In the Fermentor: A Dog Bit My Enkel, or how to have fun at a brewing party.

I was invited to my first brewing party a few weeks ago. A bunch of people would be brewing beers and I wanted to get in on the action. With only one brewing station setup, I knew the KISS method was important. With that in mind, I threw together this simple Belgian Abbey Enkel (Single) recipe. Enkels; usually seen in the US as an Abbey Blonde or 6, have a lower strength than their Dubbel, Tripel and Quad cousins. Mine is at the lower end of the Single strength scale, with a target ABV of 5.4%. Here's the recipe for a five gallon batch:

Grains:
6 lbs Pilsen Light LME (Liquid Malt Extract)
12 oz CaraVienne
4 oz Special B

Hops:
0.5 oz Sterling: 60 min
0.5 oz Saaz: 20 min
0.5 oz Saaz: 7 min

Yeast:
Safbrew T-58

Extras:
1 lb Clear Belgian Candy Sugar

Original Gravity:
1.052
Estimated Final Gravity:
1.011

Fermentation Schedule:
3 Weeks Primary
2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning

Cost: $15 per case
Rough Commercial Equivalent: Avery Karma: $29 per case
Savings: $14

It was a party, so there wasn't exactly careful monitoring going on. Grains were steeped at ~158F for about 30 minutes. The hops went in more or less on schedule during the 60 minute boil. Candy Sugar was added with 15 minutes-ish left.

I usually shy away from dry yeasts, but I'd read positive things about Safbrew T-58. Rumor has it that it comes from Chimay. Dry yeasts are easier to work with and less expensive (a recurring theme here) than liquid, so I grabbed a pack for the party and gave it a whirl. I was shocked at how quickly the yeast went to work. Within a few hours, the fermentation lock was bubbling rapidly. I was also shocked with how fast it was done doing its thing. After 48 hours, fermentation ground to a halt. I'd read that T-58 was a fast worker, but had low attenuation. I'll report back in a few weeks with gravity readings, tasting notes and a pretty picture.

To the astute reader, it probably looks like I have a love of both Belgian Beer and Belgian Candy Sugar. You would be correct. However, I promise that in the next "In the Fermentor" article, I will be brewing something completely different.

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