Fall Belgian

I'm not a big fan of wheat beers, but I don't mind Belgian whites, not as much banana clove to me. Anyway, I have a group of people interested in a wheat beer from me and coming up on fall wanted to incorporate some autumn flavors. Other than pumpkin, any other flavors recommended to help a summer Belgian change to fall?

Thanks!

 

Fresh/wet hopped ales remind me of fall. Many commercial breweries call them "harvest ales". To me they taste like a really fresh, hoppy, crisp, piney IPA. Like if you took a bite off a hop straight from the vine.

Maybe you could make a fresh hop wheat ale?

 

I like where that is going mrgrimm. Thanks and keep 'em coming!

 

I can think of lots of dessert or fruit flavors that may go well.. cinnamon or ginger, caramel apple, cranberries, pumpkin, pecan, molasses, etc..

Most of these are spiced. Maybe use some mulling spice..

 

Try a tbsp of McCormick's pumpkin pie spice for the last 5 min of the boil. Maybe some cinnamon and vanilla steeped in spiced rum after fermentation. Gives it a pumpkin pie/french toast feel.

 

I was trying to avoid the pumpkin flavor for this brew, I have another regular pumpkin ale I like pretty good. Talking to my LHBS just to bounce ideas, I think I am either going with a vanilla pecan or banana(nut) bread ale. Should give it some fall flavors without going the pumpkin route. I'll post my recipe soon.

 

You can get lots of bready flavors from something like an Abbey ale or Dubbel. Belgian beers are great at getting the malty bread flavors..and fruity estery flavors

If you do vanilla, get real vanilla beans and make your own extract. The way I did it before was to split open and scrape out the vanilla beans. The meat looks like thousands of tiny beads. Then chop up the bean husk and toss the whole thing into a small container of vodka. I did 1 bean to 4 oz of vodka. Let it sit for a few weeks. Then add to the fermentor prior to or at bottling