making unibroue belgian dark

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Bendbiker

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Messages
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Location
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Hi guys-

Looking for a little help making my first big belgian beer. I like Unibroue stuff and, living in montreal, i've tried them all. My favorite is called trois pistoles and its basically a belgian dark with some fruitiness (I think from the yeast), and an interesting malt taste. I'm still not good enough with all the different malts to pick it out. It's not roasty though, I think a bit of biscuit and not too strong.

Anyways, I found this clone online and was hoping for some input. I know they don't all work (like the one I found that called for 8lbs of laaglander DME which is only supposedly somewhat fermentable).

Trois Pistoles
Unibroue
Bottled: 3.5 oz. cane sugar
IBU predicted: 32.2
ABV predicted: 9.9%
Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Compliance w/ style: 99% (9% ABV is max for style)

Gravity post-boil: 1.094 @ 75 °
Gravity pre-secondary: 1.020 @ 70 °
Gravity at bottling: 1.018 @ 60 °
Yield: 53 bottles

18 lbs. Belgian Pils
0.75 lbs. Belgian Aromatic
0.75 lbs. Belgian Biscuit
0.5 lbs. Belgian Caramunich
0.25 lbs. Belgian Special B
0.125 lbs. Belgian Chocolate Malt
0.5 lbs. Belgian Cara-Pils
1.5 lbs. Candi Sugar Clear
1.0 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 60 min.
0.25 oz. Mt. Hood (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 45 min.
0.25 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 30 min.
0.33 oz. Mt. Hood (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 15 min.
0.33 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 15 min.
0.5 oz. Mt. Hood (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 1 min.
0.5 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 1 min.
Yeast :White Labs WLP500 Trappist Ale

I have done a few all grain batches with mixed results. My efficiencies are all over the place but am willing to get what I get. Any advice for big beers? I was thinking a 4L starter although I'm not sure if I would need a yeast nutrient also? I guess I'll mash low at maybe 64C for 90mins.

WHat else???
thanks:mug:
 
my LHBS also only has victory, so I will replace that for the biscuit. I think I will cut back on all the specialty malts so I don't get anything too wierd. I would prefer a more mellow taste to something too freaky.

My first AG I went a bit nuts with the specialty grains and got an off taste (I think from my water) and had to wait about 4 months for it to subside (It's now awesome).
 
OK-

@babalu- It never occured to me to try culturing the yeast. Sounds like a great Idea. I had WLP500 frozen away in the freezer so my mind immediately turned to that since it was in the clone recipe. The yeast is good? Have you used it for anything else?

@worrywort- It's good ain't it. I think I'll still batch sparge it instead of making a second beer since I don't really have enough equipment for that.


@ everyone- What do you think about the above malt bill? It seems a little too complicated. I think I might simplify it. Suggestions on what to drop? I want it to taste a bit like the clone, but want to be able to share my new treat with others too...
 
@worrywort- It's good ain't it. I think I'll still batch sparge it instead of making a second beer since I don't really have enough equipment for that.

Yeh, I didn't necessarily mean you should make a second beer. But you should skip the sparge completely and account for the lower efficiency 50-55%.
 
not a bad idea since my mash tun is draining poorly lately. I think I need to get a new hose. I guess I`ll just get like 5lbs extra base malt...

alright. Heading to the LHBS. Lets see what he has in stock since he just got back from vacation. If everything goes well perhaps I can drink it by xmas!! :D
 
OK-

@babalu- It never occured to me to try culturing the yeast. Sounds like a great Idea. I had WLP500 frozen away in the freezer so my mind immediately turned to that since it was in the clone recipe. The yeast is good? Have you used it for anything else?

The yeast made a great Belgian Ale

We did a yeast experiment in our brewclub and I chose the Unibroue (cultured from Trois Pistoles)
It was a fairly simple grain bill (pale with a dash of Crystal45 with a 60 minute hop addition)

Best received beer of the evening :rockin:

I stepped it up in the bottle with 100ml of 1.020 wort.
When the krausen on that subsided I poured the whole thing into 800ml of 1.020 on the stir-plate
Crashed that after 24 hours and poured off the starter and added 1500ml of 1.025 wort.

Had plenty of yeast
Pitched at 65 and let it run, it liked to be over 80 at the end. Needed to heat it up with an aquarium heater. It was stalled out at 75 and 1.020 but heating it up to 80+ got it to finish up nicely.
 
cool....I think I might do this. I am lucky in that I have access to a full fledged yeast laboratory (my old place of employment) so it shouldn`t be too hard.

Nice to hear that they tolerate the heat so well. I was a little woried thinking I should switch to a saison or something more heat friendly, but I guess the belgians tend to take the heat ok?
 
Need to keep it cool (low 60's) at the beginning and yes, my experience is to let it fly but not too fast too quickly. A swamp cooler helps keep it in check.
 
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