Tarandrus 9

Tarandrus – Unveil the Mystery, Savour the Warmth

It began with a whisper, a subtle yet irresistible call from the shadows of tradition and craft, beckoning during the long, cold embrace of winter. From this quiet yearning arose a desire — a desire to craft a beer that would defy the chill, warming the spirit with rich Belgian complexity and lavish spices. Thus, from deep contemplation and meticulous intent, emerged Tarandrus 9. Named for the mythical creature Tarandrus, often depicted as a cryptic reindeer capable of changing colours to elude capture, the beer embodies a sense of elusive mystique and transformative warmth, perfect for the darkest months.

Tarandrus 9, the inaugural brew of “The Eldritch Brews Collection,” draws inspiration from the enigmatic worlds of H.P. Lovecraft, evoking mystery and depth akin to forbidden knowledge glimpsed only in dreams. Crafted taking inspiration from the honoured tradition of Belgian Quadrupels, but without any desire to answer to any specific beer style, this brew is deeply layered with robust malt flavours and a tapestry of spices, each sip resonating with warmth and arcane subtlety.

In this chronicle, dear reader, you are invited into the dimly lit recesses of the brewery where the intricate dance of grains, yeast, and secret spices culminated in this extraordinary 9% ABV quadrupel. Pour carefully, savour deliberately, and immerse yourself in the lore behind Tarandrus 9.

The recipe is scaled for a 11L fermenter size, starting from 17L of mash water and using 4L of water for sparging. A volume of 16.5L is recovered pre-boil and approximately 12L after boiling, allowing 11L in the fermenter. The secondary fermentation takes place in a 8L fermenter allowing a yield of 24 bottles at the end of the sequence. While these are probably uncommon volumes, the recipe is easily scalable to your system and efficiencies with little effort.

Chapter 1: Malt Selection

The malt selection for Tarandrus 9 was chosen to ensure complexity, depth, and balance. At its foundation, 33% Pilsner malt (NO-OX Belgomalt in our case, any good quality Pilsner should do the job here) provides a crisp and refined base, while 17% Mr. Roost Wheat malt from Dingemans contributes a creamy, yet spicy and silky mouthfeel. Enhancing this rich texture and flavour are 8% Caramunich III malt from Weyermann, offering caramel sweetness and nuanced depth, alongside 5% Carapils (Weyermann) for added body and stability. The addition of 5% Melanoidin malt (Weyermann) sustain the body even more and brings pronounced toasted biscuit notes, complemented by 5% Special-B malt (Dingemans), imparting intense dark fruit and raisin characteristics. The malt profile is rounded out by 10% medium Candi syrup, 5% Diastatic malt, and 12% Pale Ale malt (Dingemans) to further enriching the beer’s overall complexity.

Hops

Chapter 2: Yeast Selection

Fermentis SafAle T-58

The yeast chosen to animate Tarandrus 9 was no less deliberate. For this brew, we turned to the renowned T-58 dry yeast strain from Fermentis — a classic Belgian-style yeast prized for its ability to generate complex esters and spicy phenolics. Its subtle notes of pepper, clove, and dried fruit complement the layered malt base, adding an aromatic dimension that conjures the arcane. This yeast, robust and reliable, thrives at higher fermentation temperatures (we went up to 25°C), encouraging expressive fermentation character while maintaining balance. It lends the beer not only its soul, but a whisper of mystery, something alive within the glass.

Malt Profile (left) & Hops Profile (right)

Chapter 3: Hop Selection

Though Tarandrus 9 finds its strength in malt and mystery, the selection of hops plays a crucial supporting role in shaping its profile. For the foundation, a dose of Simcoe was introduced during first wort hopping, contributing a subtle resinous bitterness and an earthy base. As the boil progressed, a harmonious trio — Simcoe, Barbe Rouge, and Brambling Cross — was added at the 15-minute and 5-minute marks. This blend imparts gentle notes of red berries, spice, and a hint of floral intrigue, enhancing rather than overpowering the malt character. The total bitterness, calculated at approximately 36.5 IBU, ensures balance and structure without eclipsing the deeper, darker elements of the brew.

As the cauldron neared stillness, and with only five minutes of boiling remaining, the true arcana was revealed. A carefully measured blend of spices was cast into the wort — cumin seed for its warm, earthy pungency, coriander seed for its bright, citrusy lift, and the rare grains of paradise, whispering peppery heat and botanical depth. These additions do not dominate, but rather haunt the palate, subtle and persistent, like an echo from a forgotten rite. It is here, in this closing gesture, that Tarandrus 9 fully embraces its eldritch nature.

