Transverse Colon Tripel

Belgian Strong Ale

This is a 2004 BJCP style 18c beer.

Recipe: Belgian Tripel
Volume: 5 gallons
Dates:

Brew date: Mar 3, 2007
Transfer to secondary: Mar 17, 2007
Bottling: Mar 31, 2007

Ingredients:

Water source: basement utility sink filtered dispenser
Yeast: WLP500 Belgian Trappist

Grain bill

	Potential sg pppg	Points per gal
12.5 lbs Pilsener Malt 1 lb Pale Malt 1 lb Aromatic Malt 1.5 lbs Corn Sugar	1.037 1.037 1.034 1.046	462.5 37.0 34.0 69.0
	Ideal: Pre-boil: Target:	602.5 602.5 602.5	/ 5 gal = 120.5 >>> 1.121 * 70%/ 6 gal = 70.3 >>> 1.070 * 70%/ 5 gal = 84.4 >>> 1.084
1 lb Corn Sugar in secondary

Hops

2 oz Hallertauer - 4.2% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.070 = 19.3%	*IBU = 2 4.2 * 19.3 * 0.75 / 5 = 24.3**
0.5 oz Hallertauer - 4.2% avg alpha Utilization: 30 minutes @ 1.070 = 14.8%	*IBU = 0.5 4.2 * 14.8 * 0.75 / 5 = 4.7**
0.5 oz Saaz - 2.5% avg alpha Utilization: 15 minutes @ 1.070 = 9.6%	*IBU = 0.5 2.5 * 9.6 * 0.75 / 5 = 1.8**
	Total IBU = 31

Other

1/4 tsp Bitter Orange - 15 min 1 tsp Irish Moss (rehydrated) - 15 min 1/4 tsp crushed coriander - 15 min

Activity Log

Yeast Starter:

About 44 hours before the brew, boiled 5 ounces of DME in 1.5 liters of water and cooled. Shook to aerate, pitched yeast, fitted stopper and airlock, and placed at 72f.

Mash/Lauter/Sparge:

Heated 5 gallons of water to 168f in 7 gallon mash tun with bazooka T-screen. Stirred in grain and added cool water to achieve 152f. Rested for 60 minutes. Took pH of 5.7 with electronic pH meter 40 minutes into mash. Heated to mash out at 168f. Opened spigot 45 degrees and recycled until relatively clear. Sparged with 168f water. Captured 6.5 gallons into 10 gallon polarware pot with false bottom.

Boil:

Brought to a boil and added corn sugar and boiled through hot break. Boiled for 30 minutes then added first hops. Boiled for 30 more minutes then added second hops. Boiled for 15 more minutes then added third hops, bitter orange, crushed coriander and rehydrated Irish moss. Boiled for 15 more minutes then cooled by running through counterflow chiller into 6.5 gallon carboy Took specific gravity reading of 1.083. Pitched yeast from starter. Aerated by rocking on folded towel. Fitted stopper and airlock and placed at 72 f.

Fermentation (target final gravity = 1.020):

Observations of primary stage (14 days @ 75 f)

2 days: 1/3 inch of foam, 31 bubbles per minute
3 days: 3/4 inch of foam, 42 bubbles per minute
4 days: 1/2 inch of foam, 32 bubbles per minute
6 days: 1/2 inch of foam, 42 bubbles per minute
8 days: 1/4 inch of foam, 30 bubbles per minute
10 days: film of foam, 8 bubbles per minute

Siphoned to 5 gallon carboy taking specific gravity reading of 1.018. Aerated by rocking on folded towel. Did this to try to repeat results from accidental aeration at this stage on Three A Day Tripel. Fitted with stopper and airlock and placed at 75 f. Filled two 2 liter bottles 4/5 full, pressurized to 30 lbs/sq in an placed in fridge. One day later, boiled 1 lb of corn sugar in 1.6 L of water, cooled and added to carboy.
Observations of secondary stage (14 days @ 75 f)

17 days: 1/4 inch of foam around edges, 9 bubbles per minute
18 days: 1/4 inch of foam around edges, 12 bubbles per minute

Bottling:

Boiled 5.5 ounces of corn sugar in 3 cups of water and let cool. Added sugar solution to bottling bucket and siphoned from 5 gallon carboy into bucket until 1 gallon full. Took specific gravity reading of 1.014. Filled 2 liter bottle 4/5 full, put under 30 lbs/sq in C02 and placed in fridge for forced carbonation. Siponed remainder of 5 gallon carboy into bottling bucket capturing a total of 4.5 gallons. Filled and capped 46 bottles.

See Transverse Colon Tripel labels here.

Results:

TBD