Newbie - Brewing Belgian Trappist Ale (BruBox)

[oldskooladdict]

Having purchased myself and my brother a BruBox for Christmas I have finally got around to using it.

I have the Belgian Trappist Ale 'Tripel', which according to the description on the box is:

This beguiling beer is pale and strong with a fruity character. Although high in alcohol its body remains light due the the inclusion of genuine Belgian candi sugar.

I have followed the instructions to the letter, and my current site for the brewing seems to be 22 degrees as reccomended in their instructions - bit of a result!
(Instructions here for those interested: http://www.brupaks.com/brubox/index.html)

(See here for a very unprofessional pic! http://www.flickr.com/photos/99036196@N ... 4/sizes/l/ )

Now I need to wait for 10 days whilst the fermentation occurs, I am currently trying to decide if I should bottle the beer or take it straight from the tap...

My initial thought was to take it straight from the tap - as this causes less fuss and will be easier, however, can you guys answer some questions for me:

1. Bottling the beer and leaving it for another 2 weeks before consuming - will this lead to a nicer beer with a fuller flavour?

2. In the instructions they state for draught only to put 3 teaspoons of sugar in to the brew, I assume this means I would forgoe this step if I were bottling and add the sugar to the bottles as I go.

3. If I were to keep it in the box and take it as I wanted what kind of shelf life could I expect?

4. Ditto with bottles - once bottled how long could I realistically hang on to it for?

5. Would a mixture of the two methods be crazy?! - My mum suggested bottling most of it, and keeping some in the brew thing to allow people to taste it etc -and then I can compare the difference too.

6. If I decided to bottle it would I have to use any specific bottles or could I use anything - like old evian or buxton water bottles?!

Right, well if you've got this far then thanks for reading - I didnt know my post was going to end up being this long!

[oldskooladdict]

Thanks for the reply DaaB - some very useful comments.

In terms of the first question I meant I would leave it for the 10 days fermentation they specified, then the 7 days specified after that - then bottle it and leave it for 2 weeks - are you suggesting I should be bottling it earlier than they suggest?

I feared the beer may not last too long in the plastic bag thing, it looks as though bottles are definitly the way to go, at least for some if not most of the beer - just need to source some half decent bottles from somewhere now!

Just taken another peek - its still @ 22 degrees and the milk bottle has some small bubbles in it

[oldskooladdict]

Just discovered my brother had a dinner party last night... hopefully he has some bottles left over! - we shall see!

[oldskooladdict]

Alright, I promise I'm not spamming my own topic. but just bagged something useful on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0196291480

Not bad for under a fiver all in me thinks

[oldskooladdict]

The fermenting is going well - bubbles as you would expect and if you get close enough to the bag it smells nice too

However, I am a little confused, allow me to quote from the instructions:

After 10 days fermentation should be over (one bubble or less per minute).

^ I'm on day 4 of 10 for this process and its bubbling away, all good...

After fermentation:

Take away the water and close the tab, remove the piece of tubing

Fine.. easy enough...

For draught beer only - grip the neck, remove the cap and add 3 teaspoons of granulated sugar, refit cap and shake well...leave for 7 days for your beer to clear and either dispense directly or fill bottles primed with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar for 500ml. Bottles should be kept in a warm place for 1 week then moved to a cooler place for 2 weeks

This is the confusing bit... as I understand it you ONLY add sugar to the overall brew if you intend to serve from the box directly and NOT if you intend to bottle... so does that mean that after the fermentation procedure you simply leave the cube closed for 7 days, then move to the bottling?

OR... should you bottle straight after fermentation - leaving for 1 week in the same place you fermented then moving to somewhere like a shed or cellar for 2 weeks?

Also - how critical is the 1/2 teaspoon and what are the concequences of not enough or too much sugar?

(I've decided to bottle the beer, and since its difficult to measure whats what I think it might be easier to just bottle the whole lot rather than leave some in the bru box thing - I've got a load of bottles all cleaned up, labels removed etc - mainly hobgoblin and magners bottles )[/quote]

[oldskooladdict]

so if I only want bottles then do I go straight from fermentation to bottling then - rather than leaving it for 7 days just sitting in the cube doing nothing?

Also you say the sugar will ferment and carbonate the beer... so presumably too much sugar leads to a brew thats too fizzy and rich and too little leads to something a bit bland and flat?

Also - these bottles I have been collecting - ive removed the labels and stuff all ok, but how should I go about cleaning them - just leave them to soak in fairy liquid and boiling water then rinse them and then put them in a dishwasher with no tablets or something?

And (h's how many questions eh!) how far to the top would I fill say a 500ml bottle?

(Any other polycube - bottle techniques or tips welcome!)