Noob with questions -- First brew ever 1.090

[haberdasher]

Hello, all. This is a doozy of a first post.

Firstly, I searched around a bit, but I haven't gotten used to the format of this forum yet - so I'll have a few simple questions in addition to my introduction. Hope I don't get "flamed" for not searching enough.

I just brewed my first batch Friday night, E+G, did a full boil in my 9-gallon 2-weld pot... a hiccup (read:failure) with my SP-10 propane burner (that I stupidly bought used) forced me inside to my electric stove ... that takes quite a while to boil 6 gallons... yeesh. I had gotten started a little later than I planned (11pm) so I didn't wrap up until 3:30am....

Now for the good stuff... I drink big beer - DIPA's, Imperial anythings,Tripels, Quads like Avery's The Reverend. That being said, I wasn't even going to enjoy and APA or the like for my first brew. Why brew what I don't like because it's easy? Where's the satisfaction in that?
So I found a recipe by Calagione called Tripel 'Round the World that sounded great.
Heres the recipe fyi:

Round the World Tripel “ Sam Calagione
SG: 1.090
FG: 1.018
Target ABV: 9%

Ingredients:

Pre-Boil:
· 1 lb crushed Cara-pils barley
· 2 tsp gypsum

Boil:

· 9.0 lbs light DME
------------------------------------
· 1 oz Saaz (60 min)
· 1 lb Chinese Rock Sugar (30 min)
· 1 tsp Irish Moss (20 min) I used Whirfloc
· 1 oz East Kent Golding (20 min)
· ½ oz Saaz (10 min)
· 1 lb Chinese Rock Sugar (5 min)
· 1.50 oz dried Chamomile (End of Boil)
· 1 lb light Brown Sugar (Day 2)

Yeast Options:
· 1762 Belgian Abbey
· 3787 Tappist High Gravity
· WLP530
· WLP575
I used 1214 Belgian Abbey instead, one smackpack, in a 1.2L starter 36 hours before brew time
Process:
1) Fill grain bag with Cara-pils and add to 4.5 gal cool water
2) Start heating grain and continue to stir every 5 min. Heat to 170 deg. F
3) Drain grain bag, do not squeeze!
4) Add heat malt extract and bring to a boil.
5) Boil 5 minutes and then start the 60 min. boil clock.
6) Add ingredients according to boil schedule.
7) Add brown sugar and 2 cups of water solution to primary after a good fermentation is under way, (2 days or so).
10 Days in Primary – no mention of secondary fermentation.?
9) Bottle with 5 oz priming sugar.

Now like I said, I used one pack of 1214 yeast, made a starter (1.2L) Fermentation has been WILD. I used a blow-off tube instead of an airlock for primary. I have now discovered the Mr Malty pitching calculator and it recommends that I should have used two packs of yeast.... am I going to end up under-attenuated? The first two days or so were 2 bubbles a second at a minimum.. this morning (start of day 4) it is still a bubble every 1.5 seconds...

How often should I check gravity? I haven't yet... Do I need to get a thief? How else do I check? Sorry if this sounds stupid..

The recipe doesn't mention going to a secondary, but I would think for a beer this big that would be a necessary step? How do I know when to go to secondary?

I know, I know .. RDWHAHB, but like every virgin, I'm scared I won't do it right. I've been lurking here for awhile already have my shopping list to convert my chest freezer into a fermenter, and start kegging by the next batch or maybe my third... ( I already have a kegerator, so it just makes sense...) and then go AG ASAP... just getting my feet wet with Extract first.

 

[jmcquesten]

I would shoot for a month in primary. Secondary is optional. Check the gravity around 3 weeks. That beer is going to need months to properly bottle condition. You're not going to wait months to drink it so don't be surprised if it's under carbonated or not as good as you expect when you try it after only a few weeks in bottles. Bottle it and set as many as possible away for aging, and get started on your next batch, preferably something not as "big". Maybe something quick like BMs centennial Blonde. You could brew that, bottle it, and finish drinking it before the other one reaches it's peak. Good luck, and try to be patient.

 

[Channel66]

Wait until the action slows down, the Krausen falls, and it starts clearing up some then use a sanitized turkey baster or a thief to take 3 gravity samples on 3 consecutive days. If you've reached a reasonable FG, that remains stable over 3 consecutive days, you are finished.

