Belgian Golden Strong Ale Pink Elephant (Delirium Tremens clone)

So based on the comment above, I'm curious what everyone would suggest as a next step. I fermented down to 1.020 in a week, with temps from 68 -> 78, which stepped over 3 days and then stayed at 78 for the rest of the week. Then I crashed it down to 45 over 4 days, and then let it sit in the fridge at 45 for the next total 2 weeks. Tomorrow I'm pulling it out of the fridge, bringing it up to 65 over 2 days and then I was going to keg and put in the kegerator for aging. Would you advice ramping it back up to 75 and letting it age for 2-3 weeks in a carboy at a higher temp? After I cold crashed is it too late? If I rack off the yeast (it is still in primary), should I just try to bring some of the yeast with?

Or should I just keg it and forget it for 4 weeks?

Are you sure it was done at 1.020? You can age at 70f now no problem.

ChillWill said:

Are you sure it was done at 1.020? You can age at 70f now no problem.

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Just placed mine in the fridge yesterday (at 1.006). I'm guessing that this yeast doesn't flocculate very much and even after two weeks at 35-37, that there is still enough to bottle condition?

If that's true then you can warm yours back up to 70 and let it keep working. Just bulk age it and see if it drops some more.

-Tim

The yeast I harvested didn't floc very well so I hit it with some finings, nice and clear now.

I added some dry yeast for bottle conditioning, it's good practice for beers this strong to add fresh yeast.

I don't think it was done at 1.020 and wish I would have waited to put it in the fridge a few more days, made a mistake there. I'm just going to leave it at 70 for another few weeks and hope things work themselves out.

I left mine in primary a week then cold crashed for two, looking back I'm not sure why. I went back and forth warm and cold conditioning it because I was impatient but then didn't like the solvent taste. Time is a good thing for this brew, don't be afraid to just leave it warm for 8 weeks. Cold crash before kegging or bottling though.

I have to say that my "failed" DT clone is still fantastic and gets better with age. It completely lacks any sort of Belgian phenolic character, but it's damn tasty regardless.

I just took a gravity reading after 8 days in the primary, and it has hit 1.009 and the sample was delicious! Gonna give it a couple more days at 75° to see if I can knock a couple more points off of it.

4th batch dropped from 1.080 to 1.008 with a single infusion mash at 150 which is a whopping 9.5%....can only lager 6 days and hot bottle 2 weeks then 2 weeks at room temp though as I want to enter it into the NHC deadline march 28th.

Those that brewed/drank recently, are guys still using DT dregs? Belgian Golden with S-04? Thoughts? I don't think I'd use the S-04 again, didn't make sense to me.

sivdrinks said:

Those that brewed/drank recently, are guys still using DT dregs? Belgian Golden with S-04? Thoughts? I don't think I'd use the S-04 again, didn't make sense to me.

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Wlp 550 worked great for me

Cultured dt yeast worked great for me, although wlp550 is a kick ass yeast.

Kegged this bad boy a week ago, left it in the garage at ~75F right now, will be putting it in the kegerator this week sometime. The hydro sample prior to kegging was VERY VERY good, it got a lot closer to 'expected' flavor after a few weeks at ~70F.

Very excited to get my first pull of this DT clone hopefully by the weekend.

I brewed this back in October of last year and I entered it into my first competition. It earned me a silver medal and a score of 40.5 at the Quaff AFC 2012 competition. Thanks for the recipe!

http://www.quaff.org/AFC2012/2012_AFC_results.pdf

Great job pensphreak!

Here's mine next to the real thing... I only carbdd mine to 3 vols CO2 cuz I didn't want bottle bombs. Color is very close. A touch sweeter Belgiany nose on the DT, and a sweeter finish. Otherwise the taste is spot on. Next time I'd reduce the dry yeast a bit to get a little more Belgian character.

Thanks for the recipe!



Don't know why its upside down...

How different this beer would be if it were not lagered? Has anyone tried it before?

