Duvel #1 bottled, #2 updates

The first batch of duvel — the weirdly quick to ferment one — is now in the bottle and seems normal. Only taste will truly tell! In my mad rush to make tons of wedding beer I am now running out of bottles to put beer in. Anyone in Portland want to save their non-screw top bottles for me? Rinsed before storage, if you please

As for my second duvel, it’s pretty much done fermenting, right on schedule. I’ll have to wrangle some more bottles for that one.

Next up: another batch of kolsch because, well, I’ve consumed much of the last one. Oops!

Duvel #2 update

The duvel I brewed last weekend is behaving normally, and took about 5 days to develop any fermentation activity. Whew, just as I’ve come to expect! I think that the previous batch started fermenting earlier because I pitched the yeast when the wort was at around 74 degrees. For the second batch, I pitched the yeast at 68 degrees. I used the same brand of yeast for both. What a difference pitching temperature makes! Now I’ll have to see if the flavor and quality of the beers are different.

Brewing updates: mead and duvel

On March 11, I made my first ever batch of mead. Today, June 6, I racked it to a secondary fermenter where it will dwell until it clears — which apparently means it’s ready to drink and bottle. That’s nearly four months of fermenting! Impressive. And if I’d fermented at lager temperatures there’s no telling when this would ever be done. Who even knows how long this next round of fermentation will take. Don’t forget that I accidentally used the wrong yeast in this mead and wound up adding champagne yeast along with the accidental lager yeast. While it tasted sweet and of honey when I tried a little today, it’s still not quite mead-like.

On the other end of the fermentation spectrum, the duvel is quite active which I find a little surprising and worrisome. The last few times I’ve made this recipe, the yeast takes a good 3–5 days to get active in the wort. This time, I had solid fermentation within 24 hours. Unbelievable! I’ve brewed this recipe at least five times before, and each time the fermentation was so slow to start that I thought my yeast might be dead. Because this is abnormal in my experience, I’m definitely going to make more duvel next week just in case the first batch of the season doesn’t turn out right.

This brewing endeavor will have all three of my carboys in use for who knows how long. I may have to borrow one from a friend if I’m going to make more kolsch and possibly some porter for the wedding. So much beer, so little time!

Brewing the wedding toast beer

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not an all-mash brewer, preferring in my lazy way to brew from extracts or modified kits. A few years ago I came across Great Beer from Kits, an excellent source of recipies based on modified beer kits. The results have always been delicious, and my favorite it Don’s Honey Duvel.

If you’re not familiar with the duvel style, it’s much like a Belgian golden ale with an alcohol level of around 8%. Strong, devilish stuff indeed! Starting with Brewferm’s Diabolo extract kit, the recipe calls for 2 pounds of honey to be added to the boil. Simple and delicious!

This duvel has long been a favorite in our house, and its delicate sweet spiciness and crisp flavor make it an excellent toast beer. This beer won’t be ready to drink 9-12 weeks since it ferments for 3 weeks and conditions for 6 in the bottle. Now I just have to decide if 5 gallons of it is enough or if I’ll need to make more…