Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Savage Boleks' Drunk Monk Belgian Tripel

After the success of my first homebrew, I decided to try something different.  I purchased another Brewer's Best kit.  This time, I decided I would brew a Belgian Tripel.  But I also decided to give it my own twist.   I purchased some dried bitter orange peel, some cardamom seeds and some coriander seeds.  I thought the bitter orange peel would be a good compliment to the Belgian candy sugar.  I also thought that the cardamom and coriander would provide a pepper taste to the beer.  So, during the brewing process, I added the bitter orange peel and a couple tablespoons of cracked cardamom seed and cracked coriander seed.

The fermentation process for this beer was much more subdued.  That may have been due to the fact that I let the beer ferment in the basement, which was cooler than the dining room (where the Rascal King fermented).  I was a little concerned about whether the fermentation, but I continued anyway.


The beer was a success, more or less.  The beer pours a golden brown, without much of a head, because there was not as much carbonation as I would have liked.  The Drunk Monk definitely has a different taste, which I thought would occur.  The beer has a peppery taste.  The beer is like a debate, between the sweetness of the candy sugar and the pepper of the cardamom and coriander.  The pepper wins, which is just fine with me.

I served the beer at our BBQ and had several bottles available for anyone who wanted to try it.  All but one of the bottles were consumed well before the end of the night. So, I guess people liked the beer. 

The beer is supposed to have an ABV of about 9%.  As with the Rascal King, I think the ABV fell a little short.  That just gives me a goal for the next time I brew the beer.

Obviously, as a homebrew, the beer is not for sale and is not available in stores.  You will just have to wait for the next party, assuming there is any left.

ENJOY!

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