Belgian Strong Ale

[boybrewer]

Thats it my next one I will make is the belgian strong. Been meaning to do this for a while now its time .

 

[neonmeate]

looks tasty

 

[boybrewer]

looks tastey

Yeah I know but beersmith spells it that way .

 

[The Judge]

Glad I revived this for you! And with that sort of testimony I will be borrowing your technique.

 

[slcmorro]

I'm doing this with 1388 first more as a big starter than anything...


Belgian Baby
Belgian Blond Ale

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20.0
Total Grain (kg): 3.500
Total Hops (g): 32.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.044 (°P): 11.0
Final Gravity (FG): 1.009 (°P): 2.3
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.64 %
Colour (SRM): 2.9 (EBC): 5.8
Bitterness (IBU): 17.6 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 73
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
2.000 kg Pilsner (57.14%)
1.000 kg Vienna (28.57%)
0.500 kg Cane Sugar (14.29%)

Hop Bill
----------------
12.0 g B Saaz Pellet (6.8% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.6 g/L)
20.0 g B Saaz Pellet (6.8% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (1 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------

Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes.
Fermented at 23°C with Wyeast 1388 - Belgian Strong Ale


Recipe Generated with BrewMate



Then Ill pitch this directly on top...



Belgian Belter
Belgian Golden Strong Ale

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20.0
Total Grain (kg): 6.500
Total Hops (g): 50.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.086 (°P): 20.7
Final Gravity (FG): 1.014 (°P): 3.6
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 9.39 %
Colour (SRM): 4.1 (EBC): 8.1
Bitterness (IBU): 30.9 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 73
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
3.500 kg Pilsner (53.85%)
1.500 kg Vienna (23.08%)
0.500 kg Dextrose (7.69%) (Boil addition)
0.500 kg Dextrose (7.69%) (Day 5 addition)
0.500 kg Dextrose (7.69%) (Day 10 addition)

Hop Bill
----------------
20.0 g Hallertau Tradition Pellet (5.7% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (1 g/L)
30.0 g Hallertau Tradition Pellet (5.7% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil) (1.5 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------

Single step Infusion at 65°C for 60 Minutes.
Fermented at 25°C with Wyeast 1388 - Belgian Strong Ale


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

 

[boybrewer]

Glad I revived this for you! And with that sort of testimony I will be borrowing your technique.

Thanks P.
Let us know how it goes .

 

[The Judge]

Grain Bill
----------------
3.500 kg Pilsner (53.85%)
1.500 kg Vienna (23.08%)
0.500 kg Dextrose (7.69%) (Boil addition)
0.500 kg Dextrose (7.69%) (Day 5 addition)
0.500 kg Dextrose (7.69%) (Day 10 addition)

So presumably you've done this before with Dextrose with a good outcome? I'm hoping for crisp, cleanness with a hint of tartness as a result. Not sure if dextrose is the best for that - but like I said, I've got some I could get rid of.

 

[slcmorro]

No mate, never done a Belgian anything, let alone a Strong. Just deducing what *should* work from a bit of reading and guesstimation. I've read that cane sugar, regular white sugar that is, lends more apple/cidery type flavours where-as in my experience with dextrose, it doesn't particular add anything other than alcohol flavour in the form of fusels.

 

[slcmorro]

Technically if I wanted to be super true to the style, I would be using candi-sugar rather than dextrose. The two are different in the way that they are broken down by yeast and the way they're formed also on a molecular level I think. Too sciency and wanky for me at this stage of my little experiment.

 

[slcmorro]

I'm hoping for crisp, cleanness with a hint of tartness as a result. N

I'm not picking up clean, crisp or tart when it comes to a Belgian Strong mate. The BJCP guidelines for a Belgian Strong condensed are:

Flavor: Marriage of fruity, spicy and alcohol flavors supported by a soft malt character. Esters are reminiscent of pears, oranges or apples. Low to moderate phenols are peppery in character. A low to moderate spicy hop character is often present. Alcohols are soft, spicy, often a bit sweet and are low-to-moderate in intensity. Bitterness is typically medium to high from a combination of hop bitterness and yeast-produced phenolics. Substantial carbonation and bitterness leads to a dry finish with a low to moderately bitter aftertaste. No diacetyl.

 

[manticle]

Candy sugar is inverted sucrose which is glucose and fructose split. Dextrose is a form of glucose. In order to deal with sucrose, yeast produces an enzyme called invertase which splits the sucrose into the fruc and gluc and has been linked (not definitively or exclusively) to cider/apple. Certainly using sucrose will not autonatically result in cider but using either candy/invert or dex avoids the necessity for yeast to produce this enzyme. In terms of belgian beer there is no such thing as 'true to style' but commercial breweries will use different types of sugar depending on preference - some candy, some table, some dex.

As far as I know, duvel/mortgaat is dex.

 

[The Judge]

Hmm yeah maybe you're right. I read that BJCP too, but tasted a brilliant Belgian Strong Ale this weekend which prompted me to try this style. It was Bruery's Mischief. Tasted pretty clean and tarty to me... but maybe that's the apples and pears and a dry finish that I'm confusing. Either way, I'm still using dextrose!!! hahaha ;-)

 

[The Judge]

PS - as an appraisal of Bruery's Mischief, it was completely delicious and worth whatever the price tag is for it. A handsome and delectable beer imo.