Looking for a Belgian ale recipe

[welly2]

Wanting to make a Belgian beer. In my grain silo, I have quite the motley collection - abbey malt, special b, pilsner malt, pale malt, a bit of maris otter, wheat malt, various crystals, dark malts and so on. I'm determined to start using up malt before buying anymore. Got a few hop varieties (including Tettnang, Hallertau, Styrian Goldings). So, aside from the yeast, I'm pretty sure I have everything to make a tasty Belgian.

Does anyone have any pointers to some successful recipes? Or just a starting point? A Dubbel or Belgian Strong Ale would be ideal.

Cheers!

 

[shacked]

Hey mate, I think Belgians are all about the yeast, so I always try and keep it simple.

Made a nice Amber with Pils and about 250g each of Spec B, Aromatic and some really light crystal. Saaz hops at 90m and 0m for 27IBU and some coriander seed at 5 mins. OG was around 1.060. I used WLP530.

Other option could be a dark strong. Use around 400 to 450 grams each of medium crystal, spec B and aromatic, throw in a kilo of munich and add about 10% sugar and pils to get to 1.090+ with around 30 IBU from bittering.

Styrians or Hallertau are good for hops.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Hey mate, I think Belgians are all about the yeast, so I always try and keep it simple.

Agreed about the yeast, I think another important thing is the mash profile. I'm finding lowering mash-in temps to 45 - 50 and following with a long, slow stepping mash is giving interesting characters. When I get the controller sorted I'm going to try a continuously rising mash from 45 to 70 over as many hours as I can bear then a single decoction for mash out.

 

[manticle]

Wanting to make a Belgian beer. In my grain silo, I have quite the motley collection - abbey malt, special b, pilsner malt, pale malt, a bit of maris otter, wheat malt, various crystals, dark malts and so on. I'm determined to start using up malt before buying anymore. Got a few hop varieties (including Tettnang, Hallertau, Styrian Goldings). So, aside from the yeast, I'm pretty sure I have everything to make a tasty Belgian.

Does anyone have any pointers to some successful recipes? Or just a starting point? A Dubbel or Belgian Strong Ale would be ideal.

Cheers!

I think golden strong or tripel is the easiest high OG Belgian style to get right in the shortest space of time.

I have a lovely dark strong recipe but it doesn't become lovely till around 6 months and really finds itself after 2 years.

Any high grav belgian though is best kept really simple - quality, fresh pils malt, small amounts of belgian spec malt where required and quality sugar (commercial syrup a must for anything darkish) and plenty of fresh, appropriate yeast. My favourite for anything pale is 1388 but ardennes, schelde and forbidden fruit are all good in the right beer. 1762 for darker styles although my belgian quad gets finished with 1388. Noble hops, ekg and styrians for anything non 'new world'.

Keep the sugar additions till post ferment and add gradually. Ferment coolish for a couple of days then let rise a tad gradually. Not stupidly high.

After sugar additions have fermented, leave a couple more days then gently rack to a clean, sealed vessel, cold condition till bright, bottle or keg and allow to mature till it tastes right.

Good recipes on candi-syrup.com for commercial 'clones' of many types.

Yeast and patience are the main factors.

 

[technobabble66]

I have a lovely dark strong recipe but it doesn't become lovely till around 6 months and really finds itself after 2 years..

Hey yo, wordsmith, you care to post your Dark Strong recipe? Please.
As I'm sure you know already, mants, we're brewing a collaborative Westvleteren 12 clone tomorrow at the Vic's Case Swap, using the CSI clone recipe (setting up tonight!). So I'm probably covered for a dark strong this season, but I'd appreciate having a new recipe to inspire for next year -Belgian strongs are rapidly becoming some of my favorite beers!

 

[MHB]

Agreed about the yeast, I think another important thing is the mash profile. I'm finding lowering mash-in temps to 45 - 50 and following with a long, slow stepping mash is giving interesting characters. When I get the controller sorted I'm going to try a continuously rising mash from 45 to 70 over as many hours as I can bear then a single decoction for mash out.

