Recipe advise

[Brew-Jay]

My brewing partner is dead set on brewing this recipe from Brewersfriend.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/4136/apple-strudel-tripel

Has anyone tried it? I'm skeptical because I think he's just after the high Abv. It does sound delicious though if it comes out right.

 

[BlackRock]

The recipe says 24lbs of Apple Juice? Looks like a typo. As for the recipe it's definitely not something I'd brew. I'm pretty boring though and like my IPA's. Anything with fruit in them I usually pass up. I'd say go for it, but it does sound like it could make a really odd brew with all that apple juice, candy sugar, honey, cloves and cinnamon. So much extra stuff in it I'd worry the brew would come out not tasting as "strudelly" as I'd want Maybe you guys should try a hard apple cider instead? That seems like a good direction if you want something with that sweet apple taste. My buddy has made some really nice sweet cider's. Another one might be to make a sour recipe. My same buddy has made a few of those that have a flavor profile similar to what this strudel recipe has from the sounds of it.

 

[Yooper]

Sounds terrible to me. Cloves, cinnamon, apple juice, finished very very sweet in a Belgian beer?

A sweet cider beer really sounds bad to me. But if you like it the idea, then it might be something you or your friend would like. I wouldn't touch it.

 

[E-Mursed]

Novice brewers LOVE to brew recipes with a high ABV.
It's just the nature and natural progression in homebrewing.
Sad but true.

If he is all jacked up to brew it....let him foot the bill for the ingredients.

 

[Calder]

I assume 24 lbs of juice = 3 gallons.

1.032 is very sweet for an FG. I suspect the original recipe ended up there because the yeast could not do any more. If you had a yeast that could manage the alcohol, I think it could go down somewhere close to 1.000 due to the high amount of simple sugars (candi-sugar, honey, and apple juice).

Personal opinion; sounds awful.

 

[Brew-Jay]

All the things I'm hearing are in line with concerns (although I think the flavor could be great). I think we're going to go through with it and let it be a learning experience. I'll let you guys know how it goes. I'm making a double starter for sure.

4 cups water to 1 cup DME enough? I think I'll need like 375 billion yeast cells or something.

 

[Yooper]

All the things I'm hearing are in line with concerns (although I think the flavor could be great). I think we're going to go through with it and let it be a learning experience. I'll let you guys know how it goes. I'm making a double starter for sure.

4 cups water to 1 cup DME enough? I think I'll need like 375 billion yeast cells or something.

For a 1.113 OG beer? More like a 4 gallon starter, and high alcohol tolerant yeast for sure. Incremental feeding may be better, as that's a pretty high OG and usually high OGs require special babying.

 

[Brew-Jay]

Ok. Brew day has come and gone and we ended up going down a much more sensible route. We just brewed the Northern Brewer Belgian Tripel. We hit the OG 1.076 on the nose. I had made a two step starter earlier this week so we had plenty of Wyeast 3787. It's bubblin' away like a champ now. Should be ready just in time for the holidays.



Cheers!

 

[Calder]

Looks pretty dark for a trippel.

 

[Brew-Jay]

I agree. But I've read that triples can be dark. We followed the NB recipe to the T so I'm not too worried.

 

[Calder]

I'm sure it will be good, but for reference, the BJCP guidelines:

Type: Ale
Category Number: 18C
Original Gravity: 1.075-1.085 SG
Color: 4.5-7.0 SRM
Final Gravity: 1.008-1.014 SG Bitterness: 20.0-40.0 IBU
Carbonation: 2.4-3.0 vols Alcohol by Volume: 7.50-9.50 %

For reference:

- Light American Lager is 2 to 3 SRM
- Pale Ales range from 5 to 14 SRM

Just because it doesn't fit into the style guidelines, doesn't mean it will not be a good beer.

 

[Brew-Jay]

If I had it to do over again, I would only add a little extract at the start of the boil, and save the bulk till 15 minutes before flame out. In fact it might be worth doing it again that way for a side by side.