Belgian Dark Strong Ale The Pious - Westvleteren 12 style quad - multiple

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I just picked up the stuff to (finally) make the old world. I obtained all of the materials from my LHBS so I had to make 2 compromises and want to hear your opinion.

First and foremost; the Yeast.... I know different yeast is going to make this a different beer but it truly was a compromise. The best I could do was WLP575 which is a Belgian ale mix. According to white labs it contains 2 Trappist strains and one Belgian ale strain. Any one have any experience with this yeast?

Second; the candi sugar (sorry CSI). I ended up getting what they had - I thought it was going to be the rock type dark crystals but they were out of even that and what I ended up with is Belgian soft candy from brewers best. It looks like brown sugar like you buy at the store and it's a lot lighter than it should be at 36 SRM. Is there anything I can do with this sugar to get closer to the character of this recipe? I know people are making there own inverts and wort based dark sugar; can I/ should I try and darken this up on the stove with some acid?
 
I just picked up the stuff to (finally) make the old world. I obtained all of the materials from my LHBS so I had to make 2 compromises and want to hear your opinion.

First and foremost; the Yeast.... I know different yeast is going to make this a different beer but it truly was a compromise. The best I could do was WLP575 which is a Belgian ale mix. According to white labs it contains 2 Trappist strains and one Belgian ale strain. Any one have any experience with this yeast?

Second; the candi sugar (sorry CSI). I ended up getting what they had - I thought it was going to be the rock type dark crystals but they were out of even that and what I ended up with is Belgian soft candy from brewers best. It looks like brown sugar like you buy at the store and it's a lot lighter than it should be at 36 SRM. Is there anything I can do with this sugar to get closer to the character of this recipe? I know people are making there own inverts and wort based dark sugar; can I/ should I try and darken this up on the stove with some acid?

No problem, Brewers Best (branded by LD Carlson) uses our soft sugars repackaged from bulk. You're using another great CSI product!
 
SWEET! -thx. Guess I got to get my LHBS to carry your D180 now.

Any ideas on the soft sugar or should I leave it be?
 
SWEET! -thx. Guess I got to get my LHBS to carry your D180 now.

Any ideas on the soft sugar or should I leave it be?

The soft sugar gravity is higher, (1.042), but the color contribution is much lower. The Brun Foncé (CSI dark brown cassonade) finishes with a charred brown sugar. It does work well with an Achel Bruin Extra but using it with a Westvleteren 12 clone may not provide the SRM needed. (I haven't tried it with a Westy 12).
 
I suppose I'll leave it be... I'm not interested in color so much as making a drinkable Belgian strong.
 
We're back around to sampling reserve stock. This Westy 12 pic is a pre-decoction era brew we did 17 months ago. It's a Traditional with just Pils/Pale.

Words just don't do justice to this ale. The nose is an in-your-face plummy brown sugar with a hint of yeast. Since the FG was on the nose (1.012) and the mouth-feel was medium-heavy it has only a faint sweetness and coats your mouth with the same flavors as the aroma. I don't get malt until the end when the plum lingers off and the spice from Brewers gold barely makes it through and finishes with a pale malt bread-like sweetness. No Belgian funk, (unfortunately), just a subtle yeast. No alcohol at all....none. In fact it was 10 minutes after I shared this with one of the partners that I could even sense any warming at all. This ale at this age is just amazing. The head is a high pillowy medium brown with lots of retention and lace to the end when it becomes a smooth coffee brown cream on finish.

Brewing this ale is well worth it (every time).

Cheers,

Westy 12.jpg
 
Where can I find the 006 single infusion (not decoction) recipe?

Or is there a single infusion temperature for the 17a recipe to ensure attenuation?
 
My salesman and I were at a local maltser yesterday here in NC and after a nice tour of the facility, a few guys broke out some beers for tasting. Some very wonderful homebrews along with with a real 2007 westy. All I can say is that my mouth went away very happy. I will be brewing up a batch of this (along with spending $80 for a six pack of the US release) to hoard all for myself.
 
Where can I find the 006 single infusion (not decoction) recipe?