Just on the temperature rate of rise, If you can control the rate of rise to 0.5oC/Minute there is no point in going any slower and 1oC/Minute is probably slow enough.
At 0.5-1oC/Minute all the enzymes will spend long enough going through their peak activity range to do all the work they are going to.
Decocting the last rise is an interesting choice, I would want to be careful not to create starch haze, if you are at 70oC before you draw the decoction and manage to extract some small starch granules there wouldn't be much/any amylase left working to break it down if you are doing a jump from 70 to near 80oC.
Mark

 

[Zorco]

I think golden strong or tripel is the easiest high OG Belgian style to get right in the shortest space of time.

I have a lovely dark strong recipe but it doesn't become lovely till around 6 months and really finds itself after 2 years.

Any high grav belgian though is best kept really simple - quality, fresh pils malt, small amounts of belgian spec malt where required and quality sugar (commercial syrup a must for anything darkish) and plenty of fresh, appropriate yeast. My favourite for anything pale is 1388 but ardennes, schelde and forbidden fruit are all good in the right beer. 1762 for darker styles although my belgian quad gets finished with 1388. Noble hops, ekg and styrians for anything non 'new world'.

Keep the sugar additions till post ferment and add gradually. Ferment coolish for a couple of days then let rise a tad gradually. Not stupidly high.

After sugar additions have fermented, leave a couple more days then gently rack to a clean, sealed vessel, cold condition till bright, bottle or keg and allow to mature till it tastes right.

Good recipes on candi-syrup.com for commercial 'clones' of many types.

Yeast and patience are the main factors.

Thanks for posting this; excellent advice.

 

[manticle]

Hey yo, wordsmith, you care to post your Dark Strong recipe? Please.
As I'm sure you know already, mants, we're brewing a collaborative Westvleteren 12 clone tomorrow at the Vic's Case Swap, using the CSI clone recipe (setting up tonight!). So I'm probably covered for a dark strong this season, but I'd appreciate having a new recipe to inspire for next year -Belgian strongs are rapidly becoming some of my favorite beers!

Most recent one here: 20L batch

7kg ding pils
1 kg best wheat
250 spec b
100 each aromatic and biscuit.

Hallertauer mit and styrians in equal amounts to 27 ibu. 10g of each added to whirlpool.
NC.
Mash schedule - 55/62/69/72/78. 5/10/45/10/10.
Decoction from 62, returned to hit 72, quick decoction added at mash out.

250 dex to boil.
1762 (fresh smack pack) into 4L starter, 2nd pack added when active, then entire active starter (same wort) added to brew.

Start ferment around 17, allow to slowly rise sfter a day or two to 22.
D2 syrup added in stages once gravity drops to sub 1020.

Previous incarnations have needed a high alc tolerant yeast like 1388 in an active starter to finish it off.

Intending to age for 1 year and bottle age for 1 more - will be bottled in all the belgian 330 mL I'm saving from my membership with ibc. Reseed at bottling.

More in depth beersmith versions here: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/57359-another-rochefort-10-thread/?p=962910

As mentioned a few times - it really needs a good amount of age.
Tripel/golden strong less so - just a decent cold conditioning period (3 weeks minimum)

 

[n87]

For my tripel, really simple

[Double batch]
16kg pils
Noble hop for bittering
WLP550
1kg sugar as the yeast is winding down

2 months in the bottle, and is starting to get really good
You wouldhave had this just before me and paulyman shot off last weekend

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

I'll add a bit of heresy to the mix: After a secondary fermentation on added glucose as above, one week cold conditioning then bottle condition with a champagne yeast (DV10 for preference). Works for me.

 

[Matplat]

So, I was planning a belgian soon too, but only angling for an average gravity pale ale.

Would the above fermentation and conditioning recommendations also apply?

I've got T-58 in preparation...

 

[technobabble66]

Thanks v much for posting that recipe, manticle.

Have you or anyone else used Abbey malt?

I'm looking at doing a "light" dubbel/saison with pils, spec b & Amber syrup; so was thinking of ~25% Abbey to enhance the "honey" element with the vanilla caramel of the Amber.

