Leffe Clone: The Bastard Extract Version

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Jeffro74

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So I'm going to hack at my first Leffe Clone and I'd love opinions on amounts of ingredients and times in the boil. This was based partially on Revvy's Leffe Clone, with changes based on the fact I'm not an AG brewer (yet) and what was available at the local brew store.

1lb Biscuit malt, 1/2 lb Melanoidin, 1/2 lb Light Munich steeped at 150 degrees for 1 hour in 4 gallons. "Sparged" with another gallon for a 5 gallon boil.

Add 6 lbs Briess Pilsen LME and bring to boil.

3/4oz Czech Saaz for 1 hour (bittering hops)
1/4oz Czech Saaz for 10 minutes (aroma hops)
1oz US Goldings for 5 minutes (aroma hops)

Blonde Belgian candi syrup (not sure when I should add it)

Cool it and pitch WL530 Abbey Ale starter (and how much of a starter should I make?)

Minimum 3 weeks in primary and 3 weeks after bottling... I'd love suggestions on that too. So! Comments? Questions? Concerns? Much appreciation in advance.
 
Good luck on your brew. I usually add sugars and syrups towards the end of the boil - take the pot off the heat and stir it in like to crazy, to keep it from carmelizing (unless that's what you're looking for).

I moved this to the Recipes/Ingredients forum, because the recipe database is for tried and true recipes. After you've made it, if its good and you tweek it, make it again, then add it to the database. Good luck with your brew!
 
If it comes out, or once you tweak it over a coupla batches, add it to my recipe, so that folks can have one. I know people are always asking me for one. I'll even tag it in the first post.

Good luck. :mug:
 
Brewed this last night... a few changes. After checking Revvy's recipe again, I switched the Goldings and Saaz hops boiling times (used Saaz for aroma and Goldings for bittering)

I also only had a SG around 1.030, so I added three cups of table sugar to the boil. Got my SG around 1.065, which may still have been a bit high, but better than the 1.030.

I also got to cool my kettle in the pile of snow outside!! :D so that rocked...

Made a 500ml starter from the WL530 and that stuff smells great. So now it's fermenting at about 70degrees until the New Year and I'll have an update for y'all.
 
Came home from work tonight and the airlock was happily bubbling away... which made me smile because I haven't had a bubbling airlock since my first brew. I know it doesn't HAVE to bubble for fermentation to happen, but it's fun to see anyway :)
 
Subbing. I love a Leffe and just stumbled on Revvy's and sadfaced when I saw it was AG. I'm still a while away from going AG.

I'm hoping to have snow outside when I brew this, too... it's the only bonus about winter - easy cooling of wort (outside temp of -20C + 3ft of snow aren't good for much else)

Hopefully it turns out well, if not, maybe I can tweak somewhere and help you improve the recipe with my experiment :)
 
In transparent honesty, I'd love if you tweaked something in the recipe. While I think this will turn out good, I have no delusions it will be an "exact clone" of the Leffe I have come to love... and even after I try it, I'm not sure I know enough to be able to know what I'd need to change to make it closer to the original.

So by all means, keep this up to date with what you change.
 
I'm super new, but I'll keep reading up. I'll re-read the AG recipe and see if there's something I can tweak.

It'll be a month or so before I make this, so hopefully you've tasted yours and can comment on flavor and see what I can tweak from there :)
 
Took a gravity reading tonight... two weeks in the fermenter and it's at 1.016. Not bad. Thinking I'll leave it for another couple weeks. Probably bottle after the New Year. Let it condition in the bottle until Valentines.

Taste is close a Leffe... didn't have one to compare, though. I'll make sure to have some when I bottle. The wife likes it, though... so that's a bonus ;)
 
Forgot to add to the thread: bottled on New Year's Day. Wish I had a pack of Leffe to compare it to, just to see where it's at flavor-wise... but seeing as it's young and flat, wasn't gonna be close
 
I've had about four of these the last week and maybe it's because I'm getting used to it, but I think it's getting better. Better than it was when I just had it at 64F in the basement just after bottling. The warmer temps have done wonders for the flavor. I need to get a six pack of the real stuff this weekend and have the wife give me a blind taste test.
 
So... you done the compare? Wife and I had some Leffe Blondes, tonight, and she's gung-ho for me to make some, now ;) I have 1 more brew scheduled this weekend, and then the recipe-calendar is wide open. Probably make this in mid-February.

Do you find it strong enough, hoppy enough? Trying to see if there's anywhere that needs a tweak
 
I'm through maybe half a case already and I wasn't going to touch it until February. Haven't done the side by side comparison yet, so I don't know quite how it compares... but it's good :)

The 3 cups of sugar I added definitely added some alcohol to the beer, though... 2 of these and I'm typically nice and warm.
 
Okay... I did the blind taste test last night to less than stellar results. First off, I could easily tell which was mine by looking at it. The color was not as golden and it was not as clear.

I was way thrown off by the taste, though, because the Leffe had a nuttiness that was completely absent from my brew. The original also had a more floral bouquet than mine... and more than I remember from other Leffe's I've had.

... kinda liked mine better... but that's likely because I've been drinking it. Can't call it a Leffe Clone though. Although I want to buy a six pack of Leffe again, because I only found a 750ml at the liquor store... and it looked like it had been there a while.
 

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