Brooklyn Brew Shop's Bourbon Dubbel - Tips and Advice

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TasunkaWitko

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Brooklyn Brew Shop's Bourbon Dubbel - Tips and Advice

This is just a quick post to get things started - more details coming as soon as I can.

Yesterday - 23 October 2016 - I brewed a Bourbon Dubbel, from Brooklyn Brew Shop:

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/

gmbdb_1.jpg


Here is some relevant information:

Description of the beer and product information:

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/bourbon-dubbel

Instructions:

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/directions/Brooklyn Brew Shop - Bourbon Dubbel Instructions.pdf

Awesome, must-see video:

[ame]https://vimeo.com/31425005[/ame]

I also have the recipe for this beer from Brooklyn Brew Shops Beer Making Book, and was able to use that as a resource. The recipe is for 1 or 5 gallons, so if anyone is interested in trying this, please shoot me a PM, and I can email it to you.

Some quick details here - more later.

The brew went well, with no significant issues. Mash, sparge, boil, chill-down and pitching of the yeast were all without incident.

This beer employs Belgian Pilsner, Munich, Special B and Caramel 60 malts. It is, in my opinion, a really magical combination. If the aromas I was getting during the mash are any indication, this is going to be a very special beer. The colour was deep and on the dark side, similar to an English Brown Ale, but richer, in a way. I am pretty sure that it is going to clear out beautifully, and leave behind a fantastic-looking dubbel.

I was able to use Safale S33, which is the recommended yeast for this beer.

This beer uses Styrian Golding hops. The hops schedule in the book was different from the one in the instructions, even though all else was equal; because of this, I went with a middle-of-the-road schedule, with additions at 60, 30 and 5 minutes left in the boil.

This beer also employs clear Belgian Candi Sugar in order to boost the ABV to 7.0%. I briefly considered a darker candi sugar, in order to add some character; but since I don't actually have any on hand, it was just a muse.

The special thing about this beer, of course, is the addition of charred oak chips soaked in bourbon. For this, I chose Big Horn Bourbon, from Willie's Distillery in Ennis, Montana:

Bourbon%20Dubbel%20-%201.jpg


Being a life-long Montanan, using a Montana product only made sense:

Bourbon%20Dubbel%20-%202.jpg


The bourbon was very smooth and silky, with an enticing aroma that is going to compliment the oak chips and this beer very well:

Bourbon%20Dubbel%20-%203.jpg


For anyone wanting more information about his bourbon, you can click here:

http://williesdistillery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Bighorn Bourbon.pdf

I'll post more when I am able to, including some stats, a label design and (hopefully) some historical information about Belgian dubbels. For now, this is what I have. Please feel free to follow along, post comments and offer feedback. If you have any questions, let me know and I will answer them as best as I can. If you'd like to try this beer, shoot me a PM.

More as it happens, etc. &c....

Ron
 
Love this post! You are killing me. Still trying to carve out enough time to do my first brew but that beer sounds Fantastic!!! Ill have to book mark this thread and brew one up after I get a bit of experience.
 
Hey, MrC - thanks for stopping in!

This is going to be a good one, I think. My advice is to quit looking for time, quit planning on it, quit working up to it...and just do it! I jumped right in with small-batch, all-grain brewing, and haven't looked back. I have all of the equipment for 5-gallon brewing, but really haven't had the need or desire to do it, yet. For less than 50$, you can have a kit that will allow you to do this, so that you can brew (and drink) real beer, learn about brewing, gain experience and develop your own recipes while you continue to set up your "ultimate" large-batch brewing station. Plus, you'll always have the small-batch equipment, so you will always be able to test recipes, whip up a quick batch of cider, or take a look at winemaking, as well. The cost is NOTHING compared to the education! Check out www.brooklynbrewshop.com, pick out one that looks good, and get started ~ that's my advice, anyway....

I've been keeping an eye on this beer as it ferments. The S33 yeast was really doing it's thing the first day; but over the last two days, it has been calming down a bit. Ambient temperatures have been in the mid- to high 60s, which seems to be quite alright.

Tonight, I'll replace the blow-off tube with an air-lock, and will leave it alone for the next couple of weeks, until it is bottled.

I'll try to enter the "particulars" and post stats etc. (based on the recipe) sometime today or this evening, but during the last week of the month, it is usually difficult, so it might be later.

Tonight, I'll replace the blow-off tube with an air-lock, and will leave it alone for the next couple of weeks, until it is bottled.

