Well I'm hoping to brew a recreation of Duvel and I've been doing my research having read numerous threads here, BLAM, the Duvel web site, and other related posts. I came across this very interesting article from Michael Jackson originally written in 1991.
http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000020.html
In the article Jackson describe Duvel as using a dual fermentation technique where they divide the wort into unequal portions and ferment them with two different strains of yeast which originated from yeast taken from McEwan's Scotch Ale. More recent recipes for Duvel describe using WLP570 or WYeast 1388 (and in some places these are described as being the same yeast strain just from the different vendors), but I've not seen any mention of whether strains are available that match this dual method used back in 1991.
My first exposure to Duvel came in Amsterdam in 1992 and it was simply fantastic. The experience absolutely changed my understanding of the possibilities of beer and I became an instant fan of Belgian beers. I was just being introduced to homebrewing then and getting started in this hobby. I love Duvel out of the bottle today, but that first experience in Amsterdam was somehow different and special. I suspect the beer was simply in its prime there.
So in the interests of trying to recreate this, I'd like to try to follow a method that is as close to what Jackson describes as I can. I'm planning to use Wyeast 1388 for one portion of the wort and would like to use a different yeast for the second portion. The question is what yeast to use? If WLP570 is indeed the same as 1388, then I'm looking for that second strain that Jackson mentions. I'll try to regenerate the yeast from a Duvel bottle, but would love to know if this separate strain is readily available.
Also, anyone have any ideas on what percentage of the wort Duvel gives to each strain before blending?
Finally, I've been unable to locate any French 2-Row Pilsner near where I live and am planning to substitute some German 2-Row to mix in with the Belgian 2-Row that I have. Does this seem like a reasonable choice? Duvel apparently nowadays (according to BLAM) mixes grains from Belgium and France. Unfortunately, I've not seen any details on how they determine the mix.
Cheers,
-Brad
http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000020.html
In the article Jackson describe Duvel as using a dual fermentation technique where they divide the wort into unequal portions and ferment them with two different strains of yeast which originated from yeast taken from McEwan's Scotch Ale. More recent recipes for Duvel describe using WLP570 or WYeast 1388 (and in some places these are described as being the same yeast strain just from the different vendors), but I've not seen any mention of whether strains are available that match this dual method used back in 1991.
My first exposure to Duvel came in Amsterdam in 1992 and it was simply fantastic. The experience absolutely changed my understanding of the possibilities of beer and I became an instant fan of Belgian beers. I was just being introduced to homebrewing then and getting started in this hobby. I love Duvel out of the bottle today, but that first experience in Amsterdam was somehow different and special. I suspect the beer was simply in its prime there.
So in the interests of trying to recreate this, I'd like to try to follow a method that is as close to what Jackson describes as I can. I'm planning to use Wyeast 1388 for one portion of the wort and would like to use a different yeast for the second portion. The question is what yeast to use? If WLP570 is indeed the same as 1388, then I'm looking for that second strain that Jackson mentions. I'll try to regenerate the yeast from a Duvel bottle, but would love to know if this separate strain is readily available.
Also, anyone have any ideas on what percentage of the wort Duvel gives to each strain before blending?
Finally, I've been unable to locate any French 2-Row Pilsner near where I live and am planning to substitute some German 2-Row to mix in with the Belgian 2-Row that I have. Does this seem like a reasonable choice? Duvel apparently nowadays (according to BLAM) mixes grains from Belgium and France. Unfortunately, I've not seen any details on how they determine the mix.
Cheers,
-Brad