Or is there a single infusion temperature for the 17a recipe to ensure attenuation?

You could single infuse low with 017a, (that's what I would do). I think saq recommends 148F and that will certainly help. A healthy stir plate starter of between 285-300 billion and following temps will also help. We pitch 2000ml now, (we used to pitch 2250ml). A pitch this size should allow for plenty of growth and ester development and also get the FG within range. At least that's how ester development in goes in theory.
 
Heres the 006 version of CSI's Westy 12. This recipe however does call for decoction.

CSI - are you sure it was 006?

Mash Temp Duration
Pre-mash rest 132F 20 minutes
Step Decoction 1 152F 30 minutes
Step Decoction 2 158F 30 minutes

That looks correct for 006. It has BDB & BSB which is a mile-marker for the trials back then. The bottle is marked 006 - 6/11/11 but it looks like an estimated maturity date. This ale appears to be 25 months in the bottle based on the doc. That was a long time ago in beer years :)
 
Just finished another brewing day. Brewed a Westy 12 (017a) and two others but the focus was on the Westy 017a. After trialing the 017a since December of last year I still can't find anything to change. The gravity hit spot on 1.090 again, the aroma of the hops blend was perfect. The maltiness of slightly less Pale than Pils was just right. Two lbs of D-180 hits the color target right.
 
I recently placed in a competition with a version of the New World at only 9 weeks from brew day. My first attempt last year was the Old World, which only scored in the high 20's. I followed the recipe and fermentation schedule to a T, but got dinged for the beer being too solventy/harsh and not enough malt character.

For the beer that placed, I tried a version of the New World recipe. I did not underpitch, and I altered the fermentation to tame the temperatures. I pitched at 65F, let it free-rise to 72F and held it there for 3 days. I then slowly increased to 78F and held it there to FG (1.013).

I had no problems getting all of the signature yeast flavors this way, in fact some comments were "strong flavor" and "almost too estery". Nonetheless, I managed to score in the mid 30's with this one.

Take it for what its worth, just one man's experience. I bottled the rest of the keg off, and I'm going to let it age and see how it continues to improve.
 
Just finished another brewing day. Brewed a Westy 12 (017a) and two others but the focus was on the Westy 017a. After trialing the 017a since December of last year I still can't find anything to change. The gravity hit spot on 1.090 again, the aroma of the hops blend was perfect. The maltiness of slightly less Pale than Pils was just right. Two lbs of D-180 hits the color target right.

Edit: found the recipe

Thanks, I am planning this one but will be essentially homeless or between homes for a while with no where to store beer well I do but I already have so much beer I'm storing it would be hard to do this too without even more grief from the wifey. Anyways, thanks for all the posts
 
Could someone post a link to the 017a recipe? I've been digging through the thread and have not found it yet. Thanks.
 
I recently placed in a competition with a version of the New World at only 9 weeks from brew day. My first attempt last year was the Old World, which only scored in the high 20's. I followed the recipe and fermentation schedule to a T, but got dinged for the beer being too solventy/harsh and not enough malt character.

For the beer that placed, I tried a version of the New World recipe. I did not underpitch, and I altered the fermentation to tame the temperatures. I pitched at 65F, let it free-rise to 72F and held it there for 3 days. I then slowly increased to 78F and held it there to FG (1.013).

I had no problems getting all of the signature yeast flavors this way, in fact some comments were "strong flavor" and "almost too estery". Nonetheless, I managed to score in the mid 30's with this one.

Take it for what its worth, just one man's experience. I bottled the rest of the keg off, and I'm going to let it age and see how it continues to improve.

Scoring that high after only 9 weeks in the bottle is remarkable. After a year in the bottle (or longer) I suspect this will be an impressive ale :)
 
Going to attempt the 017a and stopped in at my LHBS today and to my surprise they carried 4 flavors of CSI syrup, including D-180! Super stoked to see they actually carried it, and I could replicate the recipe this weekend. Can't wait to try it. Didn't get 3787, but they had the WLP530.
 
