Belgian Blond Ale Revvy's Belgian Blonde (Leffe Clone)

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It should be interesting. There will be 2 Belgians, 2-3 homebrewers, quite a few craft beer drinkers, and quite a few bmc drinkers. I'm hoping to win them all over with this beer ;).

Ill report back tomorrow sometime.
 
Omg I have not read all of the pages and comments but have to say that is one of the BEST legal disclaimers ever! Oh and thanks for the recipe I'm going to read the comments and possibly tackle this soon.
 
Alright well despite it getting hazy due to having to move it to the location it tasted awesome! It only bothered me and I'm the only one who knew because we were drinking out of solo cups haha. It was crystal clear before I moved it though.

The Belgians raved about it and I even had the bmc crowd asking me why the heck I wasn't selling it. A couple people actually hunted me down and grilled me, asking if I really brewed it hahaha. They said "this doesn't taste like homebrew man....this is a serious craft beer!" Not a single person didn't like it or didn't go back for more....annnd more ;).

So I think it's safe to say it was well received! Props to you sir on a great recipe!
 
Alright well despite it getting hazy due to having to move it to the location it tasted awesome! It only bothered me and I'm the only one who knew because we were drinking out of solo cups haha. It was crystal clear before I moved it though.

The Belgians raved about it and I even had the bmc crowd asking me why the heck I wasn't selling it. A couple people actually hunted me down and grilled me, asking if I really brewed it hahaha. They said "this doesn't taste like homebrew man....this is a serious craft beer!" Not a single person didn't like it or didn't go back for more....annnd more ;).

So I think it's safe to say it was well received! Props to you sir on a great recipe!

Awesome report, man. Very cool that the Belgians enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
 
Ladies and gentlemen, the day has arrived.

Tonight, I cracked open another bottle of this batch, and all I can say is - WOW!

The harshness, the funkiness are gone. The spiciness is a little more subdued; suddenly, the sweetness and fruitiness are very much evident... but the finish is slightly dry, which really makes you want to take another sip.

It is amazing how this beer has dramatically changed while aging. I have to wonder why there is a contingent on this forum who rolls their eyes at those who advocate patience and aging.

It may be ever so slightly different from the commercial beer, but that is not a bad thing by any stretch - this is definitely an excellent beer. It is time to label and start sharing.

I am so proud of how this has turned out, and am very appreciative to Revvy for researching this and then being kind enough to share this recipe. I will definitely keep this quality beer on hand.

If you care to read, I compiled my tasting notes on my blog.
 
What's this? (Hint: The answer is not a retired safety bollard from The Hellen Keller School of Driving)

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That's right, the bureau of pipeline management has dedicated a sanke exclusively for Revvy Leffe fermentation.
 
Got cocky and failed to consider the combined impact of a new strike water thermometer and thermal mass of extra grain/water of 10g. This batch sat at 163 for 30 mins.... hope I don't need a fork to rack it over in a month!
 
I'm finally going to get around to brewing this as soon as it friggin cools OFF here in the midwest (the thought of standing over an open kettle in 91 degree heat sorta freaks me out).

Anyone try this with the Wyeast 1388 (Duvel) strain? I'm diggin the Maredsous blond and.. yes I know it wouldn't be Leffe, but I'm just curious if anyone tried Revvy's recipe with other yeast strains? It seems like a solid Belgian blond recipe, with residual sweetness which might lend itself to experimentation with different yeasts.
 
I'm finally going to get around to brewing this as soon as it friggin cools OFF here in the midwest (the thought of standing over an open kettle in 91 degree heat sorta freaks me out).

Anyone try this with the Wyeast 1388 (Duvel) strain? I'm diggin the Maredsous blond and.. yes I know it wouldn't be Leffe, but I'm just curious if anyone tried Revvy's recipe with other yeast strains? It seems like a solid Belgian blond recipe, with residual sweetness which might lend itself to experimentation with different yeasts.

It seems like there have been posts about this earlier in the thread - I bet it would lend itself to this well.
 
I'm finally going to get around to brewing this as soon as it friggin cools OFF here in the midwest (the thought of standing over an open kettle in 91 degree heat sorta freaks me out).

Anyone try this with the Wyeast 1388 (Duvel) strain? I'm diggin the Maredsous blond and.. yes I know it wouldn't be Leffe, but I'm just curious if anyone tried Revvy's recipe with other yeast strains? It seems like a solid Belgian blond recipe, with residual sweetness which might lend itself to experimentation with different yeasts.

This is a great grain bill so you would probably have success with any Belgian strain. I've done it a handful of times with 3787 westmalle? on the cooler side which adds a slight fruitiness and a bit more wang. The end result isnt a mirror of Leffe but its very good. The wife still prefers 530 @ 66-68 ambient though.
 
