Help Wanted - "Tour of Belgium" Ale

[mrpiper]

I wanted to start by saying that this site has been a great resource for me since I started brewing about 9 months ago. I brewed my first all-grain batch last weekend after doing 12 partial mash batches. I've quietly absorbed a ton of information on this site, and now I would like to start to give back to this excellent community.

That said, I love Belgian Ales of every variety. Trappists, Wits, Blondes, Saisons...I think they are all great! I'd like to brew something Belgian next, but I couldn't settle on any one style. I'd like to do a Saison to take advantage of the warm weather in Florida at this time of year. I'd also like to do something with the D-180 syrup I received in CandiSyrup.com's promotion. Ultimately I'd like to come up with something that is uniquely Belgian. I'm not worried about fitting any specific BJCP category.

I came up with the following after browsing through Brew Like a Monk and looking through some recipes on this website. If anyone has any suggestions relating to any aspect of this recipe, please let me know. Thank you very much!

Fermentables
8 lbs - Belgian Pilsner (2 row)
2 lbs - Belgian Wheat
8 oz - Caramunich
8 oz - Caravienne
4 oz - Special B
1 lbs - D-180 Candi Syrup

Mash Schedule
75 min @ 150F

Boil Additions
Hallertau - 1 oz @ 60 min
Styrian Goldings - 0.5 oz @ 15 min
Stryian Goldings - 0.5 oz @ 5 min
Cracked Coriander - 0.5 oz @ 5 min

Fermentation
Yeast: Wyeast 3724
Pitch at 68F. Allow to rise to 80F over 48 hours. Place outside until fermentation is finished (approximately 4 weeks).

Anticipated Stats
OG: 1.062
FG: 1.008
ABV: 7.1%
23.1 IBU's
23 SRM

Thanks again!

 

[dwarven_stout]

Looks like a tasty darker saison. I'd maybe bump the IBUs by 5 or so and leave the coriander out the first time, but that's up to you. I really, really like the Wy3724... it's too bad it's such a stubborn yeast, or it would get more love around here. As long as you're prepared to pamper it if needs be, you'll do fine.

 

[permo]

If you want to make this brew truly special, harvest some yeast from a bottle of Chimay and use that.

 

[beergolf]

Brew Like a Monk is a great book and is a great inspiration to brew more Belgian style beers. I have 3 different ones going right now.

Grain bill sounds more like a dubbel. I would drop the coriander and then use a different yeast. Something like 1214 or 3787.

But that is just me. I love a good dubbel.

 

[mrpiper]

Thanks for the responses so far. Based on the feedback you've given me, I might expand the "Tour of Belgium" idea a bit by doing a split batch with different yeasts. I will make the wort using the ingredients given in the 1st post, but I will drop the coriander so that I can really see the differences in the yeast.

I have WLP500 (which takes care of the Chimay and the 1214) and Wyeast 3944 on hand. I'd also like to try harvesting some yeast. I have a bottle of Straffe Hendrik which I will try. No one seems to know if the yeast is a primary strain, so I will find out. I will try one more bottle harvested yeast...not sure what. So I anticipate using the following yeasts:

Wyeast 3724
WLP500
Wyeast 3944
Harvested Straffe Hendrik
Additional Harvested Yeast

Let me know what you think.

 

[mrpiper]

An update for those who are interested:

I brewed a 5 gallon batch of this this weekend. I cooled the wort to 64 degrees, hit it with 60 seconds of oxygen, then split it into 3 fermenters. Each fermenter will get a different yeast:

(1) Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison - Pitched at 64, will allow to free rise to room temp (about 76 degrees). 72 hours after pitching yeast, I will place the fermenter on the back porch where ambient temperatures will be in the 80's and 90's for about 4 weeks.

(2) WLP500 Trappist Ale - Pitched at 64 and will ferment at 64 for 48 hours. It will then be ramped up to 72 by 2 degrees per day. 2 weeks after pitching, the fermenter will be placed in a room temperature (76) closet.

(3) Harvested Gnomegang Yeast - This is a blend of the Achouffe and Ommegang house yeasts. Will undergo the same fermentation schedule as (2).

I will continue updating this thread with my progress. If I deem any of them good enough to share, I will post my exact recipe in the recipe section.

Thanks for reading!

 

[beerandloathinginaustin]

I like it! I have Gnomegang yeast sitting in a vial and I'm dying to make a starter for it. I'm really curious to see how this all turns out.

 

[mrpiper]

Here's an update on each beer at 2 weeks. I tasted the gravity samples, and I'm surprised to see that they are already so different.

(1) Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison - Gravity 1.016. This beer has already developed some of the excellent Saison flavors. I'm a bit concerned as it may have gotten colder than I expected in my garage at night, so this guy might take a while to finish out.

(2) WLP500 Trappist Ale - Gravity 1.012. This is the most mild-tasting of the three. It's got a good malty taste at this point, but lacks the Belgian spiciness. Hopefully it will get some more as it continues to ferment and condition.

(3) Harvested Gnomegang Yeast - Gravity 1.008. This one definitely has a funky taste and it's the dryest of the three. At this point, it tastes more like a Saison than #1.

 

[mrpiper]

I bottled these guys last night. I do not recommend bottling 5 gallons of beer in 3 separate batches!

(1) Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison - FG 1.004. ABV=7.2%.

(2) WLP500 Trappist Ale - FG 1.009. ABV=6.6%.

(3) Harvested Gnomegang Yeast - FG 1.007. ABV=6.8%.

I will update with tasting notes once they've carbed up.

Thanks for reading!

 

[KnightRyder]

Any update on these...was searching for Belgians and this thread was intriguing with the 3 different yeasts!

Thanks!!