I'll try to enter the "particulars" and post stats etc. (based on the recipe) sometime today or this evening, but during the last week of the month, it is usually difficult, so it might be later.
 
As promised, here are a few stats based on entering the recipe into the Brewer's Friend app. The ABV is slightly off, due to the addition of the bourbon.

Original Gravity - 1.069
Final Gravity - 1.020
ABV - 6.42% (should be 7.0 with bourbon added)
SRM - 15.64
IBUs - 21.06
 
I just noticed that I put the ABV as 7.7. It's actually 7.0 but it's too much darn trouble to correct it, so this label will just have to be false advertising! LOL
 
This evening, 30 November 2016, I put this beer in the refrigerator to cold-crash. i plan to bottle it this weekend.

I had a real case of yeast rafts floating on top of the beer in the fermenter; in my experience this will not be a problem, but it is always a bit disconcerting to see them.
 
Tonight, 3 December 2016, I bottled this bourbon dubbel. I think it's going to be a very special beer.

The process went quite smoothly; there were no complications and I hardly spilled a drop at all, thanks to my mini auto-siphon and spring-tipped bottling wand. I used two tablespoons of maple syrup for the gallon of beer, and was able to fill 9 bottles, with a little left over for sampling.

WOW - this is not even carbonated yet, and it really is something...just a bit smoky, very silky and a hint of vanilla to go with a really nice presence from the bourbon. The malted grains and hops work right in beautifully, as well. The colour and aroma were unique deep and rich. The colour was a dark brown with a reddish tinge that was just beautiful - there is no other word for it. The aroma was similarly exquisite; the smoky vanilla was maddening, and combined with the malts and hops, it became something more than the sum of its parts.

I am thinking that after a month or two of maturing in the bottle, this is really going to be one of my favourite beers.
 
I've sampled this beer twice since bottling, and there are some seriously good things going on with it. I'll provide more as I work my way through the batch, but here are some preliminary impressions.

Thanks to extreme care and cold-crashing, the beer is pretty clear; I expect it to clear up a little more, with the passage of time. The colour is a dark, amberish-looking brown, with hints of red, if I remember correctly. I have no memories - good or bad - of how the head was (keep in mind that both times I tried this, I was also enjoying quite a few other beers and this one was last in line!). Good carbonation, nice mouthfeel.

Aroma is prominent with the bourbon, a little vanilla and a little smoke - perhaps some spicy and earthy qualities, too. The taste is smooth and reminiscent of caramel, with a healthy presence of the bourbon, as well, with the smoky vanilla that is expected from the booze and the oak chips. There might also be a bit of plum and spice in there, as advertised. The two samplings that I had were about 2 weeks apart, and I noticed a definite "smoothing out" and maturation with the second sampling. I predict that it is really going to be something in a month or so.

That's about all I can think of for now; I'll try to provide more impressions with future tastings, and will surely endeavor to get a photo, as well. In the meantime, this beer is absolutely worth a try.
 
The Brooklyn Brew Shop book is what got me started brewing beer. Highly recommend it! This recipe looks great and has me intrigued
 
Did you leave woodchips in during fermentation?

Hi, Toadies - I did not leave the oak chips in during fermentation. I soaked them overnight in the bourbon, and then strained them out when I transferred the wort from the boil kettle to the fermenter. In all honesty, this seemed to extract the flavours from the charred wood very well; however, I don't see any reason why a person couldn't leave them in during primary fermentation.

@Northerngal - this is a good one, and is sure to be a favourite, if you try it! I did a Kentucky Rye Brown Ale a while ago, and found that even though the beer was great when young, it really, really matured well. Keep this in mind if you give this a go, and be sure to hold a good number of bottles back so that you can see how it changes over time.
 
This beer keeps getting better as it ages - the last time I tried it, it was so smooth and rich, it was like a bottle of liquid toffee.

Here are a couple of photos -

11 February 2017:

Bourbon%20Dubbel%20-%2011FEB17.jpg


14 March 2017:

Bourbon%20Dubbel%20-%2014MAR17.jpg


I plan to be brewing this again, and often. As I've mentioned before, I do have the recipe, so if anyone wants to try it, please let me know.

Ron
 
Did you leave woodchips in during fermentation?

Hi, Toadies - I did not leave the oak chips in during fermentation. I soaked them overnight in the bourbon, and then strained them out when I transferred the wort from the boil kettle to the fermenter. In all honesty, this seemed to extract the flavours from the charred wood very well; however, I don't see any reason why a person couldn't leave them in during primary fermentation.

