Belgian Honey Steam

Recipe Type: Partial Mash
Yeast: WLP810
Yeast Starter: 1500ml
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.071
Final Gravity: 1.011
IBU: 27.2
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 5.4srm
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 21 days at 70F
Tasting Notes: It has a very strong alcohol nose and a malty and mead-like strength and sweetness wi






This is one of my first self-composed recipes. I began by taking a HBT member's Leffe clone and changing everything. I merely used it as a starting point to get what i wanted here.

Amount Item Type % or IBU
6.00 lb Pilsner Liquid Extract (3.5 SRM) Extract 54.55 %
1.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 13.64 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
1.00 oz Cascade [7.00 %] (60 min) Hops 23.6 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [7.00 %] (30 min) (Mash Hop) Hops 3.6 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [7.00 %] (5 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.00 tbsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
2.00 lb Orange Blossom Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 18.18 %
0.50 lb Jaggery (Palm) (3.0 SRM) Sugar 4.55 %
1 Pkgs San Francisco Lager (White Labs #WLP810) [Starter 1500 ml] Yeast-Lager

It's not listed, but i also used some gypsum with the mash. Did a 45min rest at 125F and mash at 150F for one hour in 3 gallons. Sparged the remaining with 170F water. For the 5min hops i did a continuous hopping from the 5 min mark until flameout with the 1oz. I missed my OG by .003 and i think it was from the mash. I wasn't totally satisfied with the mash and wish had done it differently. I did two brews on the same day and was feeling tuckered out by batch #2.

I just racked this to secondary as i don't have enough empties to fill and i wanted to give it time to clarify more. The color is spot on, the gravity is spot on, and i'm only disappointed with the hop choice. It has a very strong alcohol nose and a malty and mead-like strength and sweetness with a mildly bitter finish. I think less peppery hops the next round, but this is a good start. Perhaps Saaz hops next time as these Cascade are too bitey.

I could use some feedback here as i'm still quite a noob with all of this. I think i'm doing okay with only 2 bad batches thus far (a terrible pumpkin ale and a god awful apple-cranberry cider), but the feedback will help bigtime.

What changes to this would you make?
What would your mash schedule be?

So with my work schedule and moving to a larger apartment, i wasn't able to bottle this badboy until today. The hydrometer sample for this was absolutely wonderful. Even though i only used half pound of jaggery, you can REALLY pick up on it. The honey is nice too. Bitterness is spot on, though i think i chose poorly on the cascade. I think a Czech variety next time or a German would be better. It actually has the character i was looking for, but i see now it was not the best choice. Either way, this is going to taste good.

I woke up today with two bombers of this and opened one just a moment ago. Flavorwise, this reminds me of a mead with a Belgian kick to it. The color is nice and had excellent lacing. The honey and jaggery are the stars in this brew, so be prepared for that. The esters that come off of it are quite intense. I've been told it has a touch of diacetyl by one person who's tasted it. That's likely due to no cooler during the fermentation. The only noticeable difference between this bottle and the others before it is the clarity. It's now crystal clear and gorgeous. It's also incredibly sweet.

If i were to redo this: 90% pilsner, less honey, no jaggery, low alpha hops, and ferment about 10-15 degrees cooler.

All things considered; it's still a damn fine brew with character.