So, is it relatively easy to make an authentic tasting Belgian beer using extracts?

Hello,

I LOVE Belgian style beers... they are definitely my favorite style of brew. For the record some of my favorites are St. Bernardus Abt 12, Westmalle, Rochefort, Terrible, La Fin Du Monde, Piraat, Delirium, most Allagash belgian style brews... the list goes on and on (and it's not the point of this topic... just love talkin' bout Belgian style ales)

Anyways, is it relatively easy to create a decent Belgian style beer? I know they use special yeasts and use some wild techniques to create these brews, but i'm hopin' that I can at least come up with that heavenly belgian flavor by using extracts. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

The biggest factor in my opinion would be the yeast. Use a Belgian or trappist strain to get close. I used the White Labs Belgian Ale on a fat tire clone I did. It didn't come out like fat tire, since they use an American strain, but it did have a good Belgian flavor to it. Beyond that, try adding some candi sugar to the extract.

The Chimay Grande Réserve recipe in Beer Captured is excellent. It explains the process for extract, mini-mash, and full mash.

Wild

wild said:

The Chimay Grande Réserve recipe in Beer Captured is excellent. It explains the process for extract, mini-mash, and full mash.

Wild

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The Szamatulskis' first book in that series, Clone Brews, also has extract (and mini-mash and AG) recipes for a number of well-known Belgians.

Here's the thing about extract vs all-grain: there are three primary ingrediants effecting beer flavor: the grain, the hop, the yeast. Then there are a whole bunch of technique variables: fermentation temp is the big one.

In extract brewing, you're really only giving up some control over the grains: what, exactly, they are, how they are mashed, etc. So, yeah, you're giving up some control, but you still have control over every other aspect of the process. And especially with Belgian styles, the yeast strain is definitely the number one thing.

Mate I have made a Leffe Blonde and a Hoegaarden with kits send as a message if you want the recipes