10.10.10 Recipe Discussion Thread - The HBT Anniversary Series

[flyangler18]

I don't have Daniel's book handy. What is the Bitterness Ratio range for a Belgian Golden Strong supposed to be? Wouldn't want it to be out of balance.

Otherwise, I've already entered "Devil May Cry 10/10/10" into software. It's getting brewed, one way or another.

I don't recall Daniels discussing Belgians at all, but I don't have the book in front of me either. Shooting entirely from the hip, .5 is probably pretty balanced so I'll have to adjust the hopping schedule accordingly.

Eric, I think you're right about the oaking. I've still got the Flanders Red on my brain. That'll get 2 oz of medium toast for 18 months - the wood will give the Brett something to chew.

I've updated the recipe.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I don't have Daniel's book handy. What is the Bitterness Ratio range for a Belgian Golden Strong supposed to be? Wouldn't want it to be out of balance.

I just looked through my copy of DGB and I don't see any Belgians in there.
BYO's Duvel clone and several other clones are 30 IBU at 1.069 OG for .43:1.

 

[CBBaron]

I'll skip this if we decide on a regular Belgian Golden Strong. However if we do an IPA Triple like Sacc posted earlier I all in.
I've tried alot of golden strongs but they have all been "OK" for my tastes. Not worth putting the effort into brewing a beer. However I recently tried Chouffe Houblon IPA Triple and really enjoyed the beer. I would love to make something similar.

Craig

 

[avaserfi]

I don't know how big anyone would want to go, but we could try an ice beer. That would result in a massive brew for the swap. Of course a 5 gallon batch would probably yield 2-2.5 gallons total...

02-20-09 Barleywine Ice Beer - Basic Brewing Video

 

[camiller]

Oaked Belgian Golden Strong sounds like something I'd be willing to have a go at, I've been liking some commercial Belgian and Belgian style beers lately.

 

[Coastarine]

Totally in for the golden strong, although to my knowledge I haven't had one that has been oaked and to be honest I'm not sure how great that sounds, but if that's the agreed recipe I'll definitely give it a try.

 

[flyangler18]

Totally in for the golden strong, although to my knowledge I haven't had one that has been oaked and to be honest I'm not sure how great that sounds, but if that's the agreed recipe I'll definitely give it a try.

Iron Hill Brewery did a bourbon-barrel tripel (stylistically similar to BGSA in many ways) recently; I thought it was exceptional. The oak lends a very pleasant vanilla note - just awesome. If you use the 570 that I indicated in my recipe, you'll get some soft vanilla, cinnamon and clove notes that would be extremely complementary to oaking, I think.

 

[MacBruver]

Totally in for the golden strong, although to my knowledge I haven't had one that has been oaked and to be honest I'm not sure how great that sounds, but if that's the agreed recipe I'll definitely give it a try.

It definitely works. The one that I tried was from a local micro, Bootlegger's Brewery. It's their "Golden Chaos", which clocks in at 8.5% if i remember correctly. What I tasted was two different samples- one from bourbon barrel, and one from sherry barrel. Both had been aging for 10 months. The bourbon was pretty over the top, almost too much bourbon flavor. It was a vanilla bomb. It would work well to blend that one with some unaged beer. The sherry was really, really nice. They're going to do a release of it next month, when it will have been in the oak for a full year.

But hey, not everybody has to do oak... having a mix of oak / non-oaked for the batches would be good to compare.

 

[BierMuncher]

I would lean toward the "norm" being a clean Golden Strong (if we go Belgian). Oaking can be very unpredictable.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

I would lean toward the "norm" being a clean Golden Strong (if we go Belgian). Oaking can be very unpredictable.

+1... I am still unsure about oaking a golden and would be unwilling to risk my entire batch to it. However I would be glad to smaple someone elses

 

[flyangler18]

I'll likely oak mine, but I have no problem in deferring to the group.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I am out as well on the Golden Strong. Not exactly a fav of mine.

 

[TexLaw]

You don't have to add oak to an entire batch.

