Belgian Pale Ale

[tcc]

I've had WY3522 in the fridge for a while now, the thing keeping me from using it I think is the lack of well known + highly acclaimed BPA recipe out there ala DSGA or similar. I'm still pretty noobish so following like a sheep is ok by me if it means I get some awesome beer out of it. I've read Mosher's and Jamil's recipes as well as some posts on here like this one link but figured I'd nag you guys to look at mine....please?

I'm aiming for an easydrinking, "session belgian"....so pretty much just aiming for a tasty example of the style

Type: All Grain
Date: 29/10/2012
Batch Size: 25.00 L
Brewer: tom
Boil Size: 30.11 L Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) (3.0 SRM) Grain 56.29 %
1.00 kg Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 18.76 %
1.00 kg Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 18.76 %
0.27 kg Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 5.07 %
0.06 kg Caraaroma (130.0 SRM) Grain 1.13 %
25.00 gm Fuggles [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 12.4 IBU
25.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 12.4 IBU
30.00 gm Styrian Goldings [3.40 %] (10 min) Hops 3.7 IBU
2.00 gm Calcium Chloride (Mash 90.0 min) Misc
2.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 90.0 min) Misc
35.00 L Brisbane Water
1 Pkgs Belgian Ardennes (Wyeast Labs #3522) Yeast-Wheat



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.051 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.93 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 28.4 IBU Calories: 90 cal/l
Est Color: 9.5 SRM Color: Color


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge Total Grain Weight: 5.33 kg
Sparge Water: 21.55 L Grain Temperature: 22.2 C
Sparge Temperature: 75.6 C TunTemperature: 22.2 C
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp
90 min Mash In Add 13.90 L of water at 72.4 C 66.0 C


I'm only using the fuggles/EKG combo as that's what I have on hand, otherwise I'd just use all EKG for bittering.

Things I wanted to discuss;
1. I have some indian coriander, chuck a bit in? Couldn't do any harm right?
2. Could I whack a bit of Saaz in with the Styrians, does this work as a combo?
3. Am I getting too complicated with the grain bill, are there better grains for this style?


Thanks

 

[sav]

Looks decent I'd drop the crystal back a bit ,I did a pale with a bit of crystal it got a bit cloying touch of wheat wouldn't hurt. Nice yeast wy 3522
Good luckSav

 

[amarks6]

No Belgian candy syrup?

 

[newguy]

Recipe looks fine as is.

1. Leave out the coriander. Coriander + high hops can be rather turpentine-like (in my experience anyway).
2. Saaz & Styrians do go nicely together.
3. Grain bill looks fine. Brew as is this time, then adjust next time you decide to brew it. I've brewed a BPA a couple of times and I tend to go simple on the grain bill. From memory about a 70/30% or 80/20% pale:munich mixture. However, what you have planned looks like it will be delicious and is "about" right for what I've brewed and what I know others have brewed.

And
4. Don't mash at too low of a temperature - err on keeping the wort a bit more dextrinous. Most Belgian yeasts tend to be rather vigorous fermenters (will leave the beer rather dry) and you're going to need some malt sweetness to balance the hops. High hops + dry Belgian yeast + Belgian phenols can be a bit overwhelming.

 

[manticle]

Personally I don't think you need any crystal at all - the malt bill of pale (belgian pilsner is best if you have it/can get it, German my second choice) +vienna and munich will be plenty malt driven enough.

Styrian is a great addition - a bit of the hop character it brings works nicely. Works great with saaz too - Duvel is saaz and styrian from memory and is exactly the combo I use for pale Belgian types.

I feel like a broken record but a short rest at 63 (10 mins) and a longer rest at 68 will see you retain maltiness and body without struggling with attenuation and dry finish that is characteristic of this sort of beer.

No real need for sugar.

Ardennes is a fine yeast.

No to coriander.

