Belgian Dubbel Aromatic Base?

[mrmitch]

Ok I want to make a Belgian Dubbel and I have this recipe from BYO:
Belgian Dubbel
(5 gallons, all-grain)

Ingredients

• 5.5 lbs. Belgian aromatic pale malt
• 1 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 2 lbs. crystal malt, 20° Lovibond
• 1.5 lbs. Belgian biscuit malt
• 2 lbs. dark candi sugar
• 1 oz. Styrian Goldings (5.5% alpha acid, 5.5 AAUs): 0.5 oz.
(2.75 AAUs) for 90 min., 0.5 oz. (2.75 AAUs) for 45 min.
• 0.75 oz. French Strisselspalt hops (4% alpha acid,
3 AAUs) at end of boil
• 1 pt. starter of yeast from Chimay bottle

I like this recipe, and I want to execute it, but should I really use Belgian Aromatic Pale as a base malt? I thought that was normally only used as a specialty malt and not more than about 10-20%. Lemme know what you guys think.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Is "Belgian aromatic pale malt" like the Belgian pale malt some places sell, or is it actual aromatic malt?

I've heard of people going straight aromatic but I find aromatic to be rather powerful and I don't think I would go that route. Maybe that's just me...

 

[GuldTuborg]

That's an awful lot of crystal malt, too. 3lbs? Hey, it may well make for a good recipe, but it's not following the usual template that I see for dubbels.

 

[mrmitch]

The numbers come out fairly good for BJCP style guidelines, but that doesn't mean it will taste any good, you think maybe switch the base malt to belgian pale malt and go with 2/3 as much crystal?

 

[jmo88]

Aromatic malt can be used as a base malt, just like Vienna or Munich. I've never done and normally wouldn't want to because it has such a powerful aroma. I could see it working out in a dubbel maybe.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

It's a bit of an oxymoron to call typical Belgian Aromatic malt 'pale' malt because the Lovibond rating is usually ~20. So I think that's a hint that they aren't talking about typical Belgian Aromatic malt.

Franco-Belges Malteries make what they call 'Special Aromatic Malt' that is a pale, base malt. Very similar to Vienna malt and good stuff. I'd either use that or Vienna malt.