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Trappist Coaster Belgian IPA Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Trappist Coaster Belgian IPA (23 Litres)

Like the perfect wave, a good beer only happens when all the ingredients are just right. With the discipline of a Belgian monk and the chillaxed nature of a West Coast surfer, the Trappist Coaster has all the elements for a smooth summery IPA. The use of Belgian yeast adds an extra layer of fruit and spice, with tropical notes and a hint of cloves blending with citrusy aromas. A resinous and bitter finish cuts through this bouquet for one disciplined IPA. All that’s left is to sit back, go with the flow, and soak in a beer as gold as a surf-bum’s hair at the end of summer.

Ingredients

1 x 1.7kg Thomas Coopers Preachers Hefe Wheat
1 x 1.7kg Canadian Blonde
1 x 500g Light Dry Malt
1 x 25g Nelson Sauvin Hop Pellets
1 x 25g Bravo Hop Pellets
1 x 50g Calypso Hop Pellets
1 x 11g Safbrew BE-256 (Abbaye) Dry Yeast
1 x 250g Dextrose Corn Sugar or Carbonation Drops

Features:

Colour: Golden
Body: Medium
Bitterness: High
Approx. Alcohol Level: 6.4% ABV
Naturally Carbonated: Natural

Instructions:

Step 1 : Mix

In a good sized pot (about 8 litres) bring 4 litres of water to the boil with 500g Light Dry Malt. Add 25g Nelson Sauvin Hops and boil for 10mins. Add 25g Bravo Hops and boil for a further 10mins. Remove from the heat and cool the liquid by placing the pot in a bath of cold water for about 15mins then strain into a Fermenting Vessel (FV). Add the contents of the two brew cans and stir to dissolve. Fill with cool water to the 20 litre mark, stir vigorously and check the brew temperature. Top up to the 23 litre mark with warm or cold water (refrigerated if necessary) to get as close to 22C as possible. Sprinkle on the Abbaye Belgian dry yeast and fit the lid (keep the brew can yeast sachets in the fridge as spares).

Step 2 : Brew

Place the FV in a location out of direct sunlight and try to ferment at 20 to 24C. Fermentation should take 10 to 14 days. At around Day 7, add the Calypso hops to the brew by wrapping them in a mesh cleaning cloth (pulled straight from the pack) and place directly on top of the brew then re-fit the lid. On day 10 check the specific gravity (SG). Check the SG again the following day and so on.

Step 3 : Bottle

The brew is ready once the SG has stabilised over a couple of days, expect about 1008 to 1012. Gently fill clean PET bottles to about 3cm from the top. Add 2 carbonation drops per bottle and secure the caps. Store the bottles upright in a location out of direct sunlight at or above 18C.

Step 4 : Enjoy

After at least two weeks, check for sufficient carbonation by squeezing the PET bottles. Bottles kept unrefrigerated should improve with age. When ready to drink, chill the bottles upright. The chilled beer may be poured into clean glassware, leaving the sediment behind. Expect the alcohol content to be approximately 6.4% ABV.