 

[tcc]

Thanks guys for getting back to me on this one, its on the cards for next saturday so I can now get on with it and order the grain

I have some saaz sitting around so I might think about adding some in late with the styrians...

Manticle I infusion mash, is your schedule perfectly workable for infusions? Having just used 3711 for a saison I see what you mean about belgians fermenting very dry (it ended up at 7.8%!)

Having just tried above mentioned saison I will keep the coriander on hand for future iterations (big thumbs up to Randy Mosher's recipe btw)

 

[manticle]

Can be done with infusions. Just requires accurate calculation of water additions and you may need to start with a thicker mash so you don't end up an overflowing tun.

 

[tcc]

How's this? 1.5L/kg first rest, 3.17L/kg 2nd rest

Step Time Name Description Step Temp
10 min First Rest Add 7.99 L of water at 73.3 C 63.0 C
60 min Second Rest Add 8.90 L of water at 73.6 C 68.0 C
10 min Mash Out Add 5.90 L of water at 100.0 C 75.6 C


For the mash out I'll drain off some runnings and keep them out, otherwise the 6L addition has no hope....my cooler is only 20L

 

[tcc]

and now that I think about it the mash out will probably have to go...didn't take into account the volume of grain..

 

[emnpaul]

You will be pushing "it" uphill with a pointy stick to get to 78 for mashout using the infusion mashing technique. This is where decoction comes in really handy. I'm hesitant to explain how, in case I'm not doing it right, but it's worth looking into if you're esky mashing and have you heart set on doing a mashout step.

 

[tcc]

I don't think im ready to do decoctions....mash out is not essential though is it? i batch sparge if that makes any difference

 

[emnpaul]

Certainly not essential. In my opinion the most dispensable step when step mashing.

 

[tcc]

thinking maybe a heating element like this might be a good investment and allow me to do temperature mashing more effectively

element

 

[manticle]

Depends how you use it. That model is designed to be used with HLT or kettle - if you installed it inside a tun, you might get burnt grain stuck to it and I'm not sure about it coping with the weight of the grain. Not sure how well it would cope with being hand held and stirred.

Something like this is more expensive: http://grimwood.prontoavenue.biz/products/PC08B000S

http://www.grainandgrape.com.au/product_in...roducts_id=8227

but is exactly what I use for step mashing in a small esky. Works well for me - just keep stirring and keep it properly submerged when on.

 

[tcc]

nice I might get onto that, infusions are a pain and my urn's thermostat is slightly off making precision hard

 

[Dave70]

How's this? 1.5L/kg first rest, 3.17L/kg 2nd rest

Step Time Name Description Step Temp
10 min First Rest Add 7.99 L of water at 73.3 C 63.0 C
60 min Second Rest Add 8.90 L of water at 73.6 C 68.0 C
10 min Mash Out Add 5.90 L of water at 100.0 C 75.6 C


For the mash out I'll drain off some runnings and keep them out, otherwise the 6L addition has no hope....my cooler is only 20L

My last two mashes (Saison and Belgian pale) have been stepped. The most basic I could think of to get a feel for the volumes and temps required to hit the numbers.
Last weekends effort called for a total pre boil volume of near enough to 36L. So I split my water additions to 12L each.

Working with 5.473kg of grain in a 40l esky.
1st addition was 72 deg to get 58 (aiming for 60) - 30 min - cold esky - grain temp about 17 deg.
2nd addition was 85 deg to get 70 - 30min. Only reached 67 and needed another 2L at 90 to bring it up.
Mash out with 90 deg.

Pretty rough, but a couple of things I picked up for next time were to maby pre to heat the esky with a couple of liters of hot water first and let the grain sit out in the sunshine to heat up a little.
When using such reduced quantities of water, obviously everything loves to suck the heat out faster. Next time I'll have it spot on.

The first batch - Saison was only one point out at 1.055 (predicted 1.056), so I was chuffed with that at least.

