Dubbel Belgian Trappist Ale - Ok?

Hi all. Making an attempt at a Dubbel for my second brew and I just want to get some feedback on my progress and if things 'seem' to be ok. Here was the initial recipe that I brewed up on May 13th:

LME : 6.6 lbs. Muntons Extra Light
DME : 4 lbs. Muntons X Light
Bittering Hops : 2 oz. Hallertau (Ger) (60 mins)
Finishing Hops : 1 oz. Hallertau (Ger) (5 mins)
Yeast : Trappist Ale Yeast WLP500 (Whitelabs)
Clarifier : 1 tsp. Irish Moss (30 mins.)
Belgian Candy : 1lb clear (60 mins.)

I pitched a 700ml starter of the liquid yeast and had an OG of 1.083 (higher than the recipe estimated). The fermentation was bubbling away at every 6 secs within 24hrs and continued strong for about a week and a half at which point the SG was 1.026. Today I racked to a secondary 5 gal carboy. The SG today was 1.022 and the smell / taste was very strong of alcohol. When I racked I left the sediment from the primary out (was this correct?).

Is everything on track? Is there anything that I have done wrong up to this point? How long should I keep it in the secondary? Will the alcohol taste diminish with time after bottling?

Any feedback / constructive criticism is appreciated

Thanks!

Hmmm. Well, the first thing I notice about the recipe is the absence of specialty grains. Back when I was doing extract batches, I always used a minimum of a pound or two of specialty grains. What you'll get will certainly be beer, but I'm afraid that just using trappist yeast won't make it taste like a trappist dubbel. Next time you do an extract batch, you should steep a pound or two of specialty grains in the water (@ 150f for 30 mins) prior to the boil (be sure to remove all grains before boiling). This will impart the flavor you're looking for without having to mash. I've never tasted or made an extract-only batch without specialty grains steeped in it, so I'm not sure what your final product will be like. But you won't get any roasty or malty characteristics. And your color, well, this is going to be more like a tripel, given that you used all x-lite extract. A dubbel is brown, this will be golden, as nothing in that recipe has much of an SRM value. If I were you, next time, I'd steep belgian aromatic and special B malts.

Other than that, you seem to be on track. Given the high alcohol, I'd keep it in secondary for a month or more, then bottle. You were right to leave the sediment (trub) behind. The alcohol smell/taste will lessen with time, but it'll always be a pretty alcoholic brew, especially given that there are no malt/roast characteristics to balance it out, nor is the IBU value too substantial, so the alcohol will always be dominant.

What I'd suggest to you in the future is, either find recipes online, or buy ProMash or another program so you can formulate your own recipes. Like I said, what you've made is certainly beer, and it'll definitely be drinkable, maybe even great...but alot could be improved upon next time. Good luck!

it'll be a great tasting triple. let it age for as long as you can stand...it'll develop over months. the trappist yeast will impart alot of flavor, but like Evan! said some specialty malts will greatly improve your brew.

Try a handful of the Belgian Aromatic next time you're at the LHBS. It's yummy stuff

For a true dubbel, most recipes i've seen have an ounce or two of Chocolate Malt as well.

The following would also be good:
Belgian Cara-munich
Belgian Bisquit

That said, you're still going to have a great beer...just be patient with it

I had one of my dubbels that reached a bit over 1 year old and it is FANTASTIC!!! :rockin:

i agree with hb 99 and deathbrewer about letting the beer age for as long as you can take it. ive seen several receipes for dubbel that dont use any grains though, so i think you will do fine with with what you have here. ive found that immdiately brewing another batch that matures quickly helps me take my mind off premature enjoyment of my deluxe brew.
Good luck! Tell us how it turns out.

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I will let you know how it turns out.

I got this from Clone Brews I believe:

Westmalle Trappist Dubbel
13 oz. British Pale Ale
2.5 oz. British Chocolate
7 lb. 8 oz. XL DME
12 oz. Belgian Candi Sugar
4 oz Malto Dextrin
1 tsp Irish Moss
.3 oz. Fuggles (4.2% AA, 60 min.)
.3 oz. Saaz (3.4% AA, 60 min.)
1 oz. Styrian Goldings (4.9% AA, 60 min.)
WLP530 Belgian Abbey Ale yeast

I did 3 weeks in the primary and 2 months in the secondary.

After being 1 year old (brewing date - 7 May 06) it is simply marvelous!!!