Chapter 4: Water Profile

Behind every great brew lies the often overlooked alchemy of water. For Tarandrus 9, the water profile was softened and shaped with care, echoing the mineral balance found in the storied Trappist brewhouses of Wallonia. Much like the water used in crafting Rochefort 10, it possesses a gentle character — low in harsh minerals yet rich in harmony. The sulphate-to-chloride ratio was fine-tuned to 1.1, a delicate equilibrium that allows malt warmth to shine while preserving a crisp structural finish. This subtle interplay lends the beer a refined mouthfeel and a quiet clarity, as if the very essence of the brew were filtered through ancient limestone caverns whispered about in myth.

Chapter 5: Process Parameters

Mashing Schedule

The brewing of Tarandrus 9 followed a carefully orchestrated mash schedule, each step chosen to coax forth body, depth, and warmth. The mash began with a 60-minute rest at 66°C, allowing for efficient starch conversion while preserving fermentable sugars. This was followed by a 15-minute step at 72°C — a deliberate ascent into higher temperatures, favouring the production of dextrins and unfermentable sugars. This choice was no accident: by encouraging a fuller body and lingering sweetness, we sought to counterbalance the dryness that might otherwise result from a yeast strain as expressive as T-58. A final mash-out at 76°C for five minutes prepared the wort for sparging, stabilising enzymatic activity and ensuring a smooth runoff. The higher mash temperatures serve not only the palate but the mood of the beer — plush, opulent, and cloaked in the comforting weight of winter darkness.

Sparging and Boiling

Sparging was done with water heated to 76°C, effectively rinsing the grains and gathering the remaining sugars. The collected wort was then subjected to a 90-minute boil, which served to sterilise, concentrate flavors, and bring out the desired hop character. Salts from the water profile (potassium chloride and magnesium sulfate) were added after sparging to stabilise the ionic balance.

Hop Additions

Achieving a calculated IBU of 36, hops were added for desired bitterness, aroma, and flavor:

The hop additions for Tarandrus 9 were structured with restraint and purpose, forming an aromatic framework that complements rather than contends with the malt and spice complexities. The first act began with a first wort hopping of Simcoe, a technique chosen for its ability to impart a smoother, rounded bitterness. This early addition lends a resinous undertone that anchors the brew’s sweetness without intrusion. As the boil approached its final stages, additions were made at both 15 and 5 minutes, blending Simcoe with Barbe Rouge and Brambling Cross. This trinity of hops contributed a subtle layering of red berry, hedgerow spice, and faint floral accents, ethereal enough to be noticed, yet never dominant. The cumulative bitterness, reaching 36 IBU, was carefully calculated to provide balance and structure — an invisible architecture within which the deeper flavours reside.

Fermentation and Maturation

Fermentation — the stage where wort becomes myth — was conducted with deliberate control to shape the expressive character of Tarandrus 9. After boiling and rapid cooling, the wort was brought to 18°C, at which point the T-58 yeast was introduced. The primary fermentation was allowed to proceed at this steady temperature for the first three days, ensuring a clean start with restrained ester development and subsequently allowed to free-rise, naturally attaining the temperature of 25°C on the fifth day, encouraging the yeast to fully express its aromatic complexity — gentle phenolics, subtle pepper, whispers of dried fruit — while ensuring complete attenuation. On day twelve, the beer was transferred to a secondary fermenter and chilled to 10°C, allowing sediment to settle and flavours to integrate more fully. By day forty, the beer underwent a cold crash, held near freezing for five days to promote clarity and polish. Bottling followed, using a priming calculation aimed at achieving a carbonation level of 2.7 volumes of CO₂ — lively enough to lift the beer’s richness, yet restrained to preserve its contemplative weight. This effervescence sharpens the perception of spice, brightens dark fruit notes, and lends a luxurious texture to the final pour.

Once sealed in the bottle, Tarandrus 9 begins the slow alchemy of time. A six-month ageing in a 10°C cellar is not merely advised but somehow mandatory — it is a rite. In that quiet dark, flavours knit and deepen, esters mellow, and the beer ascends from its slumber, ready to be awakened in full splendour.

Conclusion

To brew is to perform a kind of alchemy — not the transmutation of lead into gold, but of water, grain, and time into something that stirs both the palate and the soul. In Tarandrus 9, each element was summoned with intention: the malt bill a symphony of sugars and Maillard whispers; the hops, a fleeting echo of forest and bramble; the yeast, a living instrument translating starch into spirit; and the water, soft as winter rain, shaped to carry it all. Fermentation proceeded not by chance, but by thermodynamic design —a controlled dance of temperature curves and metabolic thresholds, guiding Saccharomyces through each biochemical rite.

Yet beyond its gravity readings and ion ratios, Tarandrus 9 remains a creature of deeper resonance. Like its namesake, it eludes simple definition, changing hue with the light, revealing secrets only to those who wait. It is a beer brewed for long shadows, for pages turned beneath dim lamps, for rituals observed more than understood. It is both science and spell. And as you raise the glass, you do not merely drink; you participate in the unveiling of something old, warm, and just a little uncanny.

Cheers!