Belgian Dubbel

Please let me know if you see any flaws or errors in the below. It's for my first all-grain batch and first 5 gallon batch.

OG 1.057
FG 1.015
IBU 29
ABV 5.2 %
SRM 14

Boil Volume 6 gallons
Batch Size 5 gallons

5 lbs Castle Pilsner Malt, 1.4-1.8L
5 lbs Weyermann Vienna Malt, 3.2-3.9L
1 lb Belgian Biscut
0.5 lbs Belgian Special B

1 oz Saaz
1 oz Spalt

Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey II)
Flocculation: medium
Attenuation: 73-77%
Temperature Range: 65-75° F (18-24° C)
Alcohol Tolerance: approximately 12% ABV


Mash @ 152 for 60 minutes
Mashout @ 168 for 10 minutes
Sparge @ 180 to get ~6 gallons for boil
6 gallon boil for 60 minutes
Add 1 Oz 5.8% Saaz @ 60 minutes
Add 0.5 Oz Spalt 3.5% @ 15 minutes
Add 0.5 Oz Spalt 3.5% @ 5 minutes

With the pilsner malt, you are going to have to adjust your boil volume for a 90 min boil to drive off the dms. You will also need to add some dark belgium candi once fermentation is going to give it the right flavors. Have fun with all grain

A 90 minute boil would be good, I agree. Adding Belgian candi sugar would also be good, but it's debatable whether it's really necessary. I've had good results from just throwing a mix of cane and turbinado sugars in with the boil, too. If you decide you want an all malt beer (and there are examples of this), you might want to mash lower, around 146-149. You might consider it even if you do use sugar, come to think of it.

Most Trappist breweries use 90 and 30 minute hop additions. You might try that, as a start, and see how you like it.

Thanks guys. I took out the Pils and made it a full 10lbs on Vienna (figured that'd give it a more interesting base). You think I'll still need to keep a 90 minute boil after that subsistution? It didn't change my stats on it much at all but got rid of the worry about boiling off the dms.

OG 1.055
FG 1.014
IBU 29
ABV 5.3 %
SRM 17

60 min would be fine. Id like to hear how the all vienna turns out. Keep us posted

Yeah, keep us posted. Never heard of a dubbel with a vienna malt base. I'd be curious to see how it turns out.

No problem, I'll post back a review in 4-6 weeks when it's ready to consume. I apperciate the advice as I didn't even think of the dms problem with Pils. I switched my mash to 147-148 now as well.

Day Two/Three: Krausen has formed! (Figured I'd put the progression of the recipe on here for future reference to people.)

Sweet. Send samples when in bottle

Looks good. How did the brew day go? Did you get a taste of the wort?

Post back when you get around to opening some bottles!

GuldTuborg said:

Looks good. How did the brew day go? Did you get a taste of the wort?

Post back when you get around to opening some bottles!

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It went well thanks! I tasted the sweet wort, it had a nice malty sweet flavor (is it bad I licked my mash paddle clean? :cross.

I ended up (completely by accident) doing a protein rest in the 130's and then stepped up to 147-148 over about a 20 minute period. Got a nice hot break and very nice coagulation in my cold break, and before fermentation started swirling break matter everywhere, it was a perfect crispy clear 16-20 SRM. Can't wait to bottle this up and post pictures of it in the glass!!

OMG this stuff is like a bad wine. It's not spoiled, at least I don't think it is, and it doesn't really have an "off" flavor more than it is just a watery high alcohol liquid. It's completely undrinkable

Next time I've gotta mash higher than 147

Time heals all wounds... see it through, condition and i bet you will be happy

^^^ Whoa, it hasn't even been 2 weeks! I'd be letting this thing sit in the carboy for another 2, at least, before bottling. Expect this to taste weird for a while. Don't go making judgments about this beer until April, at the very earliest. That's assuming you bottle/keg within the next 2 weeks. I think bottle conditioning helps these beers, but don't let me talk you out of keging if that's your thing.

Thanks guys, I will definitely give that a try and go ahead with bottling. I made a measuring error as well, it made about 4.5 gallons instead of 5.5. Final gravity reading right now is 1.007

DannPM said:

Final gravity reading right now is 1.007

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Wow. What was the OG? If the alchy level is higher than expected, it might take even a bit longer to mellow out and condition.

GuldTuborg said:

Wow. What was the OG? If the alchy level is higher than expected, it might take even a bit longer to mellow out and condition.

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OG was taken at 1.073. The yeast profile for this talks about giving it a "distinctive ethanol character to shine" which seems to be very overdone, even for this stage, to me. This was my first all grain but I have done 3 other batches before this that were nothing like this outcome.

That's over 8.5% isn't it? Well, it's a big beer, and you used the Rochefort yeast, then. I hope you pitched a bit on the cool side. I've used this yeast before a couple of times, and while it makes some good beers, it is a little more picky than some. You do have to pitch cool, I think. I pitched around 80F in a pretty big stout at one point and got more fusels than I would have liked. Live and learn.

Still, my experience has been that Trappist style ales taste, when sampled at bottling time, nothing like what they will taste like when conditioned and carbed. Much more so than most beers, for whatever reason. Higher alcohols will metabolize to esters over time, to a degree. Bottle up in a week or two, maybe 2.5-3 volumes, and let them condition 2 weeks at 70F or so. You can get them cold after that if you like. You might need to give this one a little extra time; who knows? It's too early to tell. Have a Rochefort 8 and enjoy what you're likely to have in 6 months or so. Did anyone ever tell you brewing Trappist ales is not for the impatient?