Luckyeddie's AG#6 - Belgian Dark Strong Ale

[luckyeddie]

Sunday is fast approaching - if my Brother in Law gets his finger out, I will be christening my new mash tun (he is a plumber and is putting together the manifold - it's just going to cost me a brew on his behalf) - otherwise, it will still be BIAB with a difference.

Anyway, this is what I have in mind - I will be using good old WLP550 because the Chimay yeast isn't really anywhere near the cell count I require yet (gives me an excuse to do it all again during the week)...

Belgian Pale Malt 4.50 kg
Crystal 20L 0.65 kg
Cara-Pils/Dextrine 0.35 kg
Dark Chocolate Malt 0.10 kg
Toasted Flaked Oats 0.25 kg
Torrefied Wheat 0.25 kg
Dark Candi (rocks) 0.50 kg made up to syrup, add to boil @15 mins

90 minute mash

Northern Brewer 25g @75 mins
East Kent Goldings 20g @30 mins
Saaz 20g @15 mins

75 minute boil (didn't get much of a hot break last time)

Est batch size 20litres
Target OG 1076
Target FG 1014
8.3% alcohol although last time the WLP550 seemed to attenuate a little higher than the stated 82%, so the FG may be a few points lower with a resultant 9%.

 

[tazuk]

mmm sounds sweet let us know how you get on :drink:

 

[Svarrogh]

This one tastes yummy :

 

[tazuk]

where did you get every thing from to make this brew cheers :drink:

 

[luckyeddie]

where did you get every thing from to make this brew cheers :drink:

Matchless Homebrew, Barley Bottom, The Malt Miller and HopAndGrape.

I shop around.

 

[mickeyt69]

I did a dubbel the other day almost the same couldn't have done it without your advice cheers man !

 

[luckyeddie]

Always happy to help.

I like Redcar - I stayed B&B there for a couple of months a few years ago whilst working a contract in Middlesbrough.

 

[mickeyt69]

You working in ICI or British Steel? you were probably round the corner from me alot of the houses on my street are B+B's :

 

[luckyeddie]

You working in ICI or British Steel? you were probably round the corner from me alot of the houses on my street are B+B's :

I was working at an NHS Trust in Normanby, doing some Business Analysis. I stayed at a B&B on Station Road, right at the Cinema end. Can't remember the name of it to save my life. The landlady also worked as steward at the RAF club on Newcomen Terrace. They used to serve a decentish pint of Newcastle Exhibition in the club, and the price was about 50p cheaper than the pubs. Great fun talking to the old RAF Johnnies in their 80's about their WWII exploits.

No contest as to where I drank.

 

[tazuk]

hi how did the brew go today ???? :drink:

 

[luckyeddie]

hi how did the brew go today ???? :drink:

Eventful. I had to do a lot of messing around with interruptions and the like (the wife's mum is very ill so I do a lot of running around for her). Sorting the pics out now...

 

[luckyeddie]

The gratuitous grain shot: pretty colours...

Filling the HLT...

Ella the Brewery Cat looks on...

A runny mash (got interrupted at this stage)...

 

[luckyeddie]

Lunch - cheese on toast with dried chillies - mmmm-mmm!

First runnings - soup! I want my mash tun. The brother in law is doing the plumbing at the moment...

Boil on the go....

Adding the candi syrup - beautiful colour...

 

[luckyeddie]

Cold break clag....

Hoppy birthday....

Got 21 litres but the gravity was down a bit. Hardly surprising with the interruptions. Oh, and it's not the Duvel yeast this time - I hadn't wiped the lettering off the FV....

M-O-O-N - that spells 'Great brewday'....

 

[luckyeddie]

24 hours in, the WLP550 is going off like a train with 4 inches of krausen.

If Belgium ever wanted to put a man on the Moon, all they would have to do is fill a Saturn V with wort and pitch a few litres of the Orval Monastery yeast.

:party:

 

[tazuk]

now that is one brew i want to make once i sorted sonds one fine ale :drink:

 

[luckyeddie]

now that is one brew i want to make once i sorted sonds one fine ale :drink:

Oh, I hope so. So far my Belgian-style beers have all been absolutely magnificent - and I don't take any credit for that. The yeasts cover up all my mistakes.

I love the Belgian approach to brewing - they make it an art as opposed to a science. I like how you can produce the same wort, pitch different yeasties and produce beers with completely different characteristics - or even just pitching different amounts of the same yeast.

 

[luckyeddie]

Fermentation seems to have stuck at 1020 whereas I expected it to come down to 1014.

I have another couple of WLP550 starters in the fridge, but I think I'm going to leave it to look after itself for another week. The krausen hasn't fully broken up and sunk yet - I'm always telling others to be patient so for once I'm going to practice what I preach - well, almost.

I've given it a light slosh and put a brewbelt on it. We'll see what a couple of days of that does.

Edit:

Apparently I should have been cranking the temperature up on this one. When I brewed a couple of Belgians in Jan / Feb I kept the heat on them for around 10 days - something I neglected to do this time. Here's hoping the yeasties wake up.

 

[mickeyt69]

The one i did got down to 1008 making it 9.3ish%! a lot stronger than i thought it was going to be smells and tastes divine though :

 

[luckyeddie]

We shared a trial jar full today (waste not, want not). The missus, who is an apprentice connoisseur of all things Belgian (Chimay, Corsendonk, Westvleteren, Kasteel, Achouffe, Westmalle, Duvel, Orval, Barbar, Kwak etc - oh, and choccies) said "That shows promise" - praise indeed.

No bubblegum, no butterscotch, little banana notes, but deliciously fruity and full-bodied all the same.

Note to self - get a bigger trial jar.