Colorado Kitchen Brew

The Quadrupel (often referred to as a Quad) is the strongest of the Belgian Trappist style beers. It is a powerful, malty creation that ages well and takes a long time to mature. My favorite examples of the style come across to me as a Trappist Dubbel that's been turned up to 11. With that in mind, my Quadrupel's specialty grains are inspired by an Abbey Dubbel that I will be brewing in a few weeks. Extra strength is provided by additional base-malt and a much greater use of homemade Candi Sugar than in my Dubbel. A modest hop flavor and aroma from Tettnanger hops completes the picture. As I've already said, a beer like this takes time to mature. Mine should hit its stride just in time for Christmas. Here's the recipe for five gallons: Grains: 11 lbs Colorado Pilsner 1 lb Aromatic 8 oz Crystal 45L 8 oz Special B 2 oz Dehusked Carafa II Hops: 0.5 oz Opal (6.3% a.a.): 90 min 1 oz Tettnanger (4.8% a.a.): 20 min 1 oz Tettnanger (4.8% a.a.): 7 min Extras...

My Oktoberfest is ready just in time for the big event in Munich. Time to see how things turned out. The finished product has an ABV of 5.7%, which is a couple of tenths of a percent higher than the style guidelines. Still, it's close enough. What really matters is if the beer is any good. I'm happy to report that it is. This was my first attempt at lagering a beer in the bottle for a month. I had no idea if it would have much impact on the finished product. My first impression is that it did. First off, this is the best clarity I've ever gotten out of a bottle-conditioned beer. The pale amber hue is brilliant. My photo really doesn't do it justice. An eggshell cap has decent retention and leaves a bit of lace behind. Even with the lagering, the nose has a touch of ale yeast fruitiness. However, some of that fruitiness could be from the Smaragd hops I used for flavor and aroma. Behind them is a very clean beer. Toffee and caramel dominate the palate. Bitterne...

Beet sugar waiting to invert. I love Belgian Candi Sugar. So much so, that since I started this blog, it's shown up in my Belgian Strong Pale Ale , Tripel-Dubbel , Enkel and Tripel recipes. Unfortunately, the stuff is rather expensive. Upwards of $5.00 a pound expensive. This led me to wonder if I could make it myself. How hard can it be? Checking the temp at 15 min. After a bit of research, it turns out to be a pretty simple and inexpensive process. In addition to a pot and spoon, all it takes is sugar, water, cream of tartar, a candy thermometer, a cookie sheet, aluminum foil or parchment paper, plus a little time. More importantly, the finished product will cost less than a $1.00 a pound. The syrup is darkening at 30 min. If you want to be true to the Belgian original, you'll want to use beet sugar. Here in Colorado, we have a local producer of it, but it can be hard to find in some other markets. No worries though, as cane sugar works just as well. ...

For the upcoming holiday season, I've decided to brew all three of the strong Trappist beers: Dubbel , Tripel and Quadrupel . First up is the Tripel. Unlike it's sister brews, a Tripel is not a malty creation. It has a golden hue and a more balanced bitterness. Candi Sugar adds strength, while lightening the beer's body. My recipe is a fairly straightforward take on the style. Pilsner malt makes up the bulk of the grist. Crystal and Aromatic malts add some extra complexity. This is my first time using Styrian Bobek hops. I'm hopeful that I'll like what they add. This beer will take a about ten weeks to mature. It should be ready just in time for Thanksgiving. Here's the plan: Grains: 11 lbs Colorado Pilsner 8 oz Aromatic 8 oz Crystal 15L Hops: 0.5 oz Merkur (12.4% a.a.): 90 min 1 oz Styrian Bobek (3.9% a.a.): 20 min 1 oz Styrian Bobek (3.9% a.a.): 7 min Extras: 2 lbs Clear Candi Sugar: 15 min Yeast: Safbrew T-58 Mash Schedule: Saccharif...

My grandfather's 1930's glass. As Summer comes to a close, it's time for my last summertime beer. A few weeks back, I brewed a pseudo Classic American Pilsner using a Kölsch yeast. After a fair amount of waiting, the beer is ready to usher Summer out. The beer looks pretty good out of the bottle. Clarity is nice for bottle-conditioned beer and there's a generous white cap. The beer also leaves a fair amount of lace behind. The beer's body is dry and has the right amount of fizz. For those into numbers, the Final Gravity came in at 1.008, for an alcohol content of 5.8% ABV. The line on Cluster hops is that their aroma is pungent, plus the flavor can be a little rough. I agree on both counts. Since I tempered them with Tettnanger, the aroma also has some spice. However, once I wrapped my head around the unique Cluster experience, I found myself liking the beer more and more. The malt comes through with a dry straw-like flavor. The corn can be sensed, but is v...