Belgian Dubbel Brew

Does anybody here have experience brewing a Belgian Dubbel style of beer? I'm thinking about doing this for my next brew and wanted to see if anybody had tips and or things to be thinking about during the brew process. Below is the recipe that I'm thinking about following:

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Dubbel Balls
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General
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Category: Belgian Strong Ale
Subcategory: Belgian Dubbel
Recipe Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 6.75 gal.
Volume Boiled: 8.74 gal.
Mash Efficiency: 85 %
Total Grain/Extract: 14.35 lbs.
Total Hops: 1.5 oz.
Calories (12 fl. oz.): 260.0
Cost to Brew: $31.88 (USD)
Cost per Bottle (12 fl. oz.): $0.44 (USD)

Ingredients
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10.6 lbs. Belgian Pils
1 lbs. Belgian Munich
.5 lbs. Belgian Aromatic
.5 lbs. Belgian Caramunich(R)
.5 lbs. Belgian Special B
.75 lbs. Candi Sugar Dark
.5 lbs. Cane Sugar
1.5 oz. Tettnanger (Pellets, 4.50 %AA) boiled 60 minutes.
1 teaspoons Whirlfloc tablet boiled 10 minutes. (not included
in calculations)
Yeast: White Labs WLP530 Abbey Ale

Notes
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Mash at 149F for 90 minutes. Boil 90 minutes. Ferment at 65F and raise to
70F during the course of a week.

*Note: The "Candi Sugar Dark" is the Belgian Dark Candi Syrup.

Vital Statistics
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Original Gravity: 1.065
Terminal Gravity: 1.012
Color: 22.12 SRM
Bitterness: 22.4 IBU
Alcohol (%volume): 7.0 %

My sad little post drifted off without any comments. Has anybody here brewed a Dubbel?

That exact recipe is my next brew....that's JZ's recipe from "Brewing Classic Styles."

I did a PM dubbel a few weeks back. I used WL 500 and Saaz/Styrian Goldings hops. Pick up "Brew Like a Monk" cool book.

I have made JZ's dubbel and when making it again i would up my % of munich and perhaps add a touch of vienna. Doing so will give the perception of having a bigger mouthfeel beer while still being very dry. You will like that recipe.

Good the see a fellow Houstonian on HBT. I've been doing a Belgian Wit my last three batches so can't offer any help with the doubble brew. Godd brewing to ya.

Parker36 said:

I did a PM dubbel a few weeks back. I used WL 500 and Saaz/Styrian Goldings hops. Pick up "Brew Like a Monk" cool book.

Click to expand...

I just did a Dubbel yesterday. I more or less followed the recipe for Tomme Arthur's Dubbel from "Brew Like a Monk". It sounds like you did the same.

Thank you for all of the input!

And it is good to see a bunch of folks from Houston responding...

Make a yeast starter. Unless you need the candi for color, save the money and use regular table sugar. personally I would swap the candi for 2 lbs of base malt and extra .25 lb special B

i would leave the sugar...switching with table sugar would be ok, but you need it there to dry out the beer.

step this up. brew up the original recipe with only grains (no sugar in it) and only brew to 6 gallons or so. pitch a big starter. then a few days later, boil up the sugar in water to 0.75 gallons and add that when you're fermentation is in high gear.

your yeast will love it, you'll get better attenuation, and you won't risk a stuck fermentation.

DeathBrewer said:

i would leave the sugar...switching with table sugar would be ok, but you need it there to dry out the beer.

Click to expand...

+1

don't use the dark candi sugar unless you can get some syrup, which is really different. If you really want something closer to candi sugar, just invert some sugar yourself.

I would add the sugar all in at the time of brewing rather than a staged fermentation like death mentioned, but I don't think you'll have problems either way. Just start your fermentation at normal temps and ramp up as you go.

The last dubbel I made, I also used the WLP550 yeast, as I like it a bit better.

carnevoodoo said:

I would add the sugar all in at the time of brewing rather than a staged fermentation like death mentioned, but I don't think you'll have problems either way.

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and why would you do that? just curious.

ramping up temps is good, too...start in the mid 60s and work your way up to the low-mid 70s by the end of fermentation?

DeathBrewer said:

and why would you do that? just curious.

ramping up temps is good, too...start in the mid 60s and work your way up to the low-mid 70s by the end of fermentation?

Click to expand...

Because I've never had a stalled fermentation before. The sugar will ferment without an issue and until you get into higher ABV beers, the secondary stage is really not too necessary. If I was pushing a beer like this to 11%+, I might consider it, but I just made a golden strong that went from 1.087 to 1.007 all on its own with the golden ale yeast.

And yeah. I pitch at 68, leave it there for a few days, and then ramp to 78-80. Seems to always do the trick.

Death, I like your view on this. Since 1/2 of my 10G batch stuck at 1.030 while the other 1/2 made it to 1.020, I think I will try the late (hi krasuen) addition of sugar on my next hi grav batch.

carnevoodoo said:

Because I've never had a stalled fermentation before. The sugar will ferment without an issue and until you get into higher ABV beers, the secondary stage is really not too necessary. If I was pushing a beer like this to 11%+, I might consider it, but I just made a golden strong that went from 1.087 to 1.007 all on its own with the golden ale yeast.

And yeah. I pitch at 68, leave it there for a few days, and then ramp to 78-80. Seems to always do the trick.

Click to expand...

yes, but it's a healthier environment for the yeast. they aren't immediately dropped into a high sugar environment and shocked...they can work their way up, and up after they multiply. same concept as stepping up a healthy starter.

i also like it because you have tons of headspace to work with the first few days...no worries of blow-off.

let's just say it is definitely NOT necessary, but is ALWAYS beneficial

i also have a friend that made a 24% barleywine that is damn tasty. he used the step up method and implemented different yeasts at different times. in this case, it was absolutely necessary. this was made with all extract, too. some specialty but no base malts.

DeathBrewer said:

yes, but it's a healthier environment for the yeast. they aren't immediately dropped into a high sugar environment and shocked...they can work their way up, and up after they multiply. same concept as stepping up a healthy starter.

i also like it because you have tons of headspace to work with the first few days...no worries of blow-off.

let's just say it is definitely NOT necessary, but is ALWAYS beneficial

i also have a friend that made a 24% barleywine that is damn tasty. he used the step up method and implemented different yeasts at different times. in this case, it was absolutely necessary. this was made with all extract, too. some specialty but no base malts.

Click to expand...

Orrrr you could just step up a healthy starter and avoid all that.

24% beer sounds kind of insane. I'm thinking wine yeasts towards the end there.

still not as good IMO...you're acclimating them to a heavier environment, not necessarily just building up yeast

yep, wine yeast and super high gravity yeast through part of it...it's damn clean, too...amazing what you can do with a little care and attention.