 

[kaiserben]

For those adding syrups or sugars to their fermenter, what sort of sanitisation are you undertaking?

Do you need to boil the sugar? (and then let it cool before adding to fermenter?)

As for syrup, I assume you could just pour it straight in? (considering it usually comes sealed in a bottle. But what about once you've opened that bottle, if you're adding in stages?)

Or am I worrying too much and the alcohol already present will make infection very unlikely?

 

[manticle]

@techno - Never used it - I believe it's along similar lines as biscuit and aromatic - a fairly 'toasty' malt. Not sure about deg Lintner/self conversion but if it is anything like either two mentioned, a little will go a long way. Also my very limited understanding is that weyerman has some different characters to something like castle.

@Matplat - for a table ale, I think you still want the yeast to shine so fermentation and pitch health/amount would be along similar lines. Ageing/conditioning would require less time but I'd still wait till it dropped bright before consumption.

@Lyrebird - what does the champagne yeast bring?

 

[manticle]

For those adding syrups or sugars to their fermenter, what sort of sanitisation are you undertaking?

Do you need to boil the sugar? (and then let it cool before adding to fermenter?)
As for syrup, I assume you could just pour it straight in? (considering it usually comes sealed in a bottle. But what about once you've opened that bottle, if you're adding in stages?)

Or am I worrying too much and the alcohol already present will make infection very unlikely?

I add my syrup straight in. Dex in pale beers gets brought to the boil from cold water. Surplus syrup is, kept lid on in the fridge.

If I do boil, I add straight in - such a small amount doesn't bring temp up of the overall batch.

That said, if you want to be cautious - boil everything, cover and allow to cool. No harm will come of doing it the longer, more cautious way.

 

[mofox1]

Thanks v much for posting that recipe, manticle.

Have you or anyone else used Abbey malt?

I'm looking at doing a "light" dubbel/saison with pils, spec b & Amber syrup; so was thinking of ~25% Abbey to enhance the "honey" element with the vanilla caramel of the Amber.

30% or so in my case swap beer. Very nice, definitely a very malty honey like element.

Edit: 27% - http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/89247-what-are-you-brewing-2016/?p=1413136

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

@Lyrebird - what does the champagne yeast bring?

I've only done one direct trial where I bottled half the batch with DV10 and the other on the yeast that was already there. I preferred the palate structure of the one with the DV10 every time I tried them in a side by side comparison over a period of a couple of months. I meant to keep some longer but it was delicious.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

For those adding syrups or sugars to their fermenter, what sort of sanitisation are you undertaking?

Five minutes in the microwave for my syrup (50 brix). In theory 60 seconds is enough but I like to get it to the boil and hold it there.

Caution: if you use a high brix syrup, microwaving it makes food grade napalm.

 

[shacked]

I've only done one direct trial where I bottled half the batch with DV10 and the other on the yeast that was already there. I preferred the palate structure of the one with the DV10 every time I tried them in a side by side comparison over a period of a couple of months. I meant to keep some longer but it was delicious.

From what I understand (which admittedly is not much), the champagne yeast won't play nice with the 'beer' yeast as it is a killer strain. It also won't metabolise maltotirose. For reseeding at the bulk priming stage and using dextrose (or simple sugar) it sounds like a winner as it is alcohol tolerant etc. (Again, as I said this is just what I've been able to piece together from articles and podcasts.)

It's interesting that there was a difference. In what way did it contribute to structure? Sounds cool.

 

[Matplat]

For those adding syrups or sugars to their fermenter, what sort of sanitisation are you undertaking?

Do you need to boil the sugar? (and then let it cool before adding to fermenter?)
As for syrup, I assume you could just pour it straight in? (considering it usually comes sealed in a bottle. But what about once you've opened that bottle, if you're adding in stages?)

Or am I worrying too much and the alcohol already present will make infection very unlikely?

I have been advised by a friend that sugar is by it's very nature sanitary. This is due to the fact that osmotic pressure of such a highly concentrated substance will kill off any microbes in the solution/on the surface.

This ties in with the common reasoning for not dry pitching yeast... but let's not get into that one