I am not a big oak fan at all, and would prefer to leave it out. However, I could be persuaded to add a bit of oak to a couple gallons and see where it goes.


TL

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I've never done one of these epic group brews but I'd def be in for a BGSA. I've got two going right now (Tripel or BGSA...seems they are very close) and another to brew soon. I'm trying the exact same recipe: 12# Pils/.5# CaraPils/1.5# Cane sugar but using three different yeasts; WLP500, 570, and 530 (in order of decreasing fruitiness and increasing spice...as far as I can tell).

Never tried oak but would be open to try it.

 

[Doog_Si_Reeb]

I'm in for a Belgian Golden. I haven't made one before, but the more I drink Belgian beers, the more I'm itching to brew them.

 

[KingBrianI]

I'd be in for the Belgian Golden Ale too. Oaking sounds cool to me too.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Here's what I'm thinking of doing with this...inspired by the book Wild Brews... 'Cuz a simple oak aged BGSA just isn't epic enough for me.

Take Jason's recipe (looks great!)... brew up 15 gallons. On 10 of them, ferment down to 1.020 or so and crash cool to stop fermentation to leave food for the bugs. Filter out the primary yeast going into the secondary, drop in some oak cubes, and drop in a few smack packs of Roselare blend. :rockin: The remaining 5 will be allowed to ferment out and will be kegged to use for blending.

After a year, I'll blend the non-sour beer and the sour beer to taste, stabilize the blended beer so the bugs don't keep eating at the residual sugars in the fresh beer, force carb, bottle, and release as my 10/10/10 Flanders. Whatever virgin beer is left will go into the cask to replenish the sour beer I took out, leaving me with 10 gallons to age another year. I'll then rebrew another 5 gallons of fresh beer which will be used to blend the following year.

The aging cask will probably be a food grade plastic barrel with oak cubes, unless I can find a suitable oak barrel 10 or 15 gallons in size that won't cost me a years' brewing budget to buy...

Not everybody will want to do this, so I'm still in for the swap, I'll brew up 5 gallons of whatever everybody else does and the lucky dude who draws my name will get the geuze-like 10/10/10 Flanders beer as well as the 10/10/10.

 

[flyangler18]

Take Jason's recipe (looks great!)... brew up 15 gallons. On 10 of them, ferment down to 1.020 or so and crash cool to stop fermentation to leave food for the bugs. Filter out the primary yeast going into the secondary, drop in some oak cubes, and drop in a few smack packs of Roselare blend. The remaining 5 will be allowed to ferment out and will be kegged to use for blending.

Excellent in theory, but I think you're going to have some troubles:

1) You want a very fermentable wort for the BGSA and a more dextrinous wort for the Roselare buggies - can't have both.
2) With a Belgian strain, it's going to be pretty damn attenuative to begin with. Not sure how you'll stop it at 1.020.

Here's an idea! Do a Flanders pale - BGSA grain bill, up the wheat but lose the sucrose, mash high at 156 or so and pitch Roselare directly. You'll want to cut the IBUs down a fair bit and lose the late additions. Let the character from the bugs really shine.

 

[Brewpastor]

I think we should do a full-on bugged brew for 11-11-11 (all those ones in the date remind me of little bug legs). I would like to make a non-bugged belgian this round.

Then we have 12-12-12, 11-12-13, and the last one (I think) 12-13-14!

 

[flyangler18]

I think we should do a full-on bugged brew for 11-11-11 (all those ones in the date remind me of little bug legs). I would like to make a non-bugged belgian this round.

Then we have 12-12-12, 11-12-13, and the last one (I think) 12-13-14!

Like your thinking, Tom. I ain't scared o' no bugs....but I think some folks here might shy away from the funk in (irrational IMO) fear of infecting their breweries.

Just remember, gang - those bugs are all over your brewery and living spaces as it is now.

 

[Saccharomyces]

1) You want a very fermentable wort for the BGSA and a more dextrinous wort for the Roselare buggies - can't have both.

