Big Nose is our Triple: a deceptive amber ale that hides 8.6% alcohol behind an easy-drinking front. Three barley malts — Pilsen, Pale Ale and Munich — build a round, golden base, while a touch of sugar lightens the body to deliver that dangerous drinkability the style is known for.
On the hop side, Nugget and Willamette lay down the bitterness and structure. But the real signature is the Alsatian Triskel, slipped in as dry hopping during maturation: it enhances the beer with delicate notes that make all its character. A great sipping beer, powerful and balanced.
/ The ingredients
Quantities for 25 litres in the fermenter. Adjust the volume: the proportions recalculate automatically.
| Pilsen malt3.5 EBC | |
| Pale Ale malt7 EBC | |
| Munich malt15 EBC | |
| White table sugarat flame-out | |
| Nugget hopsbittering · 75 min | |
| Willamette hopsaroma · 15 min | |
| Triskel hopsaroma · 5 min | |
| Triskel hopsdry hop · 15 days | |
| Fermentis T-58 dry yeastor Wyeast #1214 |
Original gravity 1.075 (18 °P) · final gravity 1.009 (2.4 °P) · efficiency ~72%.
/ The brew
- Mash — Crush the malts and mash at 65 °C for 70 min, until the starch has fully converted.
- Mash-out & lautering — Raise to 76 °C, then sparge the grains at 78 °C.
- Boil (75 min) — Nugget from the start. Willamette 15 min before the end, Irish moss at 10 min, then the Triskel 5 min before flame-out.
- Sugar & whirlpool (30 min) — At flame-out, stir in the sugar slowly while creating a vortex, cover and let it rest 30 min.
- Fermentation — Cool to 22 °C, pitch 2 packs of T-58 (or Wyeast #1214 liquid yeast) and let it ferment at 22 °C.
- Dry hopping (15 days) — Add the Triskel to the conditioning tank and keep it cold for 15 days to reveal its aromas and clarify the beer.
- Bottling — Bottle conditioning with 9 g of sugar/L and F-2 yeast. See the dedicated article →
- Conditioning — 2 weeks at 21-22 °C, then enjoy.
/ Tasting
Golden blonde colour, generous and lasting head. The nose, complex, blends warm malty notes with Triskel’s aroma. On the palate it’s full and powerful, but the balance is such that the alcohol is well concealed. The hoppy bitterness invites you to set the glass down… then pick it back up.
The perfect Triple is power that drinks effortlessly.
Serve between 8 and 10 °C, in NovaBirra’s glass. Sip it slowly: its 8.6% will remind you at just the right moment.
The recipe is also available in BeerSmith format.
