CountryGravy
Well-Known Member
I can't wait to make this... Early next month, I think!
I can't wait to make this... Early next month, I think!
My champagne bottles take a regular 26mm cap.
Chimay Brewery Tour: http://youtu.be/6_sVVOk0njU I'm curious about how u said that this beer needs to bottle condition for a minimum of 12months.. I saw this chimay video and they ferment for 4 days then bottle condition for 3weeks before being sent out for sale... why are home brewers aging for so long if the brewery doesn't?
Hello! I'm working this out so that I can brew during the summer in order to have it well aged by next winter. I figure this will be an 18-month in waiting Christmas present to myself and a few select friends for Christams 2015.
What do you think of using half D-45 and half D-90 in order to find some balance between SRM and flavor profile in comparison to the original? Maybe I'll try it and show the results.
How have the Champagne bottles held up? Is capping a Champagne bottle (29mm cap, correct?) a viable method of aging if these are kept in a cellar around 68 degrees F?
I truly appreciate all of the information you have given in this thread, CSI.
We taste test every 2 weeks and you're right. It is ready to drink in about 6 weeks. In taste testing it over a 12 month period it gets better over time even well beyond 12 months.
so i brewed this yesterday, ( one d-90 and a d-45 to be added add high krausen) was slow to take off, so I raised the ambient to 70. As soon as I saw activity, i lowered it to 63 ambient, not fermet temp. Is it ok for ambient to be 60 to keep ferment range in upper 60's? ? I don't want to stall fermentation.
Also, for priming, the 34gr per gallon, is that bottling cold? I always bottle coldwith corn sugar and never have a problem with carbonation, I just want to make sure the 34 gr per gallon isn;t for a room temp beer. Northern brewer has a priming calculator that I use and it looks like this would match the ratio of inverted syrup at 39 degrees or so.
Thanks.
Ambient temps are tricky since they vary with the rise and fall cycles of the thermostat and even the shape of the fermenter (wide-flatter v. thin-tall). If possible keep the ambient as close to the target fermentation temp.
ok thanks. For the simplicity syrup, you have 34gr per gallon, is that assuming the beer temp is cold? I've only used corn suga in the past and will ajust the amount based on the current temp of the beer, regardless of fermentatio temp. It has always worked for me. I don't want to under carb with simplicity at 34gr per gallon if the beer is at 40 degrees when i bottle.
[/PHP]Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue), TRIAL 001
This initial recipe was drafted from BLAM and the Chimay Blue label declaration of ingredients, (water, malted barley, wheat, sugar, hops, yeast). Where ingredients like "caramel malt" were generalized in the literature we based the malt selection on color characteristics and region for roast and quantity *e.g. Belgian Caramunich contributes a distinct ruddy color and does not raise the SRM overly high (as would Special B). The selection of Belgian Candi Syrup and the quantity was also based on BLAM, (adjuncts did not exceed 5% in the Chimay Red). 1lb of D-45 equated to 6.4% of fermentables and brought the color up to a ruddy-brown, (however), after 6 months of fermentation the SRM was approximately 13-14. The recipe below will be lighter than the CGR. If you use 1lb of D-90 the SRM will be much closer to the CGR.
OG: 1.077
FG: 1.008
ABV: 9.00%
SRM: 13+ (from BLAM adj, but the actual Chimay pours closer to 16-17)
IBU: 31.4 (Tinseth)
VOL: 5.25 gal
BHE 75% (assumed)
FERMENTABLES
12.0 lb Belgian Pils
1.00 lb Dingeman's Cara 45
1.00 lb Torrified Wheat
1.00 lb D-45, (or 1.00 lb D-90 for Darker SRM) Candi Syrup, Inc.
HOPS (30.4 ibu)
Saaz 1.50 oz,60 min (Brewery visits indicate Nugget is the bittering hop now)
Hallertau 1.50 oz,20 min
YEAST
WLP 500 (Chimay) 260 Billion Cells (pitched at high krausen, 22 hrs)
MASH
Sacch 148F 60 minutes
Mash out 170F 20 minutes
90 minute boil. Chill to 64F. O2 for 60 seconds. Ramp primary starting at 64F then raise to 68F over 6 days. Secondary at 60F until FG is reached, then crash at 38-40F until ale clarifies. Prime with Golden Candi Syrup at a rate of 30 grams/gallon (then hold bottles at 72F for 10 days for initial carbonation). Bottle condition at cellar temps for (a minimum) of 12 months.
This is a link to Chimay.com showing a video of the pour, color, and head:
http://www.chimay.com/en/chimay-bleue.html?IDC=287&IDD=130
I am brewing this recipe and am unfamilliar with hitting ibu numbers. This recipe uses 1.5oz saaz 4.5aa and 1.5oz hallertau 5.25aa for total IBU 31.4
I ordered the hops by name and the saaz is 3.0aa and the hallertau is 3.1aa
In order to hit the IBU numbers i have to use 2.0oz of each.
My question is will using the 2oz of each type of hops to hit 32.03 IBU have the same flavor as using hops with the higher alpha acid rating.