I can see where the Maillard reaction in a decoction mash may well be worth the time and effort for certain styles, but to be honest, if the only thing I end up with here is a bit of extra lacing on the inside of the glass, I'll just go back to doing a straight 64 deg infusion. On a basic rig, it's a bit of a pain.

On a side note, I think the 3711 may be starting to consume the actual fermenter. It's been powering like a train for 7 days straight.

 

[RobW]

FWIW I think your grain bill is overly complex.
Belgian pales have a simple grain bill and you want it to finish nice and crisp (digestible as the Belgian like to say) so leave out the crystal.
I prefer just 90% Pils (Dingemans if you can get it otherwise German) and 10% light munich.
Hops look good but I'd add the EKG/Fuggles (go all EKG if you can) at 40 minutes rather than 60 and a couple of Styrian plugs at 10 minutes.
Ardennes is a great yeast - just make sure you have a good active starter and pitch it around 20C letting the fermentation activity lift the temp to 25 or so. Give it time to attenuate right out.

 

[tcc]

I ended up canning the crystal, replacing it with 200g biscuit in my craftbrewer order...was going to brew today but my heating element hasn't arrived yet so will probably have tues/wed off and do it then

 

[tcc]

it took me a lot longer to get this done - its in the keg now only 2.5 weeks since brewday, already really nice...recommended!

and thanks for all the tips

here is the final recipe;

Belgian Pale Ale Belgian Pale Ale
Type: All Grain
Date: 29/10/2012
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Brewer: tom Boil Size: 31.66 L Asst Brewer: Boil Time: 90 min Equipment: Brew Pot (6+gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (5 Gal) Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.00 Taste Notes:
Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) (3.0 SRM) Grain 57.69 %
1.00 kg Munich Malt (Dark) (11.0 SRM) Grain 19.23 %
1.00 kg Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 19.23 %
0.20 kg Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 3.85 %
25.00 gm Fuggles [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 13.4 IBU
25.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 13.4 IBU
30.00 gm Styrian Goldings [3.40 %] (10 min) Hops 4.0 IBU
2.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 90.0 min) Misc
3.00 gm Calcium Chloride (Mash 90.0 min) Misc
35.00 L Brisbane Water 1 Pkgs Belgian Ardennes (Wyeast Labs #3522) Yeast-Wheat

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.054 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.048 SG Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.008 SG Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.27 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.21 % Bitterness: 30.7 IBU Calories: 444 cal/l Est Color: 7.3 SRM Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Temperature Mash, 2 Step, Medium Body Total Grain Weight: 5.20 kg Sparge Water: 24.26 L Grain Temperature: 22.2 C Sparge Temperature: 75.6 C TunTemperature: 22.2 C Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Temperature Mash, 2 Step, Medium Body Step Time Name Description Step Temp 10 min Protein Rest Add 13.56 L of water at 68.9 C 63.0 C 60 min Saccharification Heat to 68.0 C over 15 min 68.0 C 10 min Mash Out Heat to 75.6 C over 10 min 75.6 C Mash Notes: Two step profile with a protein rest for mashes with unmodified grains or adjuncts. Temperature mash for use when mashing in a brew pot over a heat source such as the stove. Use heat to maintain desired temperature during the mash.
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar Volumes of CO2: 2.4 Pressure/Weight: 130.3 gm Carbonation Used: - Keg/Bottling Temperature: 15.6 C Age for: 28.0 days Storage Temperature: 11.1 C
Notes
didn't quite hit temps 1st rest was 64.5 and 2nd was 69

finished with 24.25L @ 12brix

kegged/bottled at 6 brix

 

[Nick JD]

That yeast is a corker. I summoned some up from a bottle of La Chouffe a while back and it's now my fave belgian yeast mainly because it doesn't have any in-yo-face qualities, but balanced.

You could easily use it with a can of Canadian Blonde and 1kg of sugar and make a winning beer.