Leffe Clone

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nukebrewer

Brew the brew!
HBT Supporter
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
5,636
Reaction score
2,861
Location
Groton
Recipe Type
Partial Mash
Yeast
Wyeast British Ale (1098)
Yeast Starter
None
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
None
Batch Size (Gallons)
5
Original Gravity
1.054
Final Gravity
1.013
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
20.1
Color
4.2
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14 days @ 68-70F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
None
Additional Fermentation
None
Tasting Notes
Malty, bready, subtle hop flavor, moderatley dry finish
Code:
BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Ditzy Blonde
Brewer: AJ Lott
Asst Brewer: Kate Lott
Style: Blonde Ale
TYPE: Partial Mash
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal      
Boil Size: 4.08 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 4.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 29.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 69.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      
5 lbs         Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM)         Dry Extract  71.43 %       
1 lbs         Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)            Grain        14.29 %       
8.0 oz        Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)              Grain        7.14 %        
8.0 oz        Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)                     Grain        7.14 %        
1.00 oz       Williamette [5.50 %]  (60 min)            Hops         16.5 IBU      
0.50 oz       Fuggles [4.70 %]  (15 min)                Hops         3.5 IBU       
0.50 oz       Fuggles [4.70 %]  (0 min) (Aroma Hop-SteepHops
1 tbsp Irish Moss (15 min)
-            
1 Pkgs        British Ale (Wyeast Labs #1098)           Yeast-Ale                  


Mash Schedule: My Mash
Total Grain Weight: 2.00 lb
----------------------------
My Mash
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp     
60 min        Step               Add 2.50 qt of water at 167.1 F     152.0 F


In a side by side comparison with Leffe Blonde, I have to say that I got pretty close. I wasn't even trying to clone Leffe, but that's what I got, so for those of you who want to brew a Leffe clone, this will get you pretty close. A couple tweaks might be in order to get it right on the money, but I believe it is close enough to call it a clone.

The weird thing, I thought, was that I didn't use any ingredients typical of a belgian blonde, but I still got one, somehow.

As far as quantitative differences betwee the two, it has a lower ABV, 4% in mine as opposed to 6% in theirs; mine is pretty clear but there is still a bit of haze while the Leffe is brilliantly clear. As a point of reference, when I hold my hand on the other side of the Leffe I can tell I am wearing a wedding ring while I can't with mine, but I can still see my hand.

So, overall, this a good approximation of Leffe, but the next time I brew it I will probably use a bit more pale malt to increase the ABV and do a two stage fermentation to aid with clarity. If you brew it, let me know how it turns out. Cheers :mug:
 
Thanks for the recipe. I am a huge fan of leffe. As this is my first attempt at reading a recipe that I will actually make (read noob with only 1 batch under his belt), do you mind helping clarifying what I see in this recipe. See below for my interpretation;

- Looks like do a partial mash on grains (40 minutes or so) then sparge
- Add extract, boil then at rolling boil add first hops
- At 15 minutes remaining, add second hops and irish moss
- add final hops at 0 minutes

- rapid cool down
- pitch yeast with 2.5 gallons of cool water
- add wort
- air lock away (maybe 2 weeks in primary and 3 in secondary)

How long did you bottle age for? Also, any ideas on how to up the alcohol to 6%?

Thanks for the help!
 
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