A big beer like that would benefit from some bulk aging after the FG is reached. It wouldn't hurt to transfer it over to a secondary vessel for awhile. But it's not necessary, it will also age well in the bottle after the fact.

As far as under pitching goes, you should be fine, it will finish up fine, you might have some off flavors but I doubt it will be enough to notice. The yeast will get tired and stressed, and slow down but they will get the job done.

 

[bobeer]

Welcome to the hobby!

You made a starter so in theory you made more yeast than the 1 packet came with. Try not to worry about the bubbling because you can't really tell a whole lot from that other than that it is indeed bubbling. Yeast are still active when it's not bubbling. Mr Malty is usually on point btw.

With that said, if I had this beer fermenting in my basement, I'd let it go without adding any more yeast and see what it does. After 3 weeks I'd take a sample to see where your gravity is at. (To take a sample I just sanitize a turkey baster and use that to fill my graduated cylinder) If the gravity is still high after the 3 weeks i'd go ahead a pitch more yeast. This beer is probably going to need a bit of time to age and condition so time isn't really an enemy; you can wait the 3 weeks and it wont really matter.

If you've looked up information on this forum about if you should secondary or not you probably know that it's a touchy subject. Personally, I've never used a secondary and my beer always comes out fine. It really just comes down to personal preference and what you believe to be the case. You'll know when to secondary just like you'd know when to bottle-- When fermentation is complete. I'd check the gravity after 3 weeks, like I said above, and if it's down far enough to where you want it then you can secondary if you want, or bottle it for aging.

This is just my opinion and I'm sure others will differ. Just collect as much information as you can about your issue and then decide what you want to do. Good luck!!

 

[woozy]

Okay, the above have answered the big questions. I'll answer the dinky questions.

And worrying about being flamed for not researching before posting? The title of this forum is beginner's beer brewing. So basic and simple questions are expected. Oh, and welcome to the hobby.

>>· 1 tsp Irish Moss (20 min) I used Whirfloc

It's the same thing. And it's not a pertainent ingredient specific to this recipe, but just a clarification technique and practice. Everyone develops their own over time.

>>>3) Drain grain bag, do not squeeze!

There's disagreement on that. The Theory is the pressure will release tannins (which is the same reason you shouldn't steep grains above 170 F-- which is no disagreement on). I'm of the opinion that the pressure of squeezing can't possibly provide the required pressure to make this an issue. But others may and do disagree.

>>>10 Days in Primary – no mention of secondary fermentation.?

Hmm, I wonder if the instructions simply forgot or if the writers thought 10 days primary was enough. I figure they probably forgot. The above posters have addressed this better than I could. Secondary is optional as stated above. But if you *do* do secondary it's important you use fermentation and gravity readings rather than a simple calendar to determine when to secondary.

>>>How often should I check gravity?

The above posters have answered. I'm just going to make a quasi-snarky comment that only need to check gravity when a gravity reading will give you information that you will use to make a decision. There's absolutely no point in taking a gravity reading every day and noting "gee the gravity dropped one point since yesterday" when the information does you absolutely no use. Basically your first need for a gravity reading is to see if fermentation is done. As that'll take at least 10 days, there's *no* reason to take a gravity reading till then because the reading won't give you any information that'll be of any use.

>>Do I need to get a thief? How else do I check? Sorry if this sounds stupid..

Doesn't sound in the least bit stupid. To take a reading you need to get a sample out and you need get it out in a gentle effective way that doesn't disturb the beer. (Sanitation is your main concern although unnescessary splashing, exposure to air and oxidation is the second.) If you have a spigot on the fermenter, problem solved. But most people don't. A thief or a pipette is probably the most sanitary and least invasive way to do it (after all, you *could* use a sanitized ladle but that would disturb your beer and be *too* much of a sanitation/oxidation risk). Some folks use a turkey baster instead-- if they have one; wine thieves and turkey basters are basically the same thing and cost about the same so I'd just get a wine thief-- well, no *I* wouldn't because my fermenters have spigots (which many folk think is a sanitation risk so... as you can see, the hobby is flexible and there are many potions and many opinions). You can also float your hydrometer in your fermentor *if* you sanitize it well. Some folks, not many, leave the hydrometer in a carboy permeanently and can see the reading any time they want. (Although, I confess, I don't understand how they see around the krausen and other junk.) Anyway... if you can think of another way to get the sample out it's fine, but wine thieves are probably the best idea.

