Belgian Blonde gone wrong?

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OUSooner

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So I brewed my second partial batch two weeks ago. My first was an IPA that came out great with an alcohol percentage of nearly 6. But I am having trouble with this blonde. Did everything according to the schedule. Had very active yeast (there should be a warning on Belgian yeast lol). But some how only came out to about 3.1 %. My first reading was 1.032 took a reading yesterday thinking I would bottle and it was 1.009. What did I do wrong? Anyway to restart the process to try and get the numbers right?
 
Your OG seems to be a bit low. Is that something you intended? Can you post the recipe?

You can leave the beer in your fermenter for another week and try to bring the temperature higher. I'd ramp it up to 72-74F and keep it there for another week.

That may bring your final gravity a few points lower, down to 1.006 or 1.005 if you're lucky. But your ABV will still be in the 3-3.5% range due to your low original gravity. Next time add some extract, use more grain, or boil longer to boil off more water to get your OG higher.
 
Belgian Bombshell | Belgian Specialty Ale

INGREDIENTS
For 5.5 gallons (21 L)
4.25 lb (1.9 kg) | Extra light DME
1 lb (0.45 kg) | Belgian pilsner malt
0.5 lb (0.2 kg) | Caramel pils malt
o.5 lb (0.2 kg) | Munich malt
0.5 lb (0.2 kg) | Flaked wheat
1.33 oz (37.7 g) | Magnum (pellets), 14% AA (60 min)
0.25 oz (7 g) | Saaz (pellets), 3.5% AA (5 min)
1/2 | Cardamom pod, crushed (5 min)
0.5 tsp | Indian coriander, 5 min
White Labs WLP550 Belgian Ale
SPECIFICATIONS
Original Gravity: 1.048
Final Gravity: n/a
ABV: n/a
IBU: 20
SRM: 40
Boil Time: 60 minutes
Efficiency: n/a
Pre-boil Volume: n/a
Pre-boil Gravity: n/a
DIRECTIONS
Mash Pilsner malt, flaked wheat, Munich malt and caramel pils malt in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Strain and sparge into brew kettle with 0.75 gallon (2.8 L) of 170°F (77°C). Stir in extract and top up with water to make 2.5 gallons (9.5 L). Bring to a boil and add 60 minute hops. Boil 60 minutes, adding spices and Saaz hops to the last 5 minutes of the boil. Strain into fermenter with enough cold water to make 5.5 gallons (21 L). When temperature drops to 66°F (19°C), pitch yeast and aerate well. Ferment one week, allowing temperature to rise into the low 70s °F (21-23°C), then rack to secondary. Age two weeks then bottle or keg.
All-Grain

Substitute malt extract for 7 lb (3.2 kg) of Belgian Pilsner malt. Mash at 152°F (57°C) for 60 minutes.
 
I'd guess you either had a mixing issue giving a falsely low reading (very common when topping off) or you got nothing at all from your small partial mash. With exactly 5.5 gals the extract should give you about 1.034 -1.035. If you followed instructions you should have gotten something from the mash so I'm betting on a mixing issue. You'll also want to check everything is calibrated - thermometer, hydrometer, etc. 1.048 is a pretty low gravity beer to begin with, sort of a Belgian pale ale than a Belgian strong style like a blonde.
 
Hm, I ran the recipe through brewer's friend calculator. Just adding the dry extract will get you to a starting gravity of 1.032 in a 5.5 gallon batch.

Looks like you did not extract any sugars from your partial mash, which is unlikely and I'm sure you did.

Did you end up using more water by any chance?

I'm also thinking that a 2lb mash won't get your OG that much higher anyway. If you want more alcohol in your beer, add more extract. Play around with the online calculators to see where an additional pound of extract will get you.
 
Yea I thought 1.032 was low as well. I did the mash in a brew pot at 158 deg for 60 mins. It smelled wonderful and had all the color I wanted. I brewed a batch of some English ale last night used the ice chest method so hopefully that works out better for me. Starting sp for last nights batch was 1.05
 
Good morning yall. Okay so I wanted to update everyone on the Belgian Blonde. There I was lighting the smoker up early on Sunday morning to smoke a brisket. I figure what the hell its Memorial weekend and its 5 o’clock somewhere so I pop the top poor into an ice cold mug. It had a nice color and a great head. Everything smelled fine as it should. I take a long pull and instantly regretted it. The beer is just not drinkable. So I guess its back to the drawing board for the Belgian Blond. I know I skilled a very important step “sparging” and have since brewed 3 different all grain batches with the sparge. Hope they turn out better.
 
Out of curiosity, what do you mean by "not drinkable?" Tastes like vinegar or vomit? Sickeningly sweet? Something else? That would help get you some good suggestions.

Without that info and building on what others have said, I think you mashed too high. Normally I do 146 - 150 for Belgians so they dry out. At 158 the wort is near enzyme denature range, and if the thermometer is wrong or the temp spikes you'll end up with a bunch of starch in the beer. Starch tastes kinda gross, and it's a great breeding ground for wild yeast/bacteria.
 
Out of curiosity, what do you mean by "not drinkable?" Tastes like vinegar or vomit? Sickeningly sweet? Something else? That would help get you some good suggestions.

Without that info and building on what others have said, I think you mashed too high. Normally I do 146 - 150 for Belgians so they dry out. At 158 the wort is near enzyme denature range, and if the thermometer is wrong or the temp spikes you'll end up with a bunch of starch in the beer. Starch tastes kinda gross, and it's a great breeding ground for wild yeast/bacteria.

Well it kinda had no taste at all other than like a flat beer that has set out for a day... I realized two weeks ago when I actually took the temperature of a honey ale I was bottling that it can change the amount of priming sugar I need to use.
 
Good morning yall. Okay so I wanted to update everyone on the Belgian Blonde.
The beer is just not drinkable. So I guess its back to the drawing board for the Belgian Blond. I know I skilled a very important step “sparging” and have since brewed 3 different all grain batches with the sparge. Hope they turn out better.

So, reading between the lines, you didn't like the taste of the Belgian Blonde? Can you describe what it tastes like? What was the fermentation temperature?
The first Belgian Beer I made tasted terrible and I was going to dump it. But more knowledgeable brewers said that is what it tastes like young and to lay it back in a cool spot and keep trying it every 6-8 weeks. The beer actually got way better with age and was sorry when I drank the last one about 6 months later.
 
So, reading between the lines, you didn't like the taste of the Belgian Blonde? Can you describe what it tastes like? What was the fermentation temperature?
The first Belgian Beer I made tasted terrible and I was going to dump it. But more knowledgeable brewers said that is what it tastes like young and to lay it back in a cool spot and keep trying it every 6-8 weeks. The beer actually got way better with age and was sorry when I drank the last one about 6 months later.

Kinda tasted like a flat old beer lol. Wish I had read this post earlier. I poured out 44 bottles this morning. The ferm temp was 68 and there was carbonation present. The beer had a head when I poured it. Ill try the Belgian Blonde again soon. This weekend I am attempting a Red Ale. think I need to tweak my mash procedure just a little bit and I should be good.
 
Yeah, next time let it sit and keep trying it, maybe blend in the glass with another beer. At some point I do dump beer that I've given up on, but I have plenty of bottles, so I'm in no rush.
 
Yeah, next time let it sit and keep trying it, maybe blend in the glass with another beer. At some point I do dump beer that I've given up on, but I have plenty of bottles, so I'm in no rush.

Yea I have plenty of bottles too but I always have something in a bucket or carboy lol
 
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