Belgian Dubbel Belgian Dubbel

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Brewsmith

Home brewing moogerfooger
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
7,172
Reaction score
2,383
Location
Torrance, CA
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
White Labs 570
Yeast Starter
Yes
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.5
Original Gravity
1.078
Final Gravity
1.014
Boiling Time (Minutes)
105
IBU
25
Color
18
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14 Days
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
6 weeks
Belgian Dubbel

For 5.5 Gallons
Assuming 78% Efficiency

12 lbs. Belgian 2-Row
0.75 lb. Cara-Munich
0.25 lb. Belgian Biscuit
0.25 lb. Aromatic Malt
0.25 lb. Special B

1 lb. Belgian Dark Candi Sugar Syrup

1.375 oz. Styrian Goldings 4.2% Pellets 60 min
0.75 oz. Czech Saaz 3.4% Whole 15 min

White Labs Belgian Golden Ale WLP-570

OG: 1.078
SRM: 18
IBU: 25

Mashed grain at just over 1 qt/lb. at 148 for 90 min. Sparged at 165 to collect 8.5 gallons. Boiled for about 45 minutes before beginning hour hop schedule. Boiled hops to schedule and added Candi Sugar in the last 10 minutes. My efficiency was a little higher so my actual OG was 1.082. Chilled and pitched huge starter. Fermentation temps started low, close to 62 and then temps were raised slowly to finish above 72 after the two week primary fermentation. FG was 1.014 at transfer to secondary, giving apparent attenuation of about 82%. The taste at transfer was amazing. Do splurge and use the Belgian Candi Sugar Syrup and not the hard sugar in the bag. This brew has to have easily been my most expensive all-grain brew, but after it ages for at least a year, it will be completely worth it.
 
I just bottled this beer. It is now about 6 months old. The FG is now at 1.009, with attenuation of 88% and ABV of 9.7%! :drunk: I could see the carboy bubbling a tiny bit for quite some time, and now I know why. The flavor is great, and smooth. At room temperature you can tell the alcohol content. This will be great when it is carbed up and chilled.
 
hiya brewsmith ,homebrewer 99: im a complete newbie:fro:
. just started a mild kit from youngs ;) . however i wanna do recipes . in fact id like to do an easy ale recipe giving me a nutty brown tasty ale:) with about 5.2%. any suggestions ? ps the year old brew sounds really special ...enjoy mate:tank: .
 
I'll have to break one out. At first the alcohol was a little hot. I may have pushed fermentation a little high. I've only had a couple bottles since I made it, so I'll break one out maybe tonight.
 
Any updates on this Dubbel yet? Thinking about putting one on the batch list next. Would also like to know how you all went about aging it. Primary, Secondary - bottle condition? Any thought/comments would be great!
 
I've got one in the fridge. I'll crack it open in the next day or so and let you guys know.

Aging was easy. Bottle it. I put half of it into 750mL bottles and capped them (the Martinelli's Sparkling Cider bottles)
 
I just cracked a 750mL bottle.

Aroma - Cherries and a little plum with a hint of citrus.

Appearance - Amber with a small tan head, tight bubbles.

Flavor - Malty, with some munichy character, a little figgy and plummy. Not hot at all but some warming from the alcohol. A little oxidation.

Mouthfeel - A little thin. Could use some more carbonation, although it is now going on three years old, the caps may have been an issue???

Overall - Not bad, probably past it's prime a little. No infection problems, just aging. As I taste it now, I'd probably bump the specialty grains a little, the Caramunich and Special B, maybe another 0.25 lb of each. The alcohol has mellowed out quite a bit after all this time. It's in good shape and considering how my brewing experience when I made it, it's not a bad beer at all.
 
Brewsmith--your dubbel sounds like it turned out really well!

I have used this thread as a reference point for my own dubbel that I just brewed 2 weeks ago; after letting it go through the primary fermentation for 2 weeks, I racked it over to the secondary fermentation vessel last night per your procedure, and apparently I did something right! The color was excellent, the aroma was malty and slightly hoppy, and the taste was pretty incredible considering it's only part of the way there.
(Sidenote: when I purchased my ingredients for this dubbel, they did not have N. Brewers hops at the time and the guy working told me that Columbus hops would be a good stand-in in a smaller quantity, which I wasn't so sure about, but it paid off: the beer, at the time of racking, had a very strong hop presence, but in a good way--similar to the flavor of the Chimay Cinq Cents)

Now here comes my question: my FG upon racking it to the carboy was 1.016, just slightly higher than yours. Would you recommend continuing to let it ferment for the 6-week period that you did, or would it be a possibility to bottle it straight-away and give it slightly more time to bottle-condition? Anyone's thoughts are appreciated! : )
 
Was yours an all grain or extract? If it was extract, I bet you''re fine, Go ahead and bottle. I've changed my procedures a little since that original post and usually don't secondary any more. If you asked me now on my original recipe, I'd say give it a full 2 weeks in the primary and unless its showing signs of fermentation, it should be well past done.

