Just opened this present of " brew like a monk" going to pour a glass of my Belgian and start reading. Maybe I’ll learn something, I’m sure I will. Anyone read it?
I bought a copy a while back. Haven’t read it all yet, but it’s a very interesting read so far. Lots of interesting history and facts so far, which for me makes it worth it for that alone.
I really enjoyed that book. At first wasn’t what I was expecting when I got got it. Thought would be more like farmhouse ale’s. Has bunch of useful info in there that has Wyeast chart and whitelabs and a lot ofother great info.
I put that, and Denny’s new book at the top of the Amazon Wishlist, in hopes that the wife would have noticed since we share the account. She didn’t. 
Now I have to pay-off Christmas bills and fix a leaky roof so I think discretionary spending is on hold for a little while. Enjoy your book, you lucky, lucky, … :mrgreen:
Got it for Christmas a couple of years ago. Definitely enjoyed it.
Great read and great resource. If you like to drink Trappist ales, this will teach you to brew them. So you don’t have to buy them.
byfar the best brewing book I own, of many
Probably my favorite, and IMO the best, brewing book I own.
Just finished reading and like you all said great resource and fun read. Thanks to all your help on this forum I have been doing many things correctly. That might be because according to my take of the book there really is no wrong way to do a Belgian inspired ale. Some new things I will do now are take the heat off after a week to let the secondary fermentation occur a little cooler. Secondly I will bottle condition in the keg, which is something I have been planning with other styles as well. And yes use sugars something I have been shy about. :cheers:
Don’t recall this part of the book, what is the motivation to do this? Just curious. Isn’t the issue with doing this that as you drain the keg, the total volume of CO2 that is in the vessel (in the beer and in the headspace) will stay the same, meaning the CO2 in the beer will decrease?
Pietro chapter nine talks about bottle conditioning I plan on treating the keg like a big bottle and keep at 70deg for two weeks. Secondly I have been working at OEC brewery http://firstwefeast.com/drink/bucket-li … uld-visit/ building a greenhouse. Now this is an unusual place besides doing only open fermentations in imported Belgian fermenters they import unfinished beer in tankers and do secondary fermentations on premise, next they age in barrels or carbonate with sugar in kegs to be shipped to pubs. They do no bottling. I don’t know about the carbonation dropping ,I’m going to bottle off the keg maybe half and drink and give out the rest so we will see if it works.
Out. Frigging. Standing.
Quite possibly better than any answer I could have hoped for. Sounds awesome, post back as to how it goes. Also would love to hear more about the greenhouse, I remember reading about that brewery and am now especially psyched my bro is moving to CT real soon.
The greenhouse is for fruit trees from all over the world. They use the fruit to isolate different yeast from the fruit. We will building a couple more probably next spring. Make sure you get a tour when you come the place is simply amazing. They have an awesome tasting room with 7 beer flights no two alike.
Brewcat,
I’ve bought bottles from OEC, so they do bottle some of their stuff. Grandis was the one I bought and drank.
I’m pretty sure it’s all bottle conditioned in 750 mL bottles. Next time I am heading up there I’ll PM you and maybe we can have a beer. Great brewery.
They have a bottle line but bottle very few from what I was told. They also fill from the keg.you can also buy bottles in their tasting room.
I too picked this book up as a present to myself over the Holidays. Just recently started drinking Belgian Strong ales and the like, and immediately began to wonder what took me so long to discover this style.
Absolutely wonderful read!
[quote=“tookalisten”]I too picked this book up as a present to myself over the Holidays. Just recently started drinking Belgian Strong ales and the like, and immediately began to wonder what took me so long to discover this style.
Absolutely wonderful read![/quote]
I never drank them much untill I started brewing them. They tend to be expensive. They are generally less expensive to brew than an IPA though.
[quote=“Brew Cat”][quote=“tookalisten”]I too picked this book up as a present to myself over the Holidays. Just recently started drinking Belgian Strong ales and the like, and immediately began to wonder what took me so long to discover this style.
Absolutely wonderful read![/quote]
I never drank them much untill I started brewing them. They tend to be expensive. They are generally less expensive to brew than an IPA though.[/quote]
Amen to that. While I love supporting the Trappists, you can cut your cost per pint by about 70% by brewing these as opposed to buying them.
