What do you think of this Dubbel recipe

[GIusedtoBe]

Batch size: 5.5 US
Pre boil: 7 US
90 minute boil

13# American 2 row
1# Belgian Aromatic
1# Belgian Biscuit
1# Belgian Special B
.25# Dark Candy Sugar

1 oz. Glacier 5.8 AA for 60 min
.25 oz. Willamette 5.5 AA for 60 min
1 oz. Kent Golding 5.5 AA for 15 min

Wyeast 1214 Belgian Ale

Single infusion mash @ 154 F


* I am calculating for 67% efficiency which is what I hit usually and TastyBrew shows this with an OG of 1.071 and a FG of 1.018. The ABV, IBU and gravity range are in line w/ the style but the SRM is a little high at 26.

The hops are just what I had on hand that I thought worked w/ this type brew.

I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants w/ recipe formulation. Any advice?

Thanks,
Al

 

[carnevoodoo]

seems ok, but I wouldn't use the candi sugar you have listed. That stuff is junk. If you want flavor, look into the dark candi syrup. Otherwise, just use regular or brown sugar.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

The candy sugar will give a good toffee type flavor to your brew. I wouldn't use brown sugar in a Belgian brew. They (the Belgian brewers) use candy sugar to bump up the gravity of the brew. Maybe scale back a tad (8 oz.) on the Special B. I've never used that much so I can't say what the outcome will be like with that much Special B. Make a big starter for this one.

 

[illinibrew04]

+1 on the candi syrup. It's great stuff. Also, maybe some belgian pils as your base? Just a thought.

 

[Bob]

Use the candisugar; rock or syrup doesn't matter. Brown sugar won't even come close. Has to do with being different kinds of sugar, you see; brown sugar is simply cane sugar which hasn't been fully refined (it still has a proportion of impurities that will eventually become molasses), while candisugar is refined beet sugar. Completely different flavor contribution.

+1 to reducing the Special B. Special B is emphatic, strong stuff which can easily overpower a beer. I usually don't recommend much more than 4 oz. in five gallons.

Also reconsider late hops additions. Hops flavor and aroma are not present in the best examples of the style, such as Westmalle, Chimay, Corsendonk and Grimbergen.

Let complexity of flavor derive from the yeast. 1214 is a good choice. I've had excellent results with 3522 as well.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[GIusedtoBe]

I brewed this beer and took the advice to dump the late hop addition and also cut the Special B to 1/3 lb.

It is fermenting now at room temp ~72 and everything seemed to work out well w/ the exception of the color. The recipe had the proper SRM for the style according to TastyBrew but it seemed too light for me. I was expecting it to look as dark as Westmalle Dubbel but its not close.

Oh well, I'm still learning about how much of different lovibond grains effect the SRM of the final brew.

Thanks for the replies & I'll let you know how this one turns out.
Al

 

[Brew-boy]

I would not use American 2 row myself.

 

[GIusedtoBe]

I would not use American 2 row myself.

Yeah I agree but it was the base grain I had on hand. Is there really that much of a difference?

Regards,
Al

 

[Brew-boy]

Yeah I agree but it was the base grain I had on hand. Is there really that much of a difference?

Regards,
Al

I think there is. If that is all you have on hand then don't sweat it and brew.
Home brew is all about getting creative. Now if you are brewing to style or a comp then you would want to use the right malt in my opinion.

 

[Gabe]

I would have uped the sugar to at least 20% of fermentables. Use less malt next time and more sugar and note the difference. Cheers, Gabe

 

[billtzk]

Make your own Belgian Candi Sugar or Syrup

 

[Steve973]

Yes, I agree with the last poster. It's very easy to make your own sugar for brewing. I also prefer to use very simple recipes when I brew Belgian beer. Complexity can be achieved by even just one type of grain and sugar. Have a look at Stan Hieronymous' book called "Brew Like A Monk" for great recipes and advice. You can find it here:

Amazon.com: Brew Like a Monk: Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales and How to Brew Them: Stan Hieronymus: Books