I have learned how much pitching the right amount of healthy, active yeast really helps fermentation, and takes all of the guessing out of it. My last barleywine had a starting gravity of 1.115. and it was done just after a week. I still let it go 2 weeks, but it hadn't shown signs of any activity for a couple days. It came out with 79% attenuation.

Back to your question on final gravity, I bet it is done, but without seeing your exact recipe, mash temperature, how much yeast you pitched, and the fermentation temp, I can't quite say if it's done or not. If the gravity is not changing, go for it.
 
Thanks for getting back to me on my question!

It was in fact an extract brew, and here is the recipe I followed:

9.5# Coopers LME
1# Belgian dark candi sugar
1# Caravienne
1/2# Special B

Mash temperature was ~150* during the mashing of the grains, and then was taken up to 170* before removing the grains and adding the LME and bringing it to a boil.

0.75 oz Columbus hops (60 mins; had to do some math to get the AA% corrected since the recipe called for N. Brewer hops)
1 oz Fuggles (last 5 mins)

Pitched 1 tube of White Labs Trappist Ale Yeast @ 68*, and the fermentation continued at 68*-70* for the first 2 weeks in the primary, and has been within the same temperature range for the secondary I have done so far (only about 10 days).

There has been a bit of activity in the secondary fermenter, but after what you mentioned and what I have read in other threads/posts, the secondary fermenter seems like a waste of time, not to mention it prevents you from doing more than one batch at a time with only one set of equipment (right now I only have one brewing bucket and one glass carboy...). I believe this weekend, if not sooner, I will go ahead and bottle it all up and hope for the best. A nice long bottle conditioning will mellow it out and hopefully prove to be my best batch yet! Thanks again! : )
 
Just a quick update: bottled the dubbel yesterday, and I am excited! Had a chance to test the FG, which came down only 0.002 in 2 weeks (1.014 from 1.016); still has a very potent hop presence, but this is balanced nicely by the residual sweetness. In 3 weeks I'll post an initial tasting and periodic updates from there.
 
After bottling the dubbel on 2/7 and letting it bottle-condition for the requisite 3-week period, I had the opportunity to try it out and see how it is coming along. All I can say is, wow! I'm actually really impressed with how it turned out. The carbonation is perfect, the color is a nice garnet hue, and the aroma is to die for. Much of the hoppiness has subsided and paved the way for an intensely fruity nose, with hints of apricots, dates, raisins and apples, to name a few. With further aging, it will become even more mellow and flavorful. I'll be back in another month's time to give further updates!
 
Yes, it underwent an initial 3-week bottle-conditioning, which gives the beer its carbonation (the beer is mostly flat at the time of bottling); the beer continues to bottle-condition until it is consumed, and the longer the beer conditions the more mellow it ultimately becomes. I have managed to go through nearly my entire batch of the dubbel at this point (lamentably), and every new one I open is even better than the last!
 
Are you guys adding sugar or spies before bottling? If you're adding sugar, is it the regular corn sugar that you get at the LHBS or some additional candi sugar?
 
I did not add any spices during my brew, but I did add Belgian candi sugar during the boil. However, I added it at the beginning of the boil, because I was not informed that the candi sugar goes in at the last part of the boil to keep the sugars simple and easily fermentable; despite this, it still turned out quite good. Any corn sugar that goes into the beer would come during bottling; both the corn sugar and Belgian candi sugar should be available at your LHBS
 
I know this is an old thread but hey, I just bottled a Belgian Dubbel yesterday and have a question. My FG needed up at 1.002 for this 5G recipe, starting with an OG of 1.076. The FG target of the recipes is 1.019 Wyeast 3522 (Belgian Ardennes). I used two packets of Mangrove Jack M41. It was in primary for 4 weeks and I don’t secondary. I’ve brewed three Belgian Dark Strong Ales prior to this, two with MJ41 and this low FG is what I’ve experienced. Is this TOO low?? FWIW, this might be the best tasting beer at bottling time that I’ve ever brewed so I’m optimistic.
 
A FG of 1.002 seems improbable unless there was something else there besides the MJ41 yeast.
I’m not sure what you mean by “something else” unless you’re referring to a bacterial infection. I’m doubtful on that based on smell and taste. I added 1 lb of candi syrup after flameout and fermentation was pretty vigorous for two days and still pretty steady on the 3rd.
 
I’m not sure what you mean by “something else” unless you’re referring to a bacterial infection. I’m doubtful on that based on smell and taste. I added 1 lb of candi syrup after flameout and fermentation was pretty vigorous for two days and still pretty steady on the 3rd.

@Dancy That's what I was referring to and 1.002 is unusual for a finishing gravity for any ale yeast. This early on, I wouldn't expect any off flavors or smells.

I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying 1.002 is unusual for a finishing gravity.
 
Thanks for the input. Obviously I’ll know in a few weeks when I open a bottle.
 
The only way I can see the FG around 1.002 is if you had a high percentage of simple sugar, e.g greater than 20%. Diastaticus contamination can also cause over-sttenuation.
 