That's a complicated recipe for a first time but the instructions seem clear and easy to follow. Enjoy!

 

[haberdasher]

@jmcquesten, @Channel66, @bobeer, @woozy

Thanks to all of you, you were each extremely informative and welcoming.

I'll likely reply specifically with a follow-up to a couple of those replies, when I get some time away from work.

Thanks!

 

[haberdasher]

I'm thoroughly surprised.

I took a gravity reading, and adjusted for ambient temperature, came out to 10.12!! With an OG of 10.90 that puts me at 10.24%abv... Kinda surprised as the recipe estimated at 9%, but that certainly doesn't bother me...

The aroma and taste are where I hoped they would be - obviously it was warm and flat, but I'm pretty confident it will be exactly what I wanted once it's carbed, chilled, and aged a bit. I def smell some banana-y esters but I like that (in moderation) in a Belgian tripel.

So I'm planning to rack to a carboy tomorrow, let it sit there at least a week, just for more clarification, then bottle!

Thanks again to the above posters!~:rockin:

 

[HopZombie99]

Good work! Tackling such a big beer for your first attempt is certainly ambitious. I'm happy to hear that you are pleased with the results so far.

cheers!

 

[jbaysurfer]

Since nobody's said it yet, I will. Don't rack it to secondary. You're not dryhopping. You're not adding fruit. The idea that secondary "clears the beer" is a fallacy IMHO. Time and flocculation clear the beer. That's a big beer. Leave it on the yeast cake an extra week or two and it'll clear just as well as if it were in another carboy. Yeast flocculates, meaning, it drops out of suspension. The good thing for us brewers is that it doesn't usually flocculate til it's done doing it's work. So just be patient while it does it's work then rack it to your bottling bucket right from the primary being careful to leave the yeast behind.

Oxidation is a homebrewers absolutely worst enemy IMHO, and secondary for no reason other then "clearing the beer" is exposing it to risk of oxidation unnecessarily.

Again, all IMHO.

 

[haberdasher]

Since nobody's said it yet, I will. Don't rack it to secondary. You're not dryhopping. You're not adding fruit. The idea that secondary "clears the beer" is a fallacy IMHO. Time and flocculation clear the beer. That's a big beer. Leave it on the yeast cake an extra week or two and it'll clear just as well as if it were in another carboy. Yeast flocculates, meaning, it drops out of suspension. The good thing for us brewers is that it doesn't usually flocculate til it's done doing it's work. So just be patient while it does it's work then rack it to your bottling bucket right from the primary being careful to leave the yeast behind.

Oxidation is a homebrewers absolutely worst enemy IMHO, and secondary for no reason other then "clearing the beer" is exposing it to risk of oxidation unnecessarily.

Again, all IMHO.

Thanks for the tip. I had read enough (even in this threads responses) that it wasn't mandatory, and you likely tipped the scales towards just skipping it.
I'll let the yeast 'clean up' a little more for another week or so then just package from there. I'm really not too worried about clarity anyway as I used Whirfloc, and Belgians aren't super clear beers anyway. I don't need it to look like a commercial pilsner...

Thanks again.

 

[jbaysurfer]

^ Cheers man. I know I like my big beers to last, and I also know the number one reason my beers have a limited lifespan is oxidation, so thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[haberdasher]

Well, I have got to say... this is awesome!

I left it in primary a month, they've now been in bottles a month.
I tasted one at three weeks - it was a undercarbed (duh - but I had been patient enough and couldn't wait anymore). I had another last night and it was significantly more carbed, but still a bit under. It did release some co2 from suspension up the sides of the glass, which I got none of the first time...

The taste is superb. The chamomile comes through a bit, Now that the carbonation is showing up, the mouthfeel is actually quite good. I can't wait till it gets a nice head on it - and I hope the Grolsch bottles I used for half the batch carb up nicely later too...

Appearance-wise, it's not amazing, but ok. Not as clear as I would like - I used Whirfloc, but it may be chill haze (I also forgot to use the muslin bags for the pellet hops...I was tired) Color is off for a Tripel. I'm thinking I scorched the extract a wee bit.

All in all, it's truly good enough that if I bought a 4-pack of this for $13.99, I'd buy it again. I'm kinda surprised that I get to say that for my first batch that just happened to come in at 10.25% !!!