Getting a Taste for Belgians

I have never been a big fan of belgian's, but since frequenting the brew clubs, I have been developing a taste for them.

I had 2 chimay reds and a delirium tremens at a bday party last night and really enjoyed them. The delirium was a little sweet but I liked the phenolics of it. The chimay was more subtle, and could have had more of that belgian funk, but I liked the slight carmel malt and overall flavor of it.

Now I'm actually thinking about brewing some kind if belgian, but want something that could be ready for summer, with a nice twang but balanced, I want to be able to share them on the boat with any open minded bmc drinkers. Maybe little carmel and/or hop balance.

What would you guys suggest?

And what would you suggest for a strong belgian that I can brew and age?

Maybe you could do your favorite amber, but use Saaz or some kind of Goldings instead of American citrusy hops, & a Belgian yeast. Wyeast Ardennes is one of my favorite yeasts of all time...described as spicy but balanced. It's actually pretty subtle if fermented cooler but gets all kinds of fun esters if you do it warmer, so you have some latitude. And it is actually more of a flocculator than most Belgian yeasts so isn't alarmingly cloudy for those that are used to filtered brews.
My personal favorite summer quaffer is a saison. Your BMC friends would have to get over the cloudy/yeasty bit, but it's a pretty easy flavor to learn to like, especially if they've ever enjoyed any kind of hefeweizen before. Wyeast 3711 is one of my more favorite saison strains, and Ardennes (3724 I think?) is also great. You can do a little Crystal 20 in a saison, or I've added a touch or rye or wheat when I'm feeling adventurous. I had one batch ferment out in 48 hours with a nice fat starter.
I personally have been very pleased with all of Northern Brewer's high gravity Belgian kits. Their strong golden ale was a huge hit with all my friends, and I just brewed a tripel that I think will be tasty. Ask me in 6 months!

For a strong summer Belgian, I would say Tripel or Golden Strong, or Strong Saison. You could always squeeze a tiny bit of caramel flavor if you just wanted a hint. If you wanted a lot, might as well brew a Dubbel or Dark Strong.

I prefer to start the yeast at the low end and increase it slowly each day to the top end.

Belgian wit or strong golden are a good place to start. Wit with 3944 is excellent and very belgiany...

I concur with Nikkimaija. Take one of your tried and true recipes and tweak slightly - just change the finishing hops and yeast. Ardennes is the bomb.

An Amber or Pale Ale with a gravity not exceeding 1.060 should be plenty ready for summer quaffing if you brew it now. If your Amber or APA recipes are hops heavy, show some restraint; even changing out the hops varieties to something more restrained than Cascades can overwhelm the wonderful flavors you get from a yeast like Ardennes.

Cheers,

Bob

For summer beers you cant go wrong with Belgian Witbier (use WY 3944) or Saison (use WY 3711). They are quick to make and tolerate high temperatures of summer.

It's funny, the one that really got me into Belgians is Orval. I guess I love horse blanket and didn't know it!

I'm starting to enjoy the higher abv belgians now, and have just brewed a Strong Golden.

The only Golding I have is from morebeer.com, I think they are ekg. Would that work or should I get something different.

I like the idea of just doing a basic recipe for now, and throwing in the diff hops and yeast. What ferm temps do you suggest, to get some esters, but not too funky?

The saison sounds tempting also, what would be the difference in recipe if I wanted to go that direction? Sugar and maybe some wheat?

Take a look at my Strong Golden Tripel recipe. It seems to appeal to many different people. You could add some later hop additions in it and I think it would still be good but I did not in mine.

DannPM said:

Take a look at my Strong Golden Tripel recipe. It seems to appeal to many different people. You could add some later hop additions in it and I think it would still be good but I did not in mine.

Click to expand...

Thanks, that looks great! How long does it need to condition? I'm trying to get one together that I can be drinking this summer.

chapa said:

Thanks, that looks great! How long does it need to condition? I'm trying to get one together that I can be drinking this summer.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I let it bottle condition for two weeks and cold condition in the fridge for a few more days after that. It would be ready in time for summer if brewed now.

chapa said:

The saison sounds tempting also, what would be the difference in recipe if I wanted to go that direction? Sugar and maybe some wheat?

