Belgian Strong ale recipes

[Ed]

db, what's your opinion of using the enzyme? Any drawbacks, would you use it again?

Cheers, Ed

[db]

i havent used it again Ed. it didnt do it for me the one time i did use it (a blackrock mexican kit with a kg of TCB brew booster).. i found it dried the beer up too much for my liking. the alcohol % ended up around 6% for a kit + kilo. you could really taste the alcohol & there was no sweetness/maltiness to balance out the sharp 'alcohol' flavours. having said that i don't really like dry high alc beers (i'm not a big fan of duvel etc - i prefer more of a malty backbone/residual sugars to balance out the alcohol) i have thought about trying the enzyme again in a beer with a lower OG but just havent got around to trying it.. 1.008 is the lowest i get these days

[Ed]

Thanks db, doesn't sound like I'd like to try then if that's the result. Really appreciate the opinion. Be interesting to see carb's opinion when his is ready for sampling. If he experiences the same kind of result, I'll steer away. I'll do a bit of searching on using the enzyme tonight.

Cheers, Ed

[The Carbonator]

well, i AM going for the duvel type dry, high alcohol result.

I'll let you know how it is in 2-3 weeks.

cheers fellas

[db]

i think you'll end up with something drier than duvel using the enzyme

[pharmaboy]

Update od a belgian recipe. Just tasted my latest which had 5 days primary and 2 weeks conditioning at room temp in keg. tastes like a sweet rochefort or something - brilliant - probably best yet, although definately a one beer at a time.

Used forbidden fruit yeast again, brewcraft belgian ale, black rock light malt 1.5 kg, 200g brown sugar, 500 grams english crystal malt steeped 30 minutes, 250 grams muntons dried wheat spray malt, rind of mandarine, 2 teaspoons of crushed coriander. Made up to 15 litres. 24c

This has some serious alcohol level that provides the warmth of many of the high abv belgians. And as the belgians, there is essentially no head retention at all, which doesnt bother me - could easily have come out of a fancy $6-00 bottle. Went really well with a butterscotch custard last night!

[porridgewog]

db,

I concur on the dry enzyme as I have used it and the brew had a FG of 1000

used it in:
Can coopers Draght
1Kg Coopers BE#1
Cascade Tbag (Steeped)
Kit yeast

This turned out to be a good refreshing beer with a alc% of 5.5

[shane_vor]

Coopers Sparkling Ale
1.5kg Liquid Malt
1kg Brew enhancer 2
about 10g Hersbruker
about 10g Cascade
WLP550 Abbey ale Yeast starter
no boil
1062-1018


The Sparkling Ale is by far the better of the 2.

.

Apologies for bringing this thread right back to the beginning...

this is the recipe I'm using next. What was your result? Can you describe the finished beer? Is there anything you'd do to change it? Bear in mind I'm aiming for a Chimay clone...

[The Carbonator]

Well, I fing the sparkling ale to be fruity with the kit yeast.
With the WLP550, it is more earthy and a little phenolic. Doesnt taste like homebrew. mmmmmmmmm

In the next i will add some steeped wheat malt. maybe some candy sugar - but if adding more sugar make sure you up the hops - my last 2 brews have been too sweet. Not too much hops tho, cause hops overpower the delicious taste from the yeast.

If you want chimay (dont we all) I think you should buy some Dark candy sugar from your HBS. I think they give off more plum like flavours that you'll need for a chimay.


Since making the sparkling belgian, i have made one better:

Wals Wheat
1kg Liquid Wheat Malt
1kg Dextrose
5g Saaz
1L raging starter of Belgian Ale yeast WLP550
21L

This is unbelievable

Right now i have this recipe in the secondary, with some steeped wheat malt, about 8g coriander, and 1kg candy sugar added.

It might be too sweet.

Does anyone know if I can add the dry enzyme to the secondary?
Will this reduce the sweetness a little?

[pharmaboy]

If you use a dry enzyme with the yeast you are using it sort of defeats the purpose of using the yeast - may as well use kit yeast as add dry enzyme.

If you have added 1KG of candi sugar to secondary, I think you might need a tertiary fermentation to let it brew out. The extra rack will provide another opportunity for the yeast to get upto attenuation, but the yeast you have doesnt attenuate a great deal, so is not meant for a dry style.

Tread carefully when drinking - should be at a solid 6.6% that one.

[The Carbonator]

If you use a dry enzyme with the yeast you are using it sort of defeats the purpose of using the yeast - may as well use kit yeast as add dry enzyme.

What do you mean?

Im using this this yeast mostly for the Flavour.....

[The Carbonator]

Just put down a brew that should be very interesting:

3kg ESB Belgian Smoky Ale.
1kg Dextrose
150g Choc Grain Steeped 15-20 mins
1Litre starter of WLP530 Abbey Ale Yeast
Filled to 20L


Judging from the first and only ESB Belgian Smoked Ale i did, this last brew is going to have a very complex flavour.

mmmmmmmm

Smoky choc Belgian Strong Ale


I will let yall know how it turns out in a month or so...

[shane_vor]

Having just tried some more chimay, which was what I was trying for initially, I think the smokey type ale is more along those lines. From the looks of what I bottled the other day (and taste) it'll be nice AND STRONG but not quite as 'smokey'.

What will impart this wihtout grain? Dark malt?

[The Carbonator]

i wish i knew

[shane_vor]

So, it's experiment time again.

In order to get a darker 'smokier' type of ale I steeped some dark, crystal and chocolate grain. colour is about right, so I mdae up a mini brew using some wlp500 and other things. If this works...

[shane_vor]

That initial recipe I tried was total dog food!

Obviously the yeast overwhelmed the light ale, even though it had a high alc./vol!

Next wll be a dark ale using the sae yeast. the dark smokey flavour should go some way to toning down that VERY fruity yeast taste! (I hope!)

[The Carbonator]

my smoky choc belgian isnt the best either.

I'll have to give a few months

[lethaldog]

Ive recently been into the belgians.......any i can find. I cant beleive how good they are, particularly Leffe Vieille Cuvee.

I also brewed a couple with WP550 Abbey Ale yeast starters......a bit stinky when bottling, not too good after 2-3 weeks on bottle ( but interesting ), and after 5 weeks, the best 2 brews i have done yet ( 26 brews to date ). They dont have that homebrew taste.

My only problem now is nothing else is good enough.............I need that weird Belgian taste. Its like heroin.

So, any ideas for my next couple of brews?

I have White Labs Trappist Yeast WLP500, and still have some starters of the Abbey Ale WLP550.

I read about making candy sugar......might give that a go soon too.

Thanks guys

Not sure if your still interested carbo but i have a recipe for chimays blue label which is a strong abbey ale but its a winner, just let me know if you still want it.

[gregb]

Post it Lethal.

Cheers,
Greg

[lethaldog]

ldme 2.3kg
black grain (crushed) 30g
soft dark brown sugar 400g
blended honey 250g
bittering hops hallertau 40g
bittering hops goldings 20g
if you can get hold of a bottle of chimay blue label then make a starter out of it but if not just use a good ale yeast eg. safale or wyeast abbey ale
final volume 15litres

boil all ingredients for 40 min then strain and adjust to 15 litres with cold water, wait to pitch yeast untill it reaches 25*c.

sit back and crack a cold one as usuall