New Obsession: La Maudite (Unibroue)

[noisy123]

I think I really taste bitter orange in there. Have you thought about adding some?

 

[Torchiest]

I've never used bitter orange in my brews. I've used sweet orange peels a number of times. I might try using bitter the next time I brew a basic wit, but I haven't missed it so far. Also, I wasn't directly attempting to clone, so the similarity is just coincidence, rather than something planned. I'm happy enough with the way it came out to basically stick with the recipe in its current form.

 

[Malticulous]

My first PM recipe came out tasting very much like Maudite. It should have not been as dark but I think boiling the orange peel for 30 minutes made the color darker (half of the peels from a small thin skinned navel.). I used Wyeast 3724. 7# Pilsner LME, 1# Vienna, 1# Torrified wheat with Spalt, Saaz and Strisslesplat hops, 1 tsp crushed coriander and a pound of corn sugar.

 

[benthegrate]

Maudite is absolutely, hands down, my favorite beer. I stumbled across it in Quebec...bought it because I was at Winter Carnaval, and the convenience store owner explained the flying canoe label this way:

Back when Quebec was still almost entirely wild country, a group of fur trappers was up the St. Lawrence trapping beaver when a fall storm blew in and froze up the river. The trappers desperately wanted to get back to Quebec City in time for the drunken debauchery of Winter Carnaval, so they struck a deal with the devil. In exchange for their souls, the devil provided them with a flying canoe, so they could soar above the frozen river to the city to participate in the drunken revelry.

Great story...better beer. Maudite was what inspired me to start brewing. If it wasn't so ruinously expensive here in Texas, I'd drink nothing else.

I searched for a clone last year and this was what I found:

20 litres Maudite

7 lbs 2 row malt
6 lbs light Munich malt
2 lbs wheat malt
0.25 lbs Belgian Aromatic malt
0.25 lbs light crystal malt
0.10 lbs chocolate malt

Mash at 69C for 90 minutes

1 lb brown sugar added to boil for 20 minutes
then 1 oz Tetnanger 5.7% AA for 60 minutes
0.5 oz Hershbrucker 4.9% AA for 20 minutes

pitch with White Labs Trappist Ale Yeast

Fermented at 20C

 

[thataintchicken]

I really enjoy La Maudite.
There are fond memories in my mind of fabulous dinner parties where I paired La Maudite with a big fat pasta dish.

The first time my father came to visit me in Monterey CA, I grilled some steaks and served La Maudite.

Good times.

 

[noisy123]

Here is one I found on the net. . This brewer is on his fourth batch and claims to be getting close. For a smaller batch could you just cut all the ingredients in half?

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 13.00
Wort Size (Gal): 13.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 36.50
Anticipated OG: 1.076
Plato: 18.44
Anticipated SRM: 13.9
Anticipated IBU: 22.3
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 15.29 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.065 SG 15.82 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

Amount Name Origin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
82.2 30.00 lbs. Pilsener: Germany
2.7 1.00 lbs. CaraMunich Malt: Belgium
2.7 1.00 lbs. CaraFoam Dextrine
2.7 1.00 lbs. Aromatic Malt: Belgium
3.4 1.25 lbs. Biscuit Malt: Belgium
3.4 1.25 lbs. Special B Malt: Belgian
2.7 1.00 lbs. Turbinado Sugar: Generic

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.00 oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker Pellet 2.67 22.3 60 min.


Extras

Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 Oz Bitter Orange Peel Spice 15 Min.(boil)
7.00 Unit(s)Clove, whole Spice 15 Min.(boil)
1.00 Oz Corriander Seed Spice 15 Min.(boil)
6.00 gm Grains of Paradise Spice 15 Min.(boil)
1.00 Unit(s)Whirlfloc tablet Fining 15 Min.(boil)
6.00 gm White Pepper Spice 15 Min.(boil)


Yeast
-----

WYeast 3864 Canadian / Belgian


Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Type: Single Step

Grain Lbs: 35.50
Water Qts: 36.52 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 9.13 - Before Additional Infusions

Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.03 - Before Additional Infusions

Saccharification Rest Temp : 152 Time: 120
Mash-out Rest Temp : 170 Time: 10
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 10


Total Mash Volume Gal: 11.97 - Dough-In Infusion Only

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[gonzoflick]

I've heard the strain they use to bottle is a neutral, while their fermentation strain is a house secret

 

[noisy123]

I am brewing Maudite in the next week. The recipe I will use is cited here and is called Ky's Maudite. It won a Canadian gold medal for homebrewing in 2003.

In other forums on the net, this beer seems to have sparked some discussion as to whether the spices flavoring Maudite (such as coriander, cloves, pepper, orange) result from the yeast used by Unibroue. Should I add any of these spices?