Click to expand...

Here is my recipe for an idea. I did not add any spices this time, considering adding some next time. However, it already has noticeable fruitiness and spiciness from the yeast alone. This resulted in 1.004 FG and 6.75 abv. Yeast is key in a Saison. I prefer the French Saison yeast, but the Belgian is nice too.

Recipe: O’Daniel’s Saison
Brewer: O’Daniel
Style: Saison
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
————————–
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.41 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 5.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 31.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
————
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 58.82 %
1 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 11.76 %
1 lbs Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 11.76 %
8.0 oz Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 5.88 %
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 8.6 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (60 min) Hops 14.3 IBU
0.25 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (30 min) Hops 3.2 IBU
0.25 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (20 min) Hops 2.5 IBU
0.25 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (15 min) Hops 2.3 IBU
0.25 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (5 min) Hops 0.9 IBU
1 lbs Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 11.76 %
1 Pkgs French Saison (Wyeast Labs #3711) Yeast-Ale

Mash Schedule: My Mash
Total Grain Weight: 7.50 lb
—————————-
My Mash
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
90 min Step Add 11.25 qt of water at 159.8 F 147.0 F

Notes:
——
FR: Pitch at 68, bring up to 75 slowly over a few days.
I used German Pils because that's what I had on hand. I really doubt it makes much of a difference.
This is a big Duvel glass. The color would appear lighter in a smaller glass.

chapa said:

The only Golding I have is from morebeer.com, I think they are ekg. Would that work or should I get something different.

I like the idea of just doing a basic recipe for now, and throwing in the diff hops and yeast. What ferm temps do you suggest, to get some esters, but not too funky?

Click to expand...

Kent Goldings work fine. I prefer something from the Fuggles family of cultivars (that's what Styrian Goldings are, Fuggles), but EKG is too awesome.

For yeast flavor, Ardennes throws excellent flavor, but not too much, if fermented cool; say, 65F. I've fermented with it up to 70F with excellent results. I am not pleased with the results I get from any Belgian yeast fermented at temperatures above 72F.

The saison sounds tempting also, what would be the difference in recipe if I wanted to go that direction? Sugar and maybe some wheat?

Click to expand...

I still advise you to stick with a known quantity: A recipe you've brewed before, one you know what the result will taste/look/smell like. That's a true test for "I wonder if I'll like this Belgian stuff."

That said, Saison is an excellent style. It's light-bodied, dry-finishing, refreshing, effervescent, and spicy.

Keep the grist simple: Pils, a bit of Munich malt (10%), a bit of wheat malt (10%), and Vienna malt (10%). Target an OG of 1.055 - 1.060. Mash low and slow - 149F for 90 minutes - for fermentability and a corresponding dry finish.

Boil 90 minutes with your Goldings, adding a good wallop at flameout for flavor and aroma. Usually I poo-poo aroma hops in Belgian styles, but Saison is one that needs 'em.

Ferment with Ardennes.

What did he say!?

A NB for the purists: Stop. For one thing, you don't need a dedicated Saison yeast. I've said it before, I'll keep saying it: It's better to have a couple of "house" strains you know inside and out than have a different yeast for every recipe. Once you get to know your house strains, you can manage them to get the desired effect anyway. For another, Saison yeasts are notoriously problematic and worrisome for those not used to them. Ardennes is not; it's like most ale yeasts, in that you pitch enough of it, it's going to ferment without worry.

I'm tired of the "OMG my Saison has stalled" threads, and so are you.

Moving on.

Bottle-condition to 3+ volumes. This should be a sprightly, zesty beer that leaps out of the bottle into the glass.

That's it, really. Good luck!

Bob

Awesome, thanks for all the insight Bob. Looks like I need to get my hands on some Ardenne either way! I'm going to take the advice of going with a tried and true recipe, just so I can get a feel for it, and so I dont have to really buy anything but yeast.

I was at the store looking at some belgian beers to try, and they seem to be SO expensive! Time to get brewing one of my own!