Belgian beer noob needs help

I've been reading Zainasheff's Brewing Classic Styles, and I'm finding myself drawn the Belgian ales. The trouble is I have very little experience in the world of the Belgians. The only beers I have had from the country are Chimay Blue (loved it) and White (not so big a fan), but those were 4-5 years ago and my taste buds are forgetful.

For my next batch I'm thinking of possibly making a Belgian strong ale, but I'm not sure where to start. I like Zainasheff's recipes alright, but I want more feedback from everyone here, if possible. Here are some main thoughts/questions running through my head, but you can offer more opinions/ideas if you like:

-Which styles of Belgian ale would profit from extensive aging? Which are some good styles to have right away?

-What are some good commercial/common brands to try to get a better idea of the styles?

-What are some of your guys' favorite yeasts? Why?

-Does anyone have any tried and true recipes they like?

The only thing I'll veto are recipes that use a lot of wheat. I like wheat fine in small doses, but I'm not a fan at all of straight ahead wheat beers. Otherwise, have at it.

I would say that any Belgian ale benefits from aging, because they tend to be strong. Except for a witbier and MAYBE a Belgian pale, I would say that any style would be alright to age for a while.

So I think that my favorite Belgian Golden Strong is Duvel, but Delirium Tremens is another good one.

I have tried 3 different Belgian strains, all wyeast. First was Belgian Schelde, and I really wish that I had saved this one because it made a good beer but it was private collection. The second was Belgian Ardennes, which I didn't care for because it tasted too earthy to me. The last one that I've been using is Trappist High Gravity. I've taken a shine to this one and it really seems to give me the flavors that I'm looking for in my Belgians. If you had Chimay and liked it, then there is actually a Chimay strain of yeast that you may want to look into.

i just bottled my first belgian ale, so i cant really give much educated advice here. but ive tried a bit of belgian styles so here are a few that i liked(with the exception of wits)

duvel
kasteel tripel
delerium tremens & nocturnal
gulden draak
piraate ale
golden monkey

im still sittin on my bottle of chimay blue(cant wait to try it)

the only belgian style that i dont like too much are dubbels, there is something about their flavor that i just dont like.

hope this list helps

30 IBUs
Pilsner or Pale Malt (or light extract)
1 lb wheat
0.5 ozs Goldings (or similar) at 15 and 5.

OG around 1.060

Use any Belgian yeast, but ferment high. Start at 75 F. Fermenting lower does not bring out the great flavors of the yeast. End at 80 to 85 F.

If you don't ferment the yeasts' high, it's not worth using them.

Beer will improve with age.

Unlike the devil, I like the Ardennes yeast (WLP550).

I don't agree that you need to ferment all Belgian yeast at high temps. The temp typically depends on the flavors your trying to develop in your final brew. If I recall correctly from JZs Brewing Classic Styles, the only Belgian he brews really high is Saison. Also, if you look at Brew Like a Monk, White Labs and Wyeast have a table of their Belgian yeast and shows the different flavor profiles you can get from the different yeast strains at different temps. Higher temps tend to lean more towards phenolic flavors, whereas milder temps may grab you more fruity flavors and less phenols. Of course, this depends on the yeast strain. If you are really into Belgians, I would strongly recommend reading Brew Like a Monk. Just remember that all Belgian yeast strains do not require high fermentation temps to develop the right flavors.

In my experience, the darker the Belgian beer the longer it enjoys aging.

I had a Saison that peeked at 2 months and started to drop off at 4 months, a Blonde that peeked at 3 and dropped at 5 or 6, and a Dubble that is at 4 months and still improving.

I too would suggest Brew Like A Monk, it is a fun read as well as informative. As for temp, I usually pitch at normal to low and then the yeast raise the temp on their own. Find a recipe or two and follow what they say, get a feel for how different folks brew them.