 

[niquejim]

I am brewing Maudite in the next week. The recipe I will use is cited here and is called Ky's Maudite. It won a Canadian gold medal for homebrewing in 2003.

In other forums on the net, this beer seems to have sparked some discussion as to whether the spices flavoring Maudite (such as coriander, cloves, pepper, orange) result from the yeast used by Unibroue. Should I add any of these spices?

If you're going to do it, Do it right

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/wyeast-new-vss-strains-95963/

Use the Unibroue yeast

 

[noisy123]

If you're going to do it, Do it right

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/wyeast-new-vss-strains-95963/

Use the Unibroue yeast

I know. I am sooo psyched. After Maudite, I'm going for a fin du Monde. (By the way... I love the avatar - makes me laugh every time I see it.)

 

[niquejim]

I know. I am sooo psyched. After Maudite, I'm going for a fin du Monde. (By the way... I love the avatar - makes me laugh every time I see it.)

Me too I'll finally be able to reproduce my https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f72/drunk-owl-mango-55227/


As to my avatar, the town I live in has one of the largest populations of Burrowing Owls in the US ( there are at least 10 nests within 1 mile of me)
APOGEE PHOTO MAGAZINE: BURROWING OWLS by Andy Long

 

[Glibbidy]

I just ordeded up the VSS from Wyeast to make this beer. It's back on the radar so look out!

 

[RayInUT]

I'm fermenting a Duvel clone with yeast cultured from La Fin du Monde right now. I started fermentation at 61* with a half gallon starter in a ten gallon batch. It's up to 77* right now and I want it to hit the low 80's before it finishes. It has been going about forty hours now and smells very fruity and bubble gum-like. I think there is too much sediment in the bottle for the beer to have been filtered and had a bottling strain added. Either way, if my brew tastes good then I don't care where it came from or what it is. I would like to hear if anyone came up with recipes for other Unibroue beers also.

 

[babalu87]

That seems to be the concensus, and I believe it is available April-June. I've also read it's quite easy to culture the yeast from their bottles.

Late to the thread but this was one of the easiest bottle cultures I have ever had.

Yeast is a rocket ship too

 

[syd138]

Nice.. Im going to give this a shot

 

[syd138]

noisy123.. I took your recipe.. converted it to a 5 gallon batch, then converted it to a partial mash.

This looks ok. I would probably round up and down on some of the lbs. I'll try to clean it up later.

Type: Partial Mash
Date: 3/18/2009
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer:
Boil Size: 5.72 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.01 lb Pilsner Liquid Extract (3.5 SRM) Extract 60.07 %
2.66 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 22.80 %
0.46 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 3.91 %
0.46 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 3.91 %
0.37 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 3.13 %
0.37 lb Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 3.13 %
1.92 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.00 %] (60 min) Hops 22.7 IBU
0.38 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
2.31 gm Seeds of Paradise (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
2.31 gm White Pepper (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
3.00 items Clove (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.36 lb Turbinado (10.0 SRM) Sugar 3.04 %
1 Pkgs Belgian Dubbel & Tripel (Wyeast Labs #3864) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.077 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.022 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.17 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 22.7 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 15.8 SRM Color: Color

 

[TheH2]

Any more updates?

Love this beer so I'm considering making a clone. The Unibroue wyeast doesn't appear to be available so I'll have to choose something else. The yeast had the dark fruitiness that you get from a lot of Belgian yeasts so I imagine I could do okay in this department.

Also, seems like there is a strong peppery finish. I've never used pepper in a beer before but I see the recipe listed has white pepper. How strong was the pepper when using that much?

There were definitely some other spices but that could very well be the yeast and not really have spices added. I figure it is best to be cautious at first. Maybe put some bitter orange peal, I didn't taste it but wouldn't be surprised if it was there. Someone had some decent spice suggestions earlier in the thread so I might look at those and go fairly light on some.

 

[Stef1966]

Baron- Can you get Maudite in the 750ml bottles? That would be a great start for a clone as far as harvesting the yeast.

We get all Unibroue products in 750ml bottles here in Quebec (Home of Unibroue).

I find it odd you guys cant get it the same way...?

 

[Malticulous]

Many of them are in 750ml here too but there are also some in 12oz 4 packs of twist off longnecks.

 

[Arneba28]

I enjoy there beers so much. La Fin Du Monde and La Maudite are by far my favorites. Maudite is very complex, the only thing I absolutely narrow down, with my pallet, is dark candy sugar and Special B. All there beers seem to have that added, push, like they add extra dextrose to them. That alcohol bite is so prevalent and almost makes there beers signature in my eyes.

I had thought about trying to close a Du Monde but I think that if it wasnt damn close it would taste horrid.

 

[Revvy]

I've got a big bottle of this waiting for me when I get home from work...it will be the first time I'll have maudite, in my official maudite stamped belgian goblet I use to review beers in.