@ MikeCo - Thanks. I’ll open a bottle at one week and another at two weeks to see if I have gushers developing. The simple sugar percentage isn't an issue.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons
OG: 1.072
FG: 1.019
ABV: 7.6%


MALT/GRAIN BILL
5 lb Maris Otter
4 lb Pilsner malt


1 lb Briess Pilsen DME (End of boil)
1 lb Munich
1 lb Red Wheat Malt
1 lb Victory malt
8 oz Special B
8 oz CaraPils
1 oz Black Patent
16 oz Dark Belgian Candi Syrup (After flameout)


HOPS SCHEDULE
1.5 oz US Goldings [4.4% AA] at 60 minutes
0.5 oz US Goldings [4.4% AA] at 15 minutes


YEAST
2 pks Mangrove Jack M41
 
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How certain are you that your gravity reading is correct? Are you using a hydrometer?
I am using the same hydrometer for the last 4 years. The paperwork it came with has it calibrated to 60.0F. The temp at the time of reading was 75.2F and I use the Brewer’s Friend Hydrometer Temperature Adjustment calculator. I checked it with water and the hydrometer is off by .001. I bought another hydrometer as a spare — I’ll try that next time.
 

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I know this is an old thread but hey, I just bottled a Belgian Dubbel yesterday and have a question. My FG needed up at 1.002 for this 5G recipe, starting with an OG of 1.076. The FG target of the recipes is 1.019 Wyeast 3522 (Belgian Ardennes). I used two packets of Mangrove Jack M41. It was in primary for 4 weeks and I don’t secondary. I’ve brewed three Belgian Dark Strong Ales prior to this, two with MJ41 and this low FG is what I’ve experienced. Is this TOO low?? FWIW, this might be the best tasting beer at bottling time that I’ve ever brewed so I’m optimistic.
I haven't used the M41, But I've done several batches with the Belgian Ardennes. My FG is always under 1.010. Usually 1.002-1.006. My dubbel is all grain, no sugar. My tripel and quad have sugar added. I oxygenate, and add nutrient, and I also do large pitches. I know some people under pitch belgians on purpose, I overpitch. I don't know if that has anything to do with FG though.
Belgian yeasts are hungry little bugs.
 
Belgian yeasts are hungry little bugs.
That’s been my experience. I haven’t had bacterial infections so I don’t think that’s the issue. Next time I’m trying a Belgian liquid yeast with a starter. Dry is convenient for me as I work in a small space so fewer steps is great but it’s time I go liquid on my next Belgian.
 
I'm planning on running a Doppel-Brau on my next batch to save on electric kettle heating costs.

My 2x recipe will be using 6kg Irish Hook-Head ale malt and 250g caramel malt.

The only thing is that my current single-strength beer is with 2oz 6.1% AA @ 60 min gives an IBU calculation of 40.73. I did not use any aromatic hops because I wanted to get the maximum I could out of the hops to reduce production costs of the ingredients.

If I added 4oz @ 60 min is 82 IBU too bitter?

I am thinking I might add 2oz at 60 min and then another 2 oz at either 20 min or 10 min.

I noticed that you used 454g candy. I guess it cannot be considered an allgrain if you use sugar in the recipe. That is not Reinheitsgebot. Do they use any actual sugar in commerical breweries? I always thought that it cheapens the recipe. I was thinking if they use it in actual Stella Artois.
 
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I'm planning on running a Doppel-Brau on my next batch to save on electric kettle heating costs.

My 2x recipe will be using 6kg Irish Hook-Head ale malt and 250g caramel malt.

The only thing is that my current single-strength beer is with 2oz 6.1% AA @ 60 min gives an IBU calculation of 40.73. I did not use any aromatic hops because I wanted to get the maximum I could out of the hops to reduce production costs of the ingredients.

If I added 4oz @ 60 min is 82 IBU too bitter?

I am thinking I might add 2oz at 60 min and then another 2 oz at either 20 min or 10 min.

I noticed that you used 454g candy. I guess it cannot be considered an allgrain if you use sugar in the recipe. That is not Reinheitsgebot. Do they use any actual sugar in commerical breweries? I always thought that it cheapens the recipe. I was thinking if they use it in actual Stella Artois.
I know I'm replying to questions asked 2 months ago. ;) Reinheitsgebot does not apply; this is a Belgian style beer, not German. The Belgians do use sugar, and they often use a little unmalted grain too. It would be hard if not impossible to brew this style of beer without some kind of simple sugar.

I don't think Stella has any sugar, but it's only 5% ABV. Leffe probably does use a little sugar.

I came to this thread because my next brew is going to be a Belgian Dubbel. I haven't decided yet whether to use pilsner or vienna for the base malt. Probably pils because it's older. 15% weakly-diastatic 20L malt that I'm not sure whether it's an extra-dark Munich or an Aromatic malt (is there a difference?), a pound of D-90 syrup, and about 7% wheat flour. I have some dark specialty malts in my brew box, but not planning to use any. I'm going to try K1-V1116 yeast, because I think it will be good, and because it's a "killer" yeast; my last couple of beers have used a diastaticus yeast and I want to reduce the effects of any possible contamination.
 
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