Good Base Goo For A Belgian?

[Interloper]

Hi all, I love the Belgian beers so put together the following with awesome results:

Coopers Canadian Blonde tin of goo
500gms LDME
300gms Dex
1kg Belgian Candy Sugar (home made, based on excellent advice from the AHB forum)
Belgian Ale yeast
30gms tettnanger hops @ 10 mins in the boil

It is just 3 weeks in the bottle and is one of the best tasting brews I have ever made. I just loved everything about it, aroma, mouth feel, alcohol content.... The spicey floral notes of the tettnanger hops.... the belgian ale yest.... everything just clicked in this brew...

I'm keen to know what other tins of goo people would recommend using as a base for Belgians for all us K&K folk?

 

[kabooby]

It really depends on the type of Belgian beer you are making. Anything light and clean is a good start. You really want the yeast to contribute as much as possible.

Kabooby

 

[Interloper]

It really depends on the type of Belgian beer you are making. Anything light and clean is a good start. You really want the yeast to contribute as much as possible.

Kabooby

Quite a few interesting looking beers in your sig, we have similar tastes .

So any suggestions on tins besides the coopers canadian blonde?

 

[kabooby]

I enjoy a bit of variety

Not really sure whats available in kits, you could even try using unhopped pilsner extract from your LHBS and do a 60min boil with the addition of your own bittering hops.

Kabooby

 

[brettprevans]

or a Brewferm Abbey, tripple, grandcru. I think Blackfern? makes a belgian also.

 

[Interloper]

or a Brewferm Abbey, tripple, grandcru. I think Blackfern? makes a belgian also.

Some of the brewferm kits look very interesting, but only one Aussie distributor? And it's only 9 litre kits with no prices that I could see...

Have you tried any of their kits?

 

[petesbrew]

Hi all, I love the Belgian beers so put together the following with awesome results:

Coopers Canadian Blonde tin of goo
500gms LDME
300gms Dex
1kg Belgian Candy Sugar (home made, based on excellent advice from the AHB forum)
Belgian Ale yeast
30gms tettnanger hops @ 10 mins in the boil

It is just 3 weeks in the bottle and is one of the best tasting brews I have ever made. I just loved everything about it, aroma, mouth feel, alcohol content.... The spicey floral notes of the tettnanger hops.... the belgian ale yest.... everything just clicked in this brew...

I'm keen to know what other tins of goo people would recommend using as a base for Belgians for all us K&K folk?

Gotta admit, that Canadian Blonde is a great base kit, considering it's so easy to find.
I had some luck with the Brigalow Wheat kit, but in a JSGA clone. Maybe it could be used in a Belgian too?

 

[brettprevans]

G&G sell them. ive tried the abbey ale and its quite good.

 

[Interloper]

I had some luck with the Brigalow Wheat kit, but in a JSGA clone. Maybe it could be used in a Belgian too?

Might have a looky at kmart and see if they have that kit, they have a few of them... Normally when I go through the HB section of kmart the only brigalow product I buy is the bottle caps

 

[bconnery]

Brewcraft Belgian Ale
I used this back in the kit days to make a kind of forbidden fruit inspired ale with some coriander and orange and lemon for a bit of an experiment.
Would work well with a good liquid yeast or t58.

 

[petesbrew]

Might have a looky at kmart and see if they have that kit, they have a few of them... Normally when I go through the HB section of kmart the only brigalow product I buy is the bottle caps

Big W seem to have em too.
Just don't buy the Brigalow Hydrometer. hehe

 

[Swinging Beef]

I use pretty much anything that is hanging around and adapt it to being a belgian with the use of the right yeast and adjunct sugar.

I strongly recommend using liquid yeasts for belgians.
Ardenes is a great general purpose yeast and the Abbey Ale is fantastic if you want your beer to smell like fresh bread!

 

[barls]

i can vouch for the brewferm kits they rock. also available from the country brewer

 

[sunovagun]

Brewcraft Belgian Ale
I used this back in the kit days to make a kind of forbidden fruit inspired ale with some coriander and orange and lemon for a bit of an experiment.
Would work well with a good liquid yeast or t58.

I used the Brewcraft Belgian Ale a couple of weeks ago. I used T58 yeast and goldings fin hops. In the keg now and very nice...

 

[petesbrew]

I'm a bit over the T-58.... especially as I just used my first Liquid Trappist WLP500. Awesome.

 

[reviled]

Have you thought about just using pale liquid malt extract and trying to make up the flavours using grain... Ive been thinking of leaning towards this, less unpredictability by not having to guess whats put in the extract can...

 

[Interloper]

Have you thought about just using pale liquid malt extract and trying to make up the flavours using grain... Ive been thinking of leaning towards this, less unpredictability by not having to guess whats put in the extract can...

What are you thinking the grain profile would be?

 

[reviled]

What are you thinking the grain profile would be?

Would depend on what sort of belgian beer youre making, but an example would be a Chimay Blue recipe I have which is supposed to be almost exactly right... Its more relying on flavours from honey and brown sugar, but should give you an idea...

2.3kg light dried malt extract (or equivelent liquid malt extract)
30grams crushed black malt
400grams soft brown sugar
250grams blended honey
40grams Hallertau Hops
20grams Golding hops

Final Volume : 15 litres

The book says this is their best extract recipe and tastes almost bang on... Hope that helps?

If youre looking to make a dark belgian id prolly look at using maybe 2 1.5kg cans of liquid malt, prolly 300grams chocolate malt, some crystal, maybe some very small amounts of roast barley, and maybe some caramalt, should give you a nice combination of flavours and to bring the alcohol content up just use some dextrose, maybe 400grams.

 

[Interloper]

Would depend on what sort of belgian beer youre making, but an example would be a Chimay Blue recipe I have which is supposed to be almost exactly right... Its more relying on flavours from honey and brown sugar, but should give you an idea...

2.3kg light dried malt extract (or equivelent liquid malt extract)
30grams crushed black malt
400grams soft brown sugar
250grams blended honey
40grams Hallertau Hops
20grams Golding hops

Final Volume : 15 litres

The book says this is their best extract recipe and tastes almost bang on... Hope that helps?

If youre looking to make a dark belgian id prolly look at using maybe 2 1.5kg cans of liquid malt, prolly 300grams chocolate malt, some crystal, maybe some very small amounts of roast barley, and maybe some caramalt, should give you a nice combination of flavours and to bring the alcohol content up just use some dextrose, maybe 400grams.

I like the Chimay Blue :icon_drool2: , so what yeast did you use with this?

 

[reviled]

Fantastic beer aye, the recipe says that if you dont get a yeast starter going from a Chimay bottle then the final product will be inferior...

So what better excuse to go and buy a nice 750ml bottle of Chimay Blue

And I havnt done it myself yet, but planning it for my next brew cos the wife accidentally got soft brown sugar instead of raw sugar... Hmmm, again, what better excuse

Edit : The recipe says the alc level should be about 9.4% which is a little high, so maybe add an extra litre or so if youre gonna do it...