Not sure how alpha acids work. Do more hops of the same species of a lower alpha acid equal the same flavor of same species of higher alpha acid but lower quanity? Maybe im over thinking this and should just use the hops i have and enjoy. Thank you all for any help
Given the high fermentability of candi syrup I think 34g/gal will be sufficient for a Chimay GR clone. Most trappist ales are bottle carbed at the high end of fermentation temps. The Chimay GR is ideally bottle-carbed at no less than 72F for 10 days to 3 weeks, then cellared at 60F until ready.
so this beer went perfect...until i bottled. bottled cold, so i diluted the candi syrup and boiled it, added to bottling bucket just like i do with my sanitized corn sugar mixture...the samples of this beer were always amazing btw... bottled 20 or so belgian bottles with a cork and the rest, smaller bottles with a cap so I could sample some along the way. when i got to the bottom of the bucket i saw clear streaks...did the candi syrup thicken back up even after i diluted it in 2x the water, boiled and cooled? the bottom of the bucket was ridiculously sweet...like all the sugar settled there...after 9 days, i cracked one open. great carbonation, but ridiculously sweet!!! it was one of the last bottles i bottled, so now i wonder if the candi syrup all settled back to the bottom of the bucket (again, never had this issue with corn syrup). I bet i am screwed and going to have no carb'd beer, under carbed beer and ridiculously sweet bottle bombs in a few weeks....should have stuck to my original bottling method instead of following the recipe to a t right through bottling...sounds like the guy in the link below had the same issue, but he didm;t dilute, so i can see why that would happen adding undulate syrup to cold beer. f***************ck this was such an important beer....i want a do over...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/why-i-wont-prime-w-candi-syrup-anymore-306188/
so i brewed this yesterday, ( one d-90 and a d-45 to be added add high krausen) was slow to take off, so I raised the ambient to 70. As soon as I saw activity, i lowered it to 63 ambient, not fermet temp. Is it ok for ambient to be 60 to keep ferment range in upper 60's? ? I don't want to stall fermentation.
Also, for priming, the 34gr per gallon, is that bottling cold? I always bottle coldwith corn sugar and never have a problem with carbonation, I just want to make sure the 34 gr per gallon isn;t for a room temp beer. Northern brewer has a priming calculator that I use and it looks like this would match the ratio of inverted syrup at 39 degrees or so.
Thanks.
CSI, love experimenting with your syrups and have had some great results with my Belgian brews trying all of them, so thanks.
I noticed on your site now for the the Blue recipe you have 2lbs of D-45, but didn't see much mention of how that turned out here. So can share the results of the current recipe posted and how it compares to the "trial 001" original recipe here with just 1lb of D-45.
Or has anyone else tried out using 2lbs of d-45 (or d-90) and in comparison to just using 1lb (still targeting the 1.077 OG)?
Thanks!
Since I'll be brewing this in a months time I have a few points I'd like to have clarified.
The recipe/PDF on the CSI website lists Cara 8, yet 001/002 says Cara 45. Which ºL cara malt should I shop for?
It also mentions priming with Simplicity. Does this syrup impart any additional flavor or can I just use my regular preferred priming sugar without loosing anything in the overall result.
Sooo I brewed this Saturday night and completely messed it up by only reaching OG of 1.066.
First the malt had expired its best-use-by-date by 5 months, with my new malt mill I crushed too coarse (1.3mm vs 1mm), resulting in missing OG by 0.011, and didn't have any DME stocked to adjust it (I don't stock sugar either). Pitched yeast at 15C/59F, it sure is a slow starter. 2 days with no activity (aside from air sucked in), brought up the temperature by 0.5-1 and finally things started to happen and chugging along nicely now at 17C/63F. The recipe calls for cold crashing at 1.010 but I feel tempted to let it attenuate all it can due to my missed OG (may not drop to target SG, but fingers crossed).
I'm no expert but I think you can boil a lb of sugar and add it at high krausen. It will effectively raise your OG by 3 or 4 points and also help dry the beer out to achieve your desired FG...
You might be right - as far as how many points it would add, I'd have to run it through beersmith. I just thought if he missed his OG by that much it might be worth a shot
You may not need Beersmith for that calculation. The PPG of most granular sucrose is 1.047. Just divide 47 by 5 gallons and you'll have points raised, (9.4).
So 7 days had passed, I measured the gravity to 1.012 and had a sample. All the mishaps considered it unquestionably had that Belgian character of sweet banana aroma, balanced with reminiscent flavours of fresh bread and spices. Yet I sensed it was missing something. Could it be the elusive ABV that I missed (only by ~2%) and lacking perception of sweetness?
On a whim, not being entirely satisfied with the results, I decided to bottle one bottle, and pitch in a 1 lb bag of Simplicity I had lying around. Probably not the most appropriate use of Simplicity you could think of, but hey that's the kind of decision that you make when you've had a pint or two too many. Including the bottle that I bottled earlier. Idiot! (your's truly that is).
I'll report back the results of my 'unusual' brew in a week or two.
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