 

[Stef1966]

My fave from Unibroue so far is the "Trois Pistoles", if you like dark ones with a strong roasted taste, this one is definitely something else.

 

[thataintchicken]

Decision made:

Will be brewing a La Maudite Clone using the Wyeast 3864 that I scored at the LHBS. I guess no one else wanted it

The big trick will be washing the yeast after so I can keep these little critters around.

Wyeast 3864-PC Canadian/Belgian Ale
Beer Styles: Belgian Dubbel and Tripel, Belgian Specialty Ale, Belgian Golden Strong, Biere de Garde, Witbier
Profile: This strain has a classic profile producing mild phenolics which increase with higher fermentation temperatures. It has a low ester profile with a dry, slightly tart finish. This strain is alcohol tolerant while producing complex & well balanced beers.
Alc. Tolerance 12%
Flocculation medium
Attenuation 75-79%
Temperature Range 65-80°F (18-27°C)

Putting all the info together and hoping to brew next week.

 

[noisy123]

I have a batch of Maudite made with 3864 sitting in a Corny in my basement. I was thinking of serving it on tap, but maybe bottling would be better. I have a triple on tap and its pretty dangerous. What do you all think?

Its about 6 months old. I think its probably ready.

 

[TheH2]

I would just serve on tap because it is so much easier. I love bottle conditioned beer but I now prefer to leave that to the experts and enjoy being able to nail the carbonation every time.

 

[syd138]

Don't know if this is posted yet, but I saw this on another thread awhile back.
--------------

Trois Pistoles
Unibroue
Bottled: 3.5 oz. cane sugar
IBU predicted: 32.2
ABV predicted: 9.9%
Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Compliance w/ style: 99% (9% ABV is max for style)

Gravity post-boil: 1.094 @ 75 °
Gravity pre-secondary: 1.020 @ 70 °
Gravity at bottling: 1.018 @ 60 °
Yield: 53 bottles

18 lbs. Belgian Pils
0.75 lbs. Belgian Aromatic
0.75 lbs. Belgian Biscuit
0.5 lbs. Belgian Caramunich
0.25 lbs. Belgian Special B
0.125 lbs. Belgian Chocolate Malt
0.5 lbs. Belgian Cara-Pils
1.5 lbs. Candi Sugar Clear
1.0 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 60 min.
0.25 oz. Mt. Hood (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 45 min.
0.25 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 30 min.
0.33 oz. Mt. Hood (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 15 min.
0.33 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 15 min.
0.5 oz. Mt. Hood (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 1 min.
0.5 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 1 min.
Yeast :White Labs WLP500 Trappist Ale


^^ As far as the yeast above I would use Wyeast 3864, if you can't find it, then I'd probably go with 1388 or WLP570

 

[Rhoobarb]

I picked up a smack-pack of Wyeast's seasonal 3864 Canadian/Belgian Ale strain from Unibroue a couple of months ago. I have a buddy who drinks Unibroue's La Fin du Monde almost exclusively. I've tried to brew a clone of it twice before, once as an extract w/ grains and one all grain. Both times I used yeast from four bottles of La Fin and stepped it up with a large starter. Both were very good, but not quite La Fin.