Just needed to update this thread, since i saw the email notification today. This beer turned out AMAZING. I will need to post pics, but I've had RAVE reviews from all the beer and non-beer drinkers that have tried it. Absolutely keeping this bad boy in my arsenal now. I wouldn't change a thing.

I just won a silver medal in the San Diego NHC with a slightly altered version, my 4th batch of it....luckily I held 3 bottles back for Seattle. I used the WLP570 only and really feel it gives the best of the WL....have tried the blend the OP said, the 550, DT bottle, and now the 570 straight up, 570 is best. Vinnies uses a strain of the Trappist High Gravity in Damnation so I'm tempted to try that next, or a blend of that and 570.

For kegging I think I've figured it out, after primary don't transfer, add finings and leave in a tub of water at 80 degrees for a week. Then lager for a week. Put it in a keg and it's pretty close to ready as soon as it's carbed, of course you can age it longer and it'll develop. For the kegging version i've been targeting an OG of less than 1.070 and trying to finish it drier. Got one from 1.067 down to 1.003 which seems crazy.

I am looking to brew this in the next couple of weeks and I was just wondering is the consensus so far to use the recipe the OP listed or one that was posted a few pages back?

demagxc said:

I am looking to brew this in the next couple of weeks and I was just wondering is the consensus so far to use the recipe the OP listed or one that was posted a few pages back?

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I did the 570 and S04. When I brew this next, going straight 570. Otherwise the rest of the recipe was as originally posted.... photo of mine about 4-5 posts up.

tmm0f5 said:

I did the 570 and S04. When I brew this next, going straight 570. Otherwise the rest of the recipe was as originally posted.... photo of mine about 4-5 posts up.

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I'd skip the S04 also, didn't care for it in there.

Agreed. Omit the s04.

Not sure about consensus for five gallons but you don't need that complicated mash schedule....just mash at 148 for 90 minutes....90 minute boil....

Belgian Pilsner Malt as base with OPs additions of Munich, Aromatic, and Biscuit plus 1.66 lbs of Candy sugar or Cane(if you add cane sugar to acidic wort for 90 minutes it will invert anyways)....big starter of WLP570 ferment 68-80 degrees and leave at 80 a 3-5 days once done....lager as long as you can stand.

Last time I used Magnum for bittering and 50% Saaz 50% Styrian and it was great. Just make sure you hit the same IBUs as OP. I have backed off spices to 8 grams fresh ginger, 4 grams corriander, and 2 grams SOP all at five minutes as I felt OP recipe was too 'spicy'. Play with it though and make it your own.

Tasted side by side with the original. It is very close but the original has a little more spices. The clone is a very good beer in it's own right.

The original is a little too spicy IMO. Try 3 Monts Golden Ale (French Brasserie) from world market...it's an awesome version of the style, better than DT and Chimay Premiere IMHO.

Another trick that has helped me attenuate way down is to hold back 1/2 the sugar and add that when the gravity is down to 1.015 or so (pasteurized of course). You may have to adjust your IBUs if you are a stickler but I didn't really worry about it.

I'm very familiar with 3 monts (great beer). But I still think that the original deliruim is better than the clone. And believe me I love the clone. It is a great beer in it's own right.

The overall flavor of the clone matches the original but the extra spiciness of the real thing is something to aspire to. At least in my mind .

I brew a lot of beer (about 150la month) the delirium clone is the one I use to prevent me drinking the other that should age in bottle for optimisation. i do love this beer so do my friends who get to taste my beer. I cannot fault this clone but I wish I knew the secret to make it just like the original.

Made another batch today. I have increased the coriander and paradise seeds content as I'm trying to hit the spicyness of the original.

I bottled my previous one today as well and as an experiment I didn't lager it. Can't really tell the difference. Will see in 3 weeks when I compare one that was lagered and the one that didn't .

I have this one on constant fermetation. When i bottle it, I brew and put it on top of the yeast cake. The FG was spot on. Let's see how the third generation turns out in about 3 weeks.

I finished it 2 1/2 hours ago and there already a krauzen and it is bubbling like crazy. Never seen that so quickly.

