A "well made" tripel

[aufory]

After a few months of wanting to make a homebrew but somewhat limited by Alabama's lack of supply stores, I got a kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop as a gift. It is a 1 gallon, all grain, well made tripel, but we'll see how accurate that description is in a few weeks! Anyway, everything seemed to go well and it's been in the carboy for about 2 1/2 weeks. After almost a week of running a blow off tube I switched to an airlock, which was what the directions called for but now seems somewhat redundant and a chance for oxygen to get in. No noob questions as for right now besides an opinion on how it looks, I don't have anything to compare with. I'm sure more extremely basic questions will come later.

 

[Bob]

Looks like Tripel after the ferment has settled down.

Good job!

Bob

 

[Ell]

Yeah, it looks about like I'd expect... but a tripel is a toughie to start with!

There's a brew store in Pelham - not exactly close, but not too bad either. I've not been yet (maybe headed there this week - I'm in Tuscaloosa), but I hear decent things. Oh, and a little Googling lets me know there's a place that's supposed to be pretty good in Columbus, GA - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10501/view=beerfly .

Otherwise, I've ordered from Northern Brewer and from MoreBeer and had good experiences with both (although NB is better IMO). The "Basic" NB Starter kit for larger batches isn't terribly expensive ($80) and has everything you need to brew.

Good luck man - even though I suspect you and I disagree on football...

 

[aufory]

Thanks for the input guys. The place in Columbus doesn't sound bad, and a better drive than Atlanta.

Luckily I found someone who doesn't brew anymore (first time I've ever heard that), that wanted to get someone else into it. I came out with enough equipment to make a few 5 gallon batches and a capper w/caps. Before a 5 gallon I wanted to make sure the tripel wasn't a disaster. Bottling of this batch and the start of my first 5 gallon should be soon.

And yes your suspicions are correct...WDE!

 

[Ell]

And yes your suspicions are correct...WDE!

Well, good luck anyway!

Hopefully, the boys in Montgomery will pass the homebrew act and we'll be criminals no more.

 

[Ghostly]

Looks good to me - you've let it go beyond the time BBS says to bottle it, and I think that's wise (especially if you don't have a hydrometer yet.) I'd let it go for another week. And definitely, definitely practice siphoning before you bottle, and get someone to help you. That was the hardest part for me with their system by a long shot, and I'm definitely using an autosiphon from now on. I aerated the heck out of my beer trying to siphon, but it didn't seem to affect the final product much.

 

[bknifefight]

Did I read that right? You are concerned about the chance of oxygen getting in when switching from a blow off tube to an airlock? You are a little too high strung about this beer, it'll be fine.

 

[aufory]

Free the Hops has done a great job, I've read the bills proposed in March 2011 for permitting homebrew, container size, etc. and it looks like they're having a little progress. We both know how smooth and quick those boys in the Gump move with our government. Let' hope for the best.

Ghostly, thanks for the advice. After being on here I realized there instructions wanted to get it in the bottle way to soon. I just got my hydrometer in the mail so that'll help.

And no, I wasn't particularly concerned with oxygen getting in, I just don't see the point of the instructions calling for a switch from a blow off to a airlock. Is there a reason for this or am I missing something?

 

[Krrazy]

aufory, you caught my eye because that was the first brew I ever made too. I got the kit as a gift a year and a half ago and now I'm hooked! Before that batch was even in bottles I was planning out my next brew and buying ingredients and more carboys and other equipment. It was really great to start with all grain and develop those skills with all of the help on this board and through books and so on. I just made the jump to six gallon batches so that may be a preview of your future to come.

Before I get into the details, there were definately some things to learn from on my first experience with that kit but the beer actually tasted good and got me hooked on the hobby.

Here are some of my lessons learned on that particular kit:
1. I agree with the post about not following the time guidelines in the instructions. Read up about primary fermentation on this forum. If you don't have a hydrometer to check the final gravity I would wait at least another week or two beyond the three weeks the instructions call for. When I bottled this none of them exploded (thankful for no bottle bombs) but when I opened them they were WAY too carbonated and would erupt out of the bottle as soon as I craked the top.

2. I agree with practicing on the siphoning with the tubing and instructions they provided. I think I did two total batches like that before I bought an auto siphon and have never looked back.

3. When I did it, the instructions were to prime with raw honey -- from the directions you just pour your honey in a container and then rack (transfer) the beer on top. This resulted in some honey dissolving, but most of it left over the in bottom. I think collective wisdom on this board says that you should add the honey to some water and boil for 5 minutes or so and then cool before adding the the solution to your container and then the beer.

4. With the manual siphoning and racking cane setup I got a lot extra stuff sucked up into my bottles. Not really a big deal, but combined with the violent carbonation, it made for a very "chunky" beer.

5. After you do bottle them and then condition for three weeks. Let them sit and chill down for a few days in the fridge just to get some more of those particles to settle out and condense at the bottome of the bottle!

6. Hopefully you didn't use up the whole little packet of sanitizer from the kit on brew day. If so, I like a product called StarSan, but there are several other good ones out there too. If you think you'll continue, it probably would be a good time to pick up a bottle of that to have on hand.

Good luck to you, I'll look forward to reading about your progress and to see how your Well Made Tripel turns out!

 

[chapa]

Free the Hops has done a great job, I've read the bills proposed in March 2011 for permitting homebrew, container size, etc. and it looks like they're having a little progress. We both know how smooth and quick those boys in the Gump move with our government. Let' hope for the best.

Ghostly, thanks for the advice. After being on here I realized there instructions wanted to get it in the bottle way to soon. I just got my hydrometer in the mail so that'll help.

And no, I wasn't particularly concerned with oxygen getting in, I just don't see the point of the instructions calling for a switch from a blow off to a airlock. Is there a reason for this or am I missing something?

I think the main reason to switch is so you 9am clean the blow off tube before the stuff gets too caked, and so you're not leaving the blow off tube in a container of exposed sanitizer solution, or whatever you used. But realistically your right, aside from just cleaning the blue off tube before it gets too caked up, there isn't much reason to change it out, but at the same time, while it's good to be conscious about oxygen and sanitation, dont be too spooked about it. Changing out your airlock, or getting in there to pull a sample from the wort, will not hurt anything, as long as you practice decent sanitation.

Enjoy! Your going to be wanting a lot more than 1 gallon when you start trying your homebrew. Get your 2nd and 3rd batch lined up asap!

 

[aufory]

@kkrazy - Thanks for the tips, I had planned on changing a few things from the instructions just by what I read on this site, now I can add a few more. Did you use the orange blossom honey recommended or just basic honey? I couldn't find any of the blossom so I went with regular. The auto siphon is in the mail, and I'm weighing on waiting for it or going ahead with the instructions. Easier with the auto siphon, but then again I would like to appreciate what I have and remember what it was like without it! And no, I still have about half a pack of the c-brite and a bottle of starsan. I used it today for my first 5 gallon batch of a cream ale I did the same thing, as soon as the tripel was in the carboy I had new equipment and ingredients in the mail.

@chapa - I can see that, it was caked but not too bad cleaning out. As far as I can tell I had everything sanitized, even putting some of the glassware and pots in the oven. Probably overkill but I didn't want to ruin the first batch. I've read plenty of horror stories on here , and figured another post on "ruining my first" batch wouldn't be a good post. I'm actually amazed I've been this patient, but already having a 5 gallon fermenting, and another 5 gallon ingredients helps keep me busy. Thanks again!