I used some elements from my old recipe and borrowed from a couple I found on the web. One was supposedly from Beer Captured. Let me know what you think:

~~~~~
BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: La Fin du Rue
Brewer: Mark Pannell
Asst Brewer:
Style: Belgian Golden Strong Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (47.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.72 gal
Estimated OG: 1.092 SG
Estimated Color: 7.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 28.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 70.59 %
2.00 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 11.76 %
0.50 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 2.94 %
0.50 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 2.94 %
1.25 oz Hallertauer [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 20.0 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.20 %] (15 min) Hops 8.2 IBU
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
0.50 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
0.50 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 0.0 min) Misc
2.25 lb Cane (Beet) Sugar (0.0 SRM) Sugar 11.77 %
5.00 gal Chicago, IL Water
1 Pkgs Canadian/Belgian Ale (Wyeast Labs #3864) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 16.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
90 min Mash In Add 19.32 qt of water at 162.4 F 150.0 F

 

[noisy123]

Bottled the Maudite. I'll post some pictures in 3 weeks when its carbed.

Cheers!

 

[Baja_Brewer]

Wow, there is some great information in this thread. Replied so I can get updates!

 

[drinkabeergle]

Alright noisy123, I converted your recipe into a 5gal batch and will be brewing soon. I'll let you know how it turns out!

 

[Stef1966]

Don't know if this is posted yet, but I saw this on another thread awhile back.
--------------

Trois Pistoles
Unibroue
Bottled: 3.5 oz. cane sugar
IBU predicted: 32.2
ABV predicted: 9.9%
Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Compliance w/ style: 99% (9% ABV is max for style)

Gravity post-boil: 1.094 @ 75 °
Gravity pre-secondary: 1.020 @ 70 °
Gravity at bottling: 1.018 @ 60 °
Yield: 53 bottles

18 lbs. Belgian Pils
0.75 lbs. Belgian Aromatic
0.75 lbs. Belgian Biscuit
0.5 lbs. Belgian Caramunich
0.25 lbs. Belgian Special B
0.125 lbs. Belgian Chocolate Malt
0.5 lbs. Belgian Cara-Pils
1.5 lbs. Candi Sugar Clear
1.0 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 60 min.
0.25 oz. Mt. Hood (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 45 min.
0.25 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 30 min.
0.33 oz. Mt. Hood (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 15 min.
0.33 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 15 min.
0.5 oz. Mt. Hood (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 1 min.
0.5 oz. Willamette (Whole, 4.5 %AA) boiled 1 min.
Yeast :White Labs WLP500 Trappist Ale


^^ As far as the yeast above I would use Wyeast 3864, if you can't find it, then I'd probably go with 1388 or WLP570

As already mentioned, great info in this thread.

Thanks a lot for the recipe!

 

[syd138]

so did you brew it up?

 

[smashed4]

They actually use several different strains of yeast for their line of beers, but not more than two strains per beer. They use one for fermentation, and a second (always the same) one for refermentation.

I am a big fan of Unibroue and they are the ones that got me interested in craft brewing.

The key to their beers is their wonderful yeast and I believe there is only one strain that is their signature yeast and it is the one used in their most well known brands such as the Blanche de chambly, Fin du monde, Maudite, Trois-Pisoles, Don de dieu, Éphémères series, Raftman, Eau bénite, 1837..

I can testify that these beers have the spicy, phenolic signature of their yeast, even though I have no real proof.. Taste any of them side by side and you will know what I mean.

They do have some horrible lagers for which they must be using a different strain.. but that is of absolutely no interest.

I do not know if they use the same yeast for bottling. I did try to culture yeast from a bottle at some time and fermented some belgian blonde wort with it. I got some fruity esters, mild phenolics, that seemed to be less intense then most of their beers, although they make ingenious use of spices that complement the aroma of most of their beers so it might have been the spices missing.. I can't conclude from my experiment that they use the same yeast for bottle conditioning.

I do know that they centrifuge the beer before bottling, so if they use a different yeast, the real yeast would be difficult to reculture in the bottle. Also, most of their beers is high ABV so even though the yeast in the bottle seems "belgian-like", this is quite normal since they must use an ethanol tolerant strain, and many belgian ones are..

Still, there is a good chance that their bottling yeast is the same as their main one and more experimentation would be worth trying..

But, I had excellent results with the Wyeast canadian/belgian and highly recommend it if you can get your hands on it. The result is dead on if you start around 18C and let it rise up to 24C or more during the course of the main fermentation. An extra long conditioning is required for the yeast to flocculate: The yeast is known to produce CO2 *after* the main fermentation, especially in high gravity beers. I had to wait over a month for my spiced triple to clear, it just kept bubbling in the secondary for weeks, even though gravity was steady.

The result was absolutely delicious though and worth the wait, one of my very best batch ever, and I have been told by many friend that this reminded them of unibroue, even though they had no clue I used their yeast.

If you let a high ABV beer clear up in secondary for a while, make sure you pitch some fresh yeast at bottling time to avoid carbonation problems..

 

[Torchiest]

My fave from Unibroue so far is the "Trois Pistoles", if you like dark ones with a strong roasted taste, this one is definitely something else.

One of my all-time favorite brews! The 750mL bottles are pricey as hell, but a four pack of 12oz bottles is manageable. I get it once in a while as a treat, but it's not a daily driver type of beer.

 

[chrisrush]

How did these recipes turn out?

 

[svudah]

One of my all-time favorite brews! The 750mL bottles are pricey as hell, but a four pack of 12oz bottles is manageable. I get it once in a while as a treat, but it's not a daily driver type of beer.

My local Ralph's were selling 750 ml of Maudite and La Fin Du Monde for 4.99. They weren't on sale and I was convinced it was a mistake so I bought 6. It stayed 4.99 for a month, but now is 7.99.

 

[chefglb]

Bottled the Maudite. I'll post some pictures in 3 weeks when its carbed.

Cheers!

How did the batch turn out?????

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Trois Pistoles was the first beer I ever poured out. La Fin is ok, but I am definitely not a fan of their beer.

 

[PHBalanced]

Hey Rhoobarb any report on how your clone attempt went?

 

[noisy123]

My attempt turned out okay. I used Ky's Maudite recipe shown in post 84. It came out way too sweet (due to attenuation down to 1.021) and without the spice character I am looking for. If I had it to do again, I would probably use a different recipe.