Belgian Dark Strong Ale (Inspired by Chimay Blue) please critique

Well, I just succesfully harvested yeast from Chimay. I am currently fermenting 5.5 gallons of a lighter belgian with a pils base and candi sugar, with chimay yeast. I am sure hoping for something drinkable, but I have bigger plans. I am going to wash half of the yeast cake and use the other half for something big! I have many questions about using this trappist yeast:

1. what temp to ferment? I am thinking keep the fermenter 70-73 but not sure. I want to promote the awesome chimay spicy/estery flavor

2. what temp to mash at? I am thinking 149 with such a big beer...just to promote fermentation

3. what type of protocol as far as fermentation should I follow? I know that monks are huge on bottle refermenation....so do I go straight from primary to the bottle for aging foregoing a lengthy secondary altogether?


My initial plans for the recipe below are as follows. Mash at 149, rack onto chimay yeast cake, primary ferment for 3 weeks at 70-73, rack to secondary for 2 months, prime and bottle as usuall.


Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue)
Belgian Dark Strong Ale


6 gallon batch

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
16.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 74.07 %
3.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 13.89 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.31 %
0.10 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 0.46 %
0.75 oz Summit [18.00 %] (60 min) Hops 32.0 IBU
1.00 oz Argentine Cascade [3.20 %] (5 min) Hops 1.5 IBU
1.00 oz Argentine Cascade [3.20 %] (1 min) Hops 0.3 IBU
2.00 lb Candi Sugar, Amber (75.0 SRM) Sugar 9.26 %



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.095 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.024
Estimated Alcohol by Vol 9.32%
Bitterness: 33.8 IBU
Est Color: 19.0 SRM

Wow, I started brewing 5 months ago and now I am on the verge of creating trappist ale with trappist yeast! wow....I have come a LONG way from extract kits.

I'm not to sure about your hop schedule, but nice job growing up that yeast!

If you're brewing Belgians, I highly recommend Brew Like a Monk. Think it's my favorite beer book.

Looks like Chimay pitches at 68 and let's it rise to 81-82 for their Red. Usually the brewers use the same fermentation across their product line, though, from what I've seen. If I were you, I'd pitch around 68 and let rise to the mid to upper 70s slowly. Starting cooler will reduce harsh alcohols and esters. You'll get plenty of spice and fruit from letting it warm up over 4 days or so.

But I haven't used this yeast in a long time so can't really say. I just did a stepped fermentation with 1388 (Duvel) in December and the beer came out great. Pitched at 65, then raised the temp by 2 degrees every 12 hours to finish up at 77, then left it at 77 for another week. Came out very soft in the alcohol but with plenty of character from the yeast.

If you read the book you'll notice that it's general practice in a lot of the Belgian brewers to pitch cooler, low to high 60s, then let warm up over 4-5 days into the upper 70s to low 80s.

Don't forget Special B for that plum raisiny goodness that's in Chimay Blue!

I used 8ounces in my 5gallons

killian said:

I'm not to sure about your hop schedule, but nice job growing up that yeast!

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I figure the bittering addition really doesn't matter all that much, so I will use a little bit of high alpha for that.

I don't have any noble hops for finishing, the closest I have is the argentine casc. I have willamette too I guess....maybe that would be a better hop for finishing?

I would think so

I'll second Brew Like a Monk -- fantastic book.

I'm no Chimay expert, but shoudln't the sugar percentage be higher? Or not?

Bendbiker said:

Don't forget Special B for that plum raisiny goodness that's in Chimay Blue!

I used 8ounces in my 5gallons

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+1 on Special B. I am not sure .1 lb chocolate malt will make it dark enough. If you do go with Special B, I would consider cutting back on the carapils a little, 1lb of carmel/crystal is going to keep it from attenuating like it should, even at 149. Whenever I do big Belgians I shoot for 149 mash for 90 minutes, and have had good luck with 8 - 12 oz caramel/crystal.

Not sure about those hops, I would add 1 bottle of D2 in place of Special B.

From Brew Like a Monk, Chimay Blue's stats are:

O.G. 1.077
ABV = 9%
Attenuation = 89%
SRM = 40
IBU = 35

Wow, 40 SRM. That is dark. I will up the chocolate and add special B to the mix.....revised recipe to encourage EXTREME attenuation and make the beer darker.

Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 62.02 %
3.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 15.50 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.58 %
0.50 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 2.58 %
0.35 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 1.81 %
0.75 oz Summit [18.00 %] (60 min) Hops 31.1 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 2.5 IBU
2.00 lb Candi Sugar, Amber (75.0 SRM) Sugar 10.34 %
1.00 lb Candi Sugar, Clear (0.5 SRM) Sugar 5.17 %

mash at 149 for 90 minutes

60 minute boil to DISCOURAGE kettle carmelization which could inhibit attenuation

Chimay yeast cake.

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.087 SG

Est Final Gravity: 1.022
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.46 %
Bitterness: 33.7 IBU
Est Color: 27.3 SRM

permo said:

60 minute boil to DISCOURAGE kettle carmelization which could inhibit attenuation

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Just do a 90min boil when using pilsner malt and you'll get some more color.
I never have any problems with attenuation.

Still say 1 bottle of D2 is all you need for color & "plum raisiny,dark fruit" flavor.

Houblon said:

Just do a 90min boil when using pilsner malt and you'll get some more color.
I never have any problems with attenuation.

Still say 1 bottle of D2 is all you need for color & "plum raisiny,dark fruit" flavor. Really 1 bottle is all you need, jus saying from experince.

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What is D2? Like candi syrup or something?

permo said:

What is D2? Like candi syrup or something?

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Brew like a monk:

http://www.brewlikeamonk.com/?p=28

http://www.brewlikeamonk.com/?p=88

http://www.darkcandi.com/


http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/d2-candi-syrup-16-oz.html





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Wow, LHBS won't have that. I made some very dark candi sugar that I kept at soft crack for 3 hours before bringing up to hard crack and cooling it off. It is some dark stuff, and quite flavorfull. That is probably this best I will be able to do .

I read in one of your links how the use of too many specialty malts tends to mask the nuances of the yeast..........they promote half pilsen half cara pils and candy sugar for a darker abbey ale......