Belgian dubbel advice

[RLosey]

Hello my darling brew buddies...
Put up a Belgian Dubbel three weeks agao (MoreBeer.com extract kit)....At 2 weeks I put it in secondary and stole some, while a bit sweet of course...it still tasted amazing. Now a week later (total 3 weeks in) I stole some, because that is what I do ...anyway, it seemed even sweeter at this tasting??? Is that possible/normal? I know it is meant to be a carmel malty beer with little hop profile but just curious if it will stay sweet or smooth out OR is there anything I can do at this point to "balance" it a little. It is currently tasting a little "heavy"..yeah I know dubbels are, but you know what I mean......
Clearly this is my first Dubbel so I am more curious than anything.
I plan on leaving it in the secondary for another 3 weeks for a total 6 weeks before bottling...thoughts/advice/etc...all welcome
Thanks for help
Rox

 

[r2eng]

What temp are you at?

Try raising the temp a bit. I found that I needed to raise mine to upper 70-'s to dry out.

 

[RLosey]

ohhhhh...thanks, that is an easy fix..I have been sitting in the 68-70 range (the yeast pkg said 68)...I will let it jump on up there a little!

 

[r2eng]

My recent dubbel is on to the NHC finals... it helps to raise the temps!

Read the book
http://www.amazon.com/dp/093738187X/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It rocks for Belgian style advice!

 

[Tall_Yotie]

I would agree with r2eng, however you already transferred which means you went off of the big yeast cake. Make sure fermentation is complete before racking to a secondary.

It might dry a bit more, but don't push it too hard or raise it too high in temp. Belgian ales need age. This early on it should taste a bit heavy, and with time the yeast notes will come out and therefore will add to a lighter flavor (sharp, peppery aspects). Also, a Belgian ale that is not carbonated will taste not as heavy as a flat one.

Raise the temp a little, let it bulk age for that 6 week period, then bottle and let it age. And by age, I don;t mean ignore it for 6 months (I find that impossible), just drink it slowly.

Cheers!

 

[RLosey]

HAHA Yotie..."aged" in my house means it might make it a month after bottling I will try to hold out a little longer on this one...thanks for advice guys. I plan on doing another one so I will try above tips as well

 

[maida7]

What is the gravity? perhaps your fermentation is stuck or maybe it just needs to be carbonated to balance the malt and alcohol sweetness.

 

[MaynardX]

How long have you been brewing? Remember that it isn't carbonated yet, so it will taste a little "thicker" and "sweeter". Have you taken a final gravity? If so, what is it?

 

[RLosey]

@ Maynard...not long clearly. Yes, I realize it will be heavier not carbonated. I was just confused how it tasted so fantastic at week two when I switched it to secondary and now (at week 3) it actually tastes sweeter.....I believe it was around the 1.020 mark when I moved it, without looking at records...apparently in reading more posts, this is kind of the "kiss of death" FG mark on extract kit Dubbles..haha. So, the question remains, at this point, other than temp, can I "balance" it somehow or just let it turn into sweet magic on its own. I'm not hating it, just curious about the apparent turn in sweetness....thanks