Differing Philosophies on Belgian Dark Ales

I've been reading through "Brew Like A Monk" lately and I've decided to try my hand at a Belgian Dark Ale.

One thing that's always interested me is the disparity between the commercial trappist dark ales, which are made from just base Malt and caramalized sugars, and the extensive American Homebrew recipes which are almost always loaded to the hilt with specialty grains, and sometimes include no dark sugars.

For example here's Jamil's Belgian Dark Recipe:

11.5 lbs Pilsner LME
2.0 lbs Munich LME
1 lbs Cane Sugar
0.5 lbs Wheat LME

1.0 lbs Aromatic
1.0 lbs Caramunich
1.0 lbs Special B
0.5 lbs Melanoidin

2.5 oz Hallertau hops

OG: 1.103

And here's a Hieronymus given recipe on NB for a Belgian Dark(I've changed some of the stats):

9.0 lbs Pilsner LME
1.5 lbs Caramunich
2.0 lbs Brown candi sugar (home made)
0.5 lbs cane sugar

1.0 oz Tettnang (60 min)
0.5 oz Hallertau (15 min)
0.5 oz Hallertau (5 min)

OG: 1.083


These are to pretty different recipes and ultimately I'd like to attempt both to see the difference for myself, but I'm curious about other homebrewer's experiences with brewing Belgian darks, which method you choose, or even better if you've tried both styles in the past.

I think it's to do more with availability and cost. In Belgium I don't recall that the candi's are as expensive or, the breweries produce the candi's themselves for quality control.

Here, the cost can be prohibitive thus grain for color is used instead.

GilaMinumBeer said:

I think it's to do more with availability and cost. In Belgium I don't recall that the candi's are as expensive or, the breweries produce the candi's themselves for quality control.

Here, the cost can be prohibitive thus grain for color is used instead.

Click to expand...

I definitely think this is the case. Its alluded to a few times in "Brew like a Monk" with Allagash in NY stating explicitly that they switched from dark sugar to dark grain because of availability and cost.

I guess I'm more interested in people's experiences with differences in the final products. I just thought it might make an interesting discussion, but maybe not as Belgian Dark's don't seem to be a super popular style to brew at home.

More experimentation for me I guess. :rockin:

That is the beauty of the hobby. Personal qualitative experince is key.

If anything the sugar produces a drier product that teh Belgians strive for. Another key point driven home by SH in the book. He states that Belgians prefer the body, or lack of, resulting from teh use of sugar in that it results in a more quaffable product so to speak.

I haven't brewed or tasted either but just looking at the recipes I feel like Jamil's is a MUCH stronger and more intense beer. Jamil's has more fermentables and more steeping grains. The lb of special B is a big deal. It's just an all around bigger beer. Stan's recipe is still a big beer but it's not crazy big like Jamil's I bet they are both great.

I have Brewing Classic Styles and I have noticed that Jamil's recipes tend to lean toward the high end of the style guidelines. Not that I'm complaining

fenixwb said:

with Allagash in NY

Click to expand...

woah woah woah

Allagash- Maine
Ommegang- NY