Belgian Brown

[cwbrown07]

After 6months or so out of the game due to the arrival of our daughter, I finally found some time on the weekend to have a brew.

Didn't really think too much about the recipie, but was using what was lying around and was kind of aiming for something loosely along the lines of a Leffe Brune - the wheat yeast was off the back of a suggestion on the tin of goo that a wheat yeast will add a little something extra to the flavour.

Any preliminary thoughts as to the recipie?

Ingredients

1 x Brewcraft Belgian Ale (1.8kg)

1 x Brew Booster (500g Dextrose, 250g Maltodex, 250g light dry malt)

Will not updates on the progress as they happen

200g Joe White Crystal Malt (EBC 115-145) – steeped in 3l cold water, brought up to 65degrees over 30mins, then heat off and left in for another 15 mins

12g Tettanger @15 mins

2g Saaz @ 5 mins

10g Tettanger @10 mins

1 x Safbrew WB-06

Method

Steep grains as per above, then add flavour Tettanger addition once liquid is boiling. After 10 mins, add further aroma hops. After 5 more mins, turn off and add to tin and dry ingredients in fermenter.

Fill to 21l with cold water

Cool to 22 degrees and add yeast

Ferment at 20 degrees.

[Pale_Ale]

That will probably come out a bit thin...maybe think about subbing the brew booster for a 1.5kg tin of amber malt, and adding some brown sugar?

[Kevnlis]

That will probably come out a bit thin...maybe think about subbing the brew booster for a 1.5kg tin of amber malt, and adding some brown sugar?

In theory the 250g of Maltodex and the 250g dry malt will impart more body than the 1.5 kilos of liquid malt. Also up to 20% sugar adjunct can be used for this style so I would say he has done alright. More malt extract might help to boost the gravity, as I have the feeling that brew will be at a gravity much lower than desired for this style. The hop additions might be a bit heavy as hop arroma is not really desired, and the IBU level of this beer should be pretty low. WB-06 is most definately NOT the yeast to use here! If you have to use a dry yeast go for T-58...

[cwbrown07]

Thanks for the comments - always good to add to the experience bank.

Out of interest, the OG was 1.050 and FG 1.006, so the yeast seems to have ripped into it quite well.

Taste is ok out of the fermenter - having said that, I am not holding my breath too much as past hydrometer taste tests have been moderately astringent. I suspect some form of infection (doh!), although the hydrometer taste test done before bottling oddly did not display anywhere near the same astringency as during the course of fermentation.

I guess fingers crossed and see what happens in a few weeks/ months.

[Zuma]

Your not the famous jockey by any chance are you?

[cwbrown07]

nope - at 6'2'' a little tall for that caper

having said that, he has done me good a few times on the punt