Tall_Yotie
Well-Known Member
Stemming off of Saq's thread for the Westvleteren12 clone recipe. Here I hope to get thoughts, suggestions, and experiments for making a brew tasting similar if not the same as this wonderful brew.
A lot of the information I am using is from The Mad Fermentationist's recipe found here as well as conversations I have had with him.
Tasting notes, writing as my wife and I drink:
Smell- dark cherry, a slight sharpness from alcohol. Not so much dark fruit as with a Westvleteren 12 but more bright (Westy smells darker as my wife put it). Dark unsweetened cocoa like Mexican chocolate. No noticeable hops.
Taste- Thyme spice gives a savory note, and the orange peel is apparent as well. Have to know what you are looking for to detect it. Still no sign of hops. Not as heavy as a Westy, "less of a meal" as it were. Sweetness is like light molasses (not the standard dark stuff you put on cornbread. What, you don't put it on cornbread? You should try it!).
So, if I were to sum it up; Take a Westvleteren, lighten up the richness and fruit notes, add a hint of spice, up the Cherry and reduce the Plum. Give it a slightly lighter mouth feel.
Notes from talking with Michael (aka TMF):
-His brew finished too dry, would mash at a higher temp
-Spices too pronounced; would either decrease the spices, or with a higher FG the sweetness may help balance the spices.
So, I have taken TMF's recipe and modified it to what I am thinking of doing:
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00
OG: 1.100
FG: 1.025
ABV: 10%
IBU: 25.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Grain/Sugar
--------------
10.00 lbs. French Pilsner
2.75 lbs. German Pilsner
2.75 lbs. Belgian Pilsner
1.50 lbs. Dark Candi Syrup
0.50 lbs. Special B
0.50 lbs. Flaked Corn
0.125 lbs. Carafa II
0.125 lbs. Belgian Chocolate Malt
Hops
------
2.00 oz. Willamette (Pellet 4.40% AA) @ 45 min.
1.00 oz. Czech Saaz (Pellet 3.10% AA) @ 15 min.
Spices
--------
3.00 gm Coriander Seed @ 2 min.
5.00 gm Fresh Orange Zest@ 2 min.
1.00 gm Cinnamon @ 2 min.
1.00 gm Thyme @ 2 min.
Yeast
-----
T-58 (used by De Struise)
or
Westmalle yeast (beefier version of T-58) w/ large starter
Mash Schedule
-------------
80 min @ 156F
1qt/lb; 4 gallons approx
5 gallons approx for sparging
Fermentation Schedule
-------------
Pitch at 65F
75° F, 4-5 days. Ramp to temp over a day.
62° F, 2 weeks
50° F, 6 weeks
Bottle/keg, carb
Condition cold for 2 months
Thoughts? Opinions? Input? Let us get this thing going!
A lot of the information I am using is from The Mad Fermentationist's recipe found here as well as conversations I have had with him.
Tasting notes, writing as my wife and I drink:
Smell- dark cherry, a slight sharpness from alcohol. Not so much dark fruit as with a Westvleteren 12 but more bright (Westy smells darker as my wife put it). Dark unsweetened cocoa like Mexican chocolate. No noticeable hops.
Taste- Thyme spice gives a savory note, and the orange peel is apparent as well. Have to know what you are looking for to detect it. Still no sign of hops. Not as heavy as a Westy, "less of a meal" as it were. Sweetness is like light molasses (not the standard dark stuff you put on cornbread. What, you don't put it on cornbread? You should try it!).
So, if I were to sum it up; Take a Westvleteren, lighten up the richness and fruit notes, add a hint of spice, up the Cherry and reduce the Plum. Give it a slightly lighter mouth feel.
Notes from talking with Michael (aka TMF):
-His brew finished too dry, would mash at a higher temp
-Spices too pronounced; would either decrease the spices, or with a higher FG the sweetness may help balance the spices.
So, I have taken TMF's recipe and modified it to what I am thinking of doing:
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00
OG: 1.100
FG: 1.025
ABV: 10%
IBU: 25.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Grain/Sugar
--------------
10.00 lbs. French Pilsner
2.75 lbs. German Pilsner
2.75 lbs. Belgian Pilsner
1.50 lbs. Dark Candi Syrup
0.50 lbs. Special B
0.50 lbs. Flaked Corn
0.125 lbs. Carafa II
0.125 lbs. Belgian Chocolate Malt
Hops
------
2.00 oz. Willamette (Pellet 4.40% AA) @ 45 min.
1.00 oz. Czech Saaz (Pellet 3.10% AA) @ 15 min.
Spices
--------
3.00 gm Coriander Seed @ 2 min.
5.00 gm Fresh Orange Zest@ 2 min.
1.00 gm Cinnamon @ 2 min.
1.00 gm Thyme @ 2 min.
Yeast
-----
T-58 (used by De Struise)
or
Westmalle yeast (beefier version of T-58) w/ large starter
Mash Schedule
-------------
80 min @ 156F
1qt/lb; 4 gallons approx
5 gallons approx for sparging
Fermentation Schedule
-------------
Pitch at 65F
75° F, 4-5 days. Ramp to temp over a day.
62° F, 2 weeks
50° F, 6 weeks
Bottle/keg, carb
Condition cold for 2 months
Thoughts? Opinions? Input? Let us get this thing going!