All-Grain - Ommegang Abbey Dubbel - Page 4

fastasaturtle · 01-24-2012, 03:42 PM

Just bottled this yesterday and it came out great. Got stuck at 1.020 but still came out at 8.3% abv. I have tweaked a few things with my process and brewed it again, so we'll see if it finishes out a little lower than the first try...
Really looking forward to cracking open the first bottle, thanks Gordon!

GordonT · 01-25-2012, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastasaturtle

Just bottled this yesterday and it came out great. Got stuck at 1.020 but still came out at 8.3% abv. I have tweaked a few things with my process and brewed it again, so we'll see if it finishes out a little lower than the first try...
Really looking forward to cracking open the first bottle, thanks Gordon!

You're welcome Turtle. Nothing better than helping someone make good beer.

gifty74 · 03-26-2012, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GordonT

You're very welcome. Glad that it turned out for you. I just finished a keg that was brewed in June and I was sad to see it go. As soon as Xmas is over I'm brewing this again with the same recipe but using several variations in the brewing process that I have since learned about. Should be even better this time around.

So Gordon, what was it that you learned about your brewing process that you would do differently the next time you brewed it?

I assume this one you would want to mash a bit on the high side, say 155°?

GordonT · 03-27-2012, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gifty74

So Gordon, what was it that you learned about your brewing process that you would do differently the next time you brewed it?

I assume this one you would want to mash a bit on the high side, say 155°?

No the opposite. This has enough unfermentables that the FG is going to be relatively high anyway. I would mash lower and longer. Say 146 - 152 for 60 minutes. I've also taken to adding the sugar just after high krausen.
Doing this again I plan to slightly reduce the malt and slightly increase the sugar to make it drier, or as the Belgians say "digestible".
I've been playing with spice timings and would add the Coriander at 5 rather than knock out. I've also found that licorice is extremely sweet and any amount of it adds a LOT of sweetness to a beer so I've switched to Star Anise and a smaller amount.
Ferment warm, don't be in a rush to see it finish. My last few beers with these changes have improved tremendously.

gifty74 · 03-28-2012, 02:17 AM

So how does Star anise compare to licorice as far as flavor?

GordonT · 03-31-2012, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gifty74

So how does Star anise compare to licorice as far as flavor?

Very similar but without the added sweetness. Star anise is available at most supermarkets. If you can find some fresh in the spice department spend a $1 or 2 and taste it yourself. I frequently use this in Chinese and South East Asian recipes and find it aromatic and pleasant.

It certainly works well in beer.