Can you tell me what kind of a water profile would be the most suitable for this beer. Thanks
 
I live in Croatia(Europe) and have extremely hard water suitable only for dark beers. I have to adjust it when brewing lighter beers. Can you,at least tell me (if you know) , the chloride to sulfate ratio of your water so I could copy it.
Thanks again
 
I live in Croatia(Europe) and have extremely hard water suitable only for dark beers. I have to adjust it when brewing lighter beers. Can you,at least tell me (if you know) , the chloride to sulfate ratio of your water so I could copy it.
Thanks again


Sorry, like I said, I don't normally play with water chemistry, so I don't have that info. Best I can do is point you to a thread where folks are discussion the Detroit Water Analysis. Detroit Water Analysis: Thoughts?


Hope that helps.
 
This is the second recipe I have done of yours. The Kentucky Common Rye, really good and gone really quick... I just cracked the first bottle of this, amazing. I wish I still had some Leffe around to compare. Both of these are on my list of do overs. My hat is off to you good sir.
 
Small wonder why I constantly encourage people to try this recipe in the numerous "what should I brew?" threads.
 
This is the second recipe I have done of yours. The Kentucky Common Rye, really good and gone really quick... I just cracked the first bottle of this, amazing. I wish I still had some Leffe around to compare. Both of these are on my list of do overs. My hat is off to you good sir.

Small wonder why I constantly encourage people to try this recipe in the numerous "what should I brew?" threads.

I'm so grateful you guys like those recipes. Both this one and the Kentucky Common, and my vienna lager (which not a lot of folks brew because it's a lager I guess,) were out of the park homers. I wish ALL my recipes turned out as good without a lot of tweaking.

What you don't know about are those recipes that I absolutely strike out on.
 
I'm so grateful you guys like those recipes. Both this one and the Kentucky Common, and my vienna lager (which not a lot of folks brew because it's a lager I guess,) were out of the park homers. I wish ALL my recipes turned out as good without a lot of tweaking.

What you don't know about are those recipes that I absolutely strike out on.

What originally lead me to use this recipe was you menioning that you had really done your homework - you looked at the various clone recipes out there for this beer, then you brewed and rebrewed to get it "just right". I figured that you had already done the hard part, that it sounded like the recipe almost had to be excellent.

Others seemed to really enjoy it, and after brewing it, I can say that yes - this is a stellar recipe.

I'm betting that your strikeouts have still taught you some things, yes? You don't learn much by success, whereas failure always has a lesson to teach if you will only listen.
 
I need to pick up a bottle of this in the commercial version as I've been on a Belgian kick recently and never had this one. Looks like a winner and the recipe made my mouth water!
 
I just kegged this after about a month after brew day and all I can say is wow! I picked up a six of the original a few weeks back and I cant tell the difference beween the two. Same spicyness, alcohol is just a bit more prominent in mine but thatll go away in a few weeks I think.

Well done clone!
 
Man I want to make this beer, but I don't have a fermentation cooler and ambient temperature in my fermentation room is around 72-74ish so I'm wondering if this will cause a problem? If so, would pitching WLP500 or WLP550 change the character of the beer too much? Leffe is hands down my favorite commercial beer so if I can make a clone of it I sure will.
 
Man I want to make this beer, but I don't have a fermentation cooler and ambient temperature in my fermentation room is around 72-74ish so I'm wondering if this will cause a problem? If so, would pitching WLP500 or WLP550 change the character of the beer too much? Leffe is hands down my favorite commercial beer so if I can make a clone of it I sure will.

Rubbermaid tub + water + ice for a few days while active fermentation is going on. Or swamp cooler.

72-74 would give you active fermentartion temps of 77-84... I think the high end for this yeast is 78.

My ambient temp was lower 60s and this one hit 73 and stayed there for about three days for me.
 
Rubbermaid tub + water + ice for a few days while active fermentation is going on. Or swamp cooler.

72-74 would give you active fermentartion temps of 77-84... I think the high end for this yeast is 78.

My ambient temp was lower 60s and this one hit 73 and stayed there for about three days for me.

Yes, just do a simple swamp cooler for the first few days of fermentation and you'll be fine. Freeze some waterbottles and you'll be golden.
 
Rubbermaid tub + water + ice for a few days while active fermentation is going on. Or swamp cooler.

72-74 would give you active fermentartion temps of 77-84... I think the high end for this yeast is 78.

My ambient temp was lower 60s and this one hit 73 and stayed there for about three days for me.

Yes, just do a simple swamp cooler for the first few days of fermentation and you'll be fine. Freeze some waterbottles and you'll be golden.

Thanks for the tips, I will give this a shot!
 
I brewed this recipe about 2 months ago. Since the beginning it's had a cidery taste to it. I think the issue may be that my efficiency was low and I added a pound of light brown sugar. After doing some searches on here, a cidery taste can be attributed to adding too high of a percentage of simple sugars to a recipe and not having it balanced with malt. Has this happened to anyone else?
 
Think I'm going to give this, or something similar depending on what the brew shop has, a crack for my first Belgian.

I currently have some Ommegang yeast building up as I type this. Think that would be a good sub for the White Labs? My plan was to do a lighter Belgian and use the yeast from that to do a Belgian strong for the winter. This isn't "light" by any means, but it should still work.
 
Think I'm going to give this, or something similar depending on what the brew shop has, a crack for my first Belgian.

