Raison D'Etre - Racking off

Waited a few days till racking off to avoid any diacetyle aromas, back into another 5 gallon demijohn

Raison D'Etre - finished fermenting already??

This morning, thought something must have gone wrong as the airlock was level with no bubbles. I checked the SG and realised that fermentation was finished already and reached 8% ABV. Perhaps the kitchen was a little warm but it is a Belgian ale on a Belgian Yeast so a few esters should taste ok

Raison D'Etre - Cleaning the kitchen wall

Monday morning, the brown puddle at my feet told me all was not well. The Raison D'Etre was fermenting violently and foaming over. I would have taken a photo but was in too much of a panic trying to clean the splatters of the kitchen wall. 

Raison D'Etre - Brew Day

Today brewed a beer from Sam Calagione's excellent book - Extreme brewing. I liked the sound of creating a beer with a red wine character.

 

 We slightly adapted the recipe to suit ingredients available. The ingredients we used were:

Pre-boil tea ingredients

5 gallons water

4oz crushed crystal malt

8 oz crushed chocolate malt

Boil ingredients

8lb light spray dried malt

6 oz raisins

1/2 oz Saaz hops

8oz Belgian candied sugar

1/2 oz Hallertau hops

Fermentation

Safbrew S33 Belgian Yeast

The recipe as we brewed it is as follows:

The water is heated to 66 deg C.   

 

Put the crystal malt and chocolate malt into a grain bag. Turn the heat off and steep in the water for 15 minutes. Pull the grain bag out, drain for a couple of minutes, without squeezing and switch the heat back on. Throw the grain out now.

  

 Puree raising with two cups of the hot wort until smooth.

 Bring the wort to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the dried malt extract. Return the heat and bring to the boil.

 Remove a couple of pints of the wort and put into a gallon demijohn and cool for the yeast starter. When at room temperature, add the yeast and shake.

After 15 minutes add Saaz hops

50 minutes later add the raisin puree and candied sugar

10 minutes after that add the Hallertau hops and remove from the heat

 

Cover and when cool transfer to a 5 gallon glass demijohn.

 

When the starter is fermenting well, add to the main glass demijohn.