I actually prefer it slightly less spicy. It may also be that the spiciness you are after is coming from the Yeast. Whats your temp profile and are you using only WLP570?

No I'm using WLP70 and safale S4. I actually the yeast cake of the the last 2 previous brew.

I mash at at 149 and sparge at 173.

The ginger in the clone is spot on for the original.

I bottled this last week and just opened a bottle "to test carbonation" and its fantastic. I dont have a bottle of the real thing in front of me to compare just yet but regardless of how close it really is this is a fantastic clone :rockin:

Making this tomorrow with Wyeast 1388 as my only yeast. Hoping it's great.

I'm not sure what's going on, but this beer tastes the same as my last time making it (IOW, not at all like Delirium Tremens). It's very good, but lacks any noticeable Belgian character. I used Wyeast 1388 fermented at 74 degrees.

It's because of the yeast used. The BIG thing in getting that DT flavor is to actually use the DT yeast from the bottle. I cultured it from the dregs of two bottles when I made mine and also added S-04 and the flavor was very much spot on. Even the yeast starter had a distinctly DT flavor to it.

I guess I'll have to give that a try next time, because nothing else has worked for me.

I went through a handful of pages on this thread and didn't see anything mentioned so I'll ask: Did you ever enter this into the competition you were planning.
I might have to schedule this as my next brew, I love this beer!

I entered in the local NHC San Diego qualifier and took Silver, but its different than the OPs version. For instance the WLP570 alone is a fantastic beer. 570 is from the Moortgat brewery (Duvel) and its going to give you a very similar flavor profile to DT. The problem with culturing yeast from a bottle out is that Belgian breweries often employ a second or even third yeast strain for bottle conditioning than those used in primary or secondary fermentation. You may not end up with anything close to the pure primary yeast strain. I feel the best option is to use a pure strain such as the one from White labs. I would hazard a guess that these yeasts from Hughye, Westmalle, Moortgat, Van Steenberge etc. all originated from a common ancestor.

Also, having been to Hughye last month, and several other breweries, a common thread was:

1) 75 minute boil to minimize color reactions, DMS was gone by then
2) no candi syrup or rocks in light colored beers....table sugar only
3) minimal specialty grains, mostly Pilsener
4) no spices, all yeast derived

There was a high temp finish on the golden ales and a significant lagering period but often the lagering was off the yeast cake with a fresh dose of yeast and a 'small' amount of additional sugar (pre bottle).

Kicking an old thread - thanks for the recipe. Brewed this yesterday and I'm pretty excited about it. Brew day went well and I have 5 gallons 'no-chilling' in the basement. I'll pitch today with a mix of 1388 and harvested DT yeast. I've got starters of both ready to go! Cheers.

I brew this fairly often and love it but as I sit her with a DT in hand I notice that the real deal is considerably darker than my version. Thoughts?

sudsmcgee said:

I'm not sure what's going on, but this beer tastes the same as my last time making it (IOW, not at all like Delirium Tremens). It's very good, but lacks any noticeable Belgian character. I used Wyeast 1388 fermented at 74 degrees.

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Use WLP570 (the Duvel strain) if you pitch enough healthy yeast I cannot imagine you will not gain a Belgian flavor profile. Use a pitching calculator.

opteek said:

It's because of the yeast used. The BIG thing in getting that DT flavor is to actually use the DT yeast from the bottle. I cultured it from the dregs of two bottles when I made mine and also added S-04 and the flavor was very much spot on. Even the yeast starter had a distinctly DT flavor to it.

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Hughye bottle conditions with a different strain of yeast than the primary strain. Nearly all Belgian breweries do this. There is always going to be some of the primary strain left in the bottle though.

zman said:

I brew this fairly often and love it but as I sit her with a DT in hand I notice that the real deal is considerably darker than my version. Thoughts?

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Are you adding the Aromatic, Biscuit, and Munich? This should be enough and it's really on the darker side of a 'blonde' already so I wouldn't add any more. Boiling longer and more vigorously could aid color development. Or you could take your sugar and make a darker syrup by heating it up and using an acid.