There's been some recent interest in this recipe, so I would like to clarify my post above in answer to Toadies's inquiry.

I soaked the charred oak chips in the bourbon over-night, then dumped the whole thing into the kettle at knock-out. I then strained the chips out when I poured the cooled-down wort into the fermenter before pitching the yeast.

Hope this helps - if anyone has any other questions, please ask - and if you give this a try, please report on the experience here, with a photo or two, if possible!
 
I am looking forward to trying this one soon. I am in the process of converting to an electric brew setup but I can surely knock out a 1 gallon batch on the stove.

Is their any particular qualities we are looking for in the bourbon, or will any bourbon do?
 
Hey, Shadow ~

I would say that any bourbon you like would be just fine. If you have some "good" stuff that you save for special occasions, so much the better!

Looking forward to hearing how it goes. I'd be grateful if you post a report, along with a photo or two.
 
About the only bourbon I drink on a regular basis is Jack Daniels or Makers Mark. I will post how it goes I gotta find a 1 gal fermenter bottle to do this in.
 
Awesome - I am pretty sure it is going to work very well for you, and am anxious to hear how the rest of the experience goes.

What do you think, so far? I really enjoyed brewing this one - the different smells coming from it were - pardon the pun - intoxicating.

Which bourbon did you end up going with? I got to thinking that one with the smooth, mellow, smoky, vanilla-y notes should be the best to use - but I've only brewed it once, so take that with a grain of salt.

Pro-tip: be sure to save as much as you can to age the beer in the bottle; This stuff was great right away, but really seemed to hit its stride at about 6 months!
 
I used Makers Mark I cannot say I am a bourbon aficionado, so without some kind of tasting room I would not know one from the next. I am always open to suggestions in case I end up brewing a 5 gallon batch. Love the smell of the bourbon and the candy sugar. I will try to reserve some to the 6 month mark to try again.
 
I noticed Jack Daniel's whiskey barrel chips in the grocery store and got a bag to try for smoking ribs and adding wood/whiskey flavor to beer and cider.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Jack-Daniel-s-Whiskey-Barrel-Smoking-Chips/20713674
For cider, I put about a cup of chips in a 2qt jar and added the cider. This worked very well, giving a nice oak note and just a hint of bourbon.
For beer, I soaked the chips in some bourbon, then put them in the beer when I kegged it. There wasn't enough borbon flavor for me, so I opened the keg and added 2oz of bourbon, and it came out quite nice.
 
Hey, MS - Those chips sound like they'd probably work pretty well. 've sued them for ribs and really liked the flavor that they added to the smoke.

With this, the chips are soaked overnight, then the chips and the bourbon are tossed into the wort. When transferring to primary (after cooling to pitching temperature), the chips are strained out. There seems to be plenty of great flavor and aroma when doing it this way.
 
So I might have a little problem. This is my first 1 gallon batch and the mrs started talking to me when I was pitching my yeast. Me being use to 5 gallon batches was sprinkling away without paying attention. By the time I caught myself I had pitched almost the whole pack of yeast.

I am hoping I do not have bourbon flavored yeast by the time it is ready to drink.
 
Dang! I'm "guessing" it will be okay ~ but don't know for sure. I've always just used half a pack, so I can't say with any certainty.

Some extended cold-crashing before bottling might be in order?
 
I am thinking about racking to secondary after 10-14 days and letting it sit for 2 more weeks.
 
I'm thinking it should be fine - but then again, the extra time in secondary will certainly not hurt it. This beer ages very well.
 
For any who might be interested, Bourbon Dubbel is "back on the shelves" at Brooklyn Brew Shop's website:

https://brooklynbrewshop.com/collections/beer-making-mixes/products/bourbon-dubbel-mix

The cost+shipping is up there a little, but there is a threshold where shipping becomes free, which is like getting an extra mix free. If I make it again, I plan on simply using the recipe in their book:

https://brooklynbrewshop.com/collections/accessories/products/brooklyn-brew-shop-beer-making-book

But it might be an option for anyone who wants to give this a try, and is already planning on ordering a few things. :mug:
 
Yep, that's what I try to do anytime I send an order to BBS, is order enough that it saves on shipping, which like you said is like getting an extra recipe. Yay, more beer! I still need to get some grains and hops, and make more recipes from their books.
 

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