I currently have some Ommegang yeast building up as I type this. Think that would be a good sub for the White Labs? My plan was to do a lighter Belgian and use the yeast from that to do a Belgian strong for the winter. This isn't "light" by any means, but it should still work.

Do it. I don't know about a "good sub" but I brewed it with WLP515 Antwerp Ale, and although it didn't taste anything like Leffe (lower attenuation resulted in a little bit thicker, sweeter beer, and a totally different ester profile, whatever) it was really delicious. I think this would come out really nice with any Belgian yeast. Thanks for the recipe Revvy! :D
 
Would there be any advantage (or disadvantage) to mash this longer than 45 min ?
Also, I would be inclined to add the sugar to the fermenter after the initial activity slows. Would that make much difference here ?
 
I brewed this up a week ago and all went well. With the exception of a wheat, this will be my first attempt at a Belgian. Even with a nice sized starter this one is still shooting through the blowoff a week later. I did end up with a higher gravity though. 5.1 gal of 1.077 wort... So this may not exactly fit the blond guideline, but who am I to complain about someextra sugar:)

If this finishes dry, it may be pushing 8%.

Any good recipes for a Belgian strong or quad I could use this yeast for?
 
Btw, the ommegang yeast didn't work out. Pitched 530 as recommended. Still haven't decided if I want to keg or bottle this... I'm leaning toward bottling since a higher og might make some bottles good for aging.
 
Btw, the ommegang yeast didn't work out. Pitched 530 as recommended. Still haven't decided if I want to keg or bottle this... I'm leaning toward bottling since a higher og might make some bottles good for aging.

It does age very very well. You really can't go wrong with a 6+ month old bottle of this stuff. It probably would bulk condition and be equally amazing kegged but be prepared to let it sit.
 
It does age very very well. You really can't go wrong with a 6+ month old bottle of this stuff. It probably would bulk condition and be equally amazing kegged but be prepared to let it sit.

Yeah. I've had the same issue the homebrewdad did with this current batch for some reason (I used second generation abbey ale yeast that I didn't wash) that it's taken time time mellow. It was also the first batch I kegged in my new keezer, so I also think that had something to do with it. But it's FINALLY mellowing out and coming along. It's been in the keg for 5 weeks now.
 
Should have mentioned, the inaugural 10g batch was split 50/50 keg & bottles on 7/25. I guess there will have to be painstaking side by side comparisons starting next week. The bottles have been sitting at around 73-75 due to the heat. The hydro test was pretty harsh so I left the keg out for a week before putting it on gas.

I only have a simple regulator and a 3 way manifold so not sure if the kegged version will get 3 volumes at the expense of the other beers. Did you bump your co2 up?
 
Should have mentioned, the inaugural 10g batch was split 50/50 keg & bottles on 7/25. I guess there will have to be painstaking side by side comparisons starting next week. The bottles have been sitting at around 73-75 due to the heat. The hydro test was pretty harsh so I left the keg out for a week before putting it on gas.

I only have a simple regulator and a 3 way manifold so not sure if the kegged version will get 3 volumes at the expense of the other beers. Did you bump your co2 up?

Nah, I decided to, since it was my first kegged beer, to carb it at 12psi for 40 degrees f.


I'd can't wait to hear your comparison between kegged and bottle conditioned. Not having any bottled I can't do it, but this does taste different kegged then it ever has bottled.
 
I'll probably just stick with the routine I've had since I started kegging. The first gallon gets racked onto sugar in a one gallon jug and the other 4-4.5 gallons goes into a keg. This is just enough for ten 12oz beers for comparison/aging and a few ounces to sample. If you have flip tops, all the better since the beauty of kegging lies in it's convenience. A capper and caps are one less thing to deal with.
 
To start, thanks for this recipe Revvy. Like I stated in an earlier post I love Leffe and was greatly looking forward to brewing this up. Yesterday I wrote a post describing my brew process this past Saturday, the problem I was having, and a request for suggestions. Well, not sure what happened but either A) I'm retarded and hit preview post instead of post, or B) the forum ate my post...I am leaning toward A as the answer to that issue lol. Anyway, long story short I brewed up the ingredients, cooled, tossed into fermeter and dumped the vial of yeast on Saturday. No fermentation at all as of yesterday morning and I was concerned, headed to bew store after work to get another vial of yeast and wife called to tell me it was gurgling away and fermenting nicely so problem solved! I did change the ingredient list slightly since my LHBS online ordering system wouldn't let me order in increments like 9lb 13oz pilsner, so I had to get a full 10lb of the grains and my ingredient list looked more like:

10 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 81.4 %
1 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 2 8.1 %
6.0 oz Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 3 3.1 %
4.0 oz Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.0 %
10.6 oz Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 5 5.4 %
1.50 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 25.1 IBUs
0.75 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 7 7.1 IBUs
1.0 pkg Abbey Ale (White Labs #WLP530) [35.49 ml] Yeast 8 -

I don't think the the added grains will have much of an impact other than a tad more sugar if my efficiency was good, which it calculated at 73.2% Brewhouse Efficiency based on 1.068 SG, but I do think the bittering from the additional hops, especially the Styrian may make a difference. Lesson learned on this brew session, my second AG, make a starter.
 
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