Yep would be mashing higher than your specs, upping the wheat maybe. Not sure about the sugar. I don't want to mess with the gravity. The higher gravity of the wort will allow the brett character to dominate since the lacto will be subdued once it gets over 8%; I need to be sure I stop primary fermentation before it gets over 8% ABV so some lacto sourness comes through though.

2) With a Belgian strain, it's going to be pretty damn attenuative to begin with. Not sure how you'll stop it at 1.020.

Crash cooling it and filtering out the primary yeast should do the trick. Wineries do this all the time, so I think it would work here, I'll just have to keep a careful eye on the gravity so it doesn't dry out while I'm not looking. I want some of the character of the primary yeast strain in there which is why I don't like the idea of using the Roselare all the way.

This idea was partly inspired by a couple of guys in the club who are doing a Fred Flanders. They mashed high, primaried with US-05 and added the Roselare in the secondary. I want some Lambic character in my Flander-ized version but not enough that folks would consider it a Lambic.

I think we should do a full-on bugged brew for 11-11-11 (all those ones in the date remind me of little bug legs). I would like to make a non-bugged belgian this round.

Sounds like a plan.

 

[KingBrianI]

I think we should do a full-on bugged brew for 11-11-11 (all those ones in the date remind me of little bug legs). I would like to make a non-bugged belgian this round.

Then we have 12-12-12, 11-12-13, and the last one (I think) 12-13-14!

11/12 is my birthday, we'll have to go all out on that recipe!

 

[Saccharomyces]

11/12 is my birthday, we'll have to go all out on that recipe!

Your age in degrees Plato?

 

[jacksonbrown]

I'm down with a Golden Belgian, but no oaking for me. I'm just not a huge fan (although like others I certainly wouldn't mind trying someone else's). Likewise no bugs. I aint s'cr'd, I just don't like the flavors they impart. I like my Belgian clean.

 

[TerapinChef]

Would also like to mention that even if you're not a HUGE fan of whatever beer we decide to brew, it's fun to do it just for the experience. I'd never even had a barleywine when I got in on the 999, just did it for the swap. Plus I don't mind having something in the cellar, even if I don't like it. Just to say I have a beer that's two years old.

 

[MacBruver]

I'll do a 10gal batch, and only oak half of it. While I have had good examples, I agree that it can be unpredictable... and with how much time will be spent on this one, I want to have something that I'll be proud to send out to somebody else.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

I think we should do a full-on bugged brew for 11-11-11 (all those ones in the date remind me of little bug legs). I would like to make a non-bugged belgian this round.

Then we have 12-12-12, 11-12-13, and the last one (I think) 12-13-14!

I like this plan! I have been wanting to try a bug-brew, but I have to wait till I have more time/money/room. By 5/10 I should be a working man again with an income, and hopefully we will move to somewhere where I can spread my brewing stuff out since SWMBO has already approved a brewshed as long as she can get an office .

I am 100% for a strong golden for 10-10-10, and doing something sour for the 11's!!!

Now, are we going to stick with the recipe above (which looks good IMHO) or is Brewpastor going to come up with something that fills out the numbers for the sake of tradition?

 

[CBBaron]

Time to start planning the 11-11-11 bug brew. I think we need a new thread for that one.

I also think that at this point a clean Belgian would be the way to go. Plus with the planned gravity the bugs won't be much active. I may have to still get in on this beer even though I don't care much for Belgian golden ales. I'm sure this would be nice on occassion and should age reasonably well.

Sacc, I see you are planning on over achieving again on the anniversary brews. You are supposed to ship 4 beers not 12
I am really looking forward to trying all those beers from the 9-9-9 swap, but it may take me a while to get to them all.

Craig

 

[KingBrianI]

Your age in degrees Plato?

I'll be 32 on 11/12/13. What's that in g/mL?

EDIT: Nevermind, just figured out how to do it in BeerSmith. 1.141, that's a big beer!

 

[bkov]

i think for a huge swap like this, a huge belgium isnt popular enough. some people love belgiums, lots hate them or atleast dont prefer them. i think a poll is reallly needed for something like this.

im all up for some kind of porter. a double robust porter, or triple porter, or a wood chip bourbon imperial porter. or even the triple ipa sounds great.