Dark 'Fin Du Monde ' Clone?

I brewed this last November and am just now popping the top off the bottles! I was going for a 'Fin Du Monde ' Clone, but it turned out much darker. It is still very tasty, abeit, maltier than Fin.

La Fin Du Rue
Recipe Ó 2004 by Mark Pannell



Extracts: 6.6 lbs. pale extract
3 lbs. plain wheat DME

Grains: 1 lb. 30-L U.S. crystal malt
1 lb. 5.9-L 2-Row Belgian CaraPils
0.5 lb. flaked wheat
0.5 lb. flaked oats
Bittering
hops: 1.0 oz. Saaz (60 mins.)
Flavoring
hops: 0.5 oz. Saaz (15 mins.)
Finishing
hops: 0.5 oz. Saaz (5 mins.)

Misc.
Flavorings: 1 lb. Turbinado sugar
.5 oz. cracked coriander seed
0.125 oz. grated dried ginger
0.5 oz. dried Curacao orange peel

Fining agent: 1 tsp. Irish moss (15 mins.)

Yeast: White Labs WLP500 Trappist Ale Yeast and slurry from one 22 oz. bottle of La Fin Monde


Primary: 8 days at 70o F

Secondary: 14 days at 70o F

Total boil: 70 minutes


Crack the grains, place in muslin grain bag and hold at 155o F for 30 minutes. Remove grains and increase heat. Begin the hop additions 10 minutes after boiling occurs. Top off to 5 gallons. Pitch yeast when cooled to 70o F. Prime with 1-1/2 cups plain DME.

A side note - it was low in carbonation. Not bad, but not what I am used to in a Fin, which is normally very effervescent. What would you suggest to up the carbonation?

TIA!

I know what you mean about that fizziness you're looking for. You can bump up the priming sugar a bit, but of course be careful.

Thanks for the recipe. That looks like a tasty and interesting one

Yes, I'll probably do that next time around. The recipe I that was the basis for this called for 1-7/8 cups of DME. I usualy stick with the standard 1-1/4 cups, so I thought I was really flirting with disaster by upping it to 1-1/2 cups of DME. But, I guess not! Maybe I'll really climb out on a limb and go with an even 2 cups next time!

Would that translate to "end of the world?" I've never heard of it. Got to agree with Janx... that recipe does sound interesting. Is the original more like a wheat beer? You might want to increase the wheat extract and decrease the barley if maltiness is a problem.

Witbier said:

Would that translate to "end of the world?" I've never heard of it. Got to agree with Janx... that recipe does sound interesting. Is the original more like a wheat beer? You might want to increase the wheat extract and decrease the barley if maltiness is a problem.

Click to expand...

Yes, "end of the world" it is. It is brewed by Unibroue, a micro in Quebec. Been available here in the Chicago area for about 2-3 years now. Here's a link: http://www.unibroue.com/products/fin.cfm

A freidn of mine loves this stuff, so I was brewing it with him in mind. I probably will increase the wheat extract and decrease the barley next time around to try and replicate the real thing. However, this one is so good, that I plan to brew it again just as is, except try and up the carbonation.