Going to attempt the 017a and stopped in at my LHBS today and to my surprise they carried 4 flavors of CSI syrup, including D-180! Super stoked to see they actually carried it, and I could replicate the recipe this weekend. Can't wait to try it. Didn't get 3787, but they had the WLP530.

I'm glad to hear it. Our distributor has been doing a great job. I have a slight primary method tweek based on brewing the 017a last week. It will show up today as 017b.
 
I'm glad to hear it. Our distributor has been doing a great job. I have a slight primary method tweek based on brewing the 017a last week. It will show up today as 017b.

I sucked it up and bought some D-180 for my Dubbel because my LHBS had it at a good price. I'm still going to try another recipe that requires dark candi sugar after the holidays with homemade stuff. Can't wait.
 
I haven't read this strand in a while but i have been working on a good partial of the new world for a while and have one that I have had some great success with. so I felt I should come and share and thank saq and csi for the great strides.

6.6# briss pilsen light LME
4.5# pilsner belgium
1# caramunich III
8oz belgium bisquit
5oz aromatic belgium
4oz special b
1.5oz debittered black belgium

1oz northern brewer hops 90min boil
1oz hallertauer 30 min boil
1oz styrian 30 min boil

1tsp irish moss 15min boil
1# D180 dark candi syrup 15min boil
1# dextrose 15min boil
1oz servomyces 10min boil

1.5L starter with wlp530

OG 1.091
FG 1.012

mash all the grains 148F to 152F for 90 min, sparge at 170F. bring to a boil for 90 min enter hops at scheduled inclusion times. in the last 15 min of boil add the irish moss, sugar, and candi syrup, also at this time I like to add the LME. I like adding extracts 15 before the end of the boil so the acids don't interact with the sugars and deepen color. chill to 70F and pitch starter. follow saq's fermentation schedule and you will have a damn close beer to westy 12.
 
That store sold out by about 1:00 this afternoon. I went in before the lunch rush. That was the stack at that point.
 
bottlebomber said:
Man, there's cases on eBay that are over $400 and still taking bids..

Maybe those good hearted souls have taken it upon themselves to raise further funds for the Abbey by hoarding and selling it on eBay only to send the profits back to Sixtus? No, I'd put my money on heathen vultures. Way to show the monks what we think of their desires.
 
jeepinjeepin said:
Maybe those good hearted souls have taken it upon themselves to raise further funds for the Abbey by hoarding and selling it on eBay only to send the profits back to Sixtus? No, I'd put my money on heathen vultures. Way to show the monks what we think of their desires.

Hey did you ever catch that thread in the classified where the guy was trying to sell cases he had hustled off some beer festival? He was literally trying to take bread from the mouths of the monks the sick bastard. I think the mods deleted it.
 
jeepinjeepin said:
No I missed that one. I'm not in the classifieds often. Was he hawking Westy 12?

Yeah he had evidently gotten a bunch of his buddies together for a "limit 1" release of some Westy that the monks had literally released at less than normal prices for this event as a special promotion. He was trying to double his money on the stuff, and the guy who had negotiated the deal on the Westy happened on the thread and told him how incredibly disappointed he was that he was trying to do such a thing. I wish the thread was still around, it was classic the way it culminated.
 
That store sold out by about 1:00 this afternoon. I went in before the lunch rush. That was the stack at that point.

The local bottle shop around here got 53 bricks to be sold at 5:00 PM. By 4:00 the line was easily 150 deep. I was amongst the folks towards the head of the line and had a good time losing feeling in toes due to the cold but also meeting some seriously cool people.
 
I am looking forward to brewing the clone real soon so I can do a SxS taste test next Christmas. If the clone is as close as the masses in this thread have said then I should be in for a real treat!! I had planned on brewing the Westy 8 clone first... But since i happened upon a sixer of the real stuff today my plans have changed!

Even though I haven't brewed this yet I applaud the efforts of the ones that really put the time into making the recipe what it is.
 
In Orlando they were going for 90 for what I believe had six bottles. That was friends going in on it together though, so the brick may be larger and more expensive but that's the cost breakdown. Saddly both the total wines that were carrying sold out before anyone was able to get there in time.
 

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