluted wort and let it go to town. Now two weeks later we have enough yeast to start a five gallon batch of belgian ale.

Bulletproof Monk
16-E Belgian Specialty Ale
Author: Rumshpringa Brewing

Size: 5.0 gal
Original Gravity: 1.070
Terminal Gravity: 1.018
Color: 19.1
Alcohol: 6.97%
Bitterness: 65.9

Following is the recipe. Slightly modified in that I made a 26ltr batch due to having a bit more malt than it called for:

Light Lager 300 steep 20 min

Crystal Malt 214
Malt 3600.0 boil 60 min
Candi Sugar 1028.6g
NZ Hallertau 64.0g
NZ Goldings 32.0g boil 20 min
Motueka 32.0g
Irish Moss 1tsp boil 5 min

Water 26.0Ltr

My original gravity was suppose to be 1.070. I measured it at 1.048. So I added another 250g of crystal malt to move my gravity up to 1053. I don't know why it is so low as I did follow the directions very carefully.

No I wait for the wort to cool off to room temperature to pitch the yeast. I sure hope this works.