Belgian Quad - Grains vs. Sugars, Yeasts

[JRdaSconnie]

Ok, so I am in love with the Quadrupel/Abt style and I'm getting ready to brew one. I've been researching recipes in search of the answer to the dark sugars vs. specialty grains debate and I'm at a standstill . I even emailed and got a reply from Phil Leinhart from Ommegang which helped to some degree but didn't resolve. Somebody sell me on whether I should try using a simple recipe with base malt plus dark candi for color versus base malt plus specialty grains for color/depth (thinking Special B, Munich, Caramunich/vienne, and etc.) with some dextrose or clear invert sugar. I want to produce something along the lines of Saint Bernardus Abt 12.

Next, I am planning to use an Abbey yeast (Rochfort), I can't quote Wyeast or White Labs numbers, but anyone have a preference for either company on that Rochfort yeast? I know Wyeast's is "Abbey II" in name.

Thanks for any input!!

 

[beergolf]

I love Belgians and brew them often.

If you are interested in them definitely pick up a copy of Brew Like a Monk. Lots of good info about Belgians in there.

You can make a good brew just using base malt and candi syrup. I like the D180 from Candi Syrup Inc. but I like the complexity that some specialty grains add. A little Special B and some cara- munich is nice. But always add some sugar to help dry the brew out. 10-20% of the fermentables is about right.

I would suggest for your first one to pick a beer you like, find a copy of a recipe and brew it. Then you can get a feel for the style and slowly make adjustments.

I have found the key is controling the fermentation. I like to pitch in the low 60's and slowly let the temp rise, often getting up to the high 70's after the first week. Another thing is learn the art of patience. I don't even take a gravity reading until at least 4-5 weeks. Then after bottle conditioning, let then sit for a minimum of two months, longer is better. Belgians are not like other beers and really do improve dramatically with time. Save some for a long time and you will be rewarded with some awesome beer.

I use Wyeast yeasts and they are all different, so you wil have to try them to see which ones you like. They all are different. Look here to see which breweries use which yeast
Yeast Strains it should help. I personally like 3787 and 1214 with 3522 coming in third, but that is my taste.

 

[Calichusetts]

Brew like a Monk was probably the single most insightful book I have read about brewing belgians. The belgians would say to find local sugar, in true belgian brewing fashion

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Why not use both?

 

[RiverRat280]

I know some belgian breweries say they only use pilz and sugar but I don't find that gives me the flavor I'm looking for in a dubble or quad. Use like beergolf said up to 20% simple sugars like the dark sugar from candysugar and use some special B and Caramunich with it. Sometimes Special B gives me more roast flavor then I like and I've used a dark Caramunich to get those raisin plum flavors. I think the color was around 120.

 

[Calichusetts]

I know some belgian breweries say they only use pilz and sugar but I don't find that gives me the flavor I'm looking for in a dubble or quad. Use like beergolf said up to 20% simple sugars like the dark sugar from candysugar and use some special B and Caramunich with it. Sometimes Special B gives me more roast flavor then I like and I've used a dark Caramunich to get those raisin plum flavors. I think the color was around 120.

Its all about the yeast and fermentation temperatures...this is mainly where the Belgian breweries get their flavors. I believe that Three Philosophers uses 4 strains of yeast total.

 

[beergolf]

Its all about the yeast and fermentation temperatures...this is mainly where the Belgian breweries get their flavors. I believe that Three Philosophers uses 4 strains of yeast total.

Yeast does have a ton to do with the flavor of Belgians. It took me a while to get to know the flavor profiles of the different yeasts. I now know which ones I like and how to control the temp to get the flavor I like.

I have even tried mixing them with good results. I did a tripel with 3787 and 1214 that came out great. I can taste both yeasts but the 3787 is a little more prominent. Next time I might start the 1214 first (since it can be slow to start) and then add the 3787 after 8-12 hours.

 

[Andrewtherooster]

I love the WYeast Abbey II yeast for Belgian Darks. I have not made any Tripels with it, but the Belgian Dark Strong I made with it recently turned out superbly. It's a fast acting yeast, too. I cooled the wort to 68 and pitched it onto a cake from weaker Belgian pale. It ramped up quickly and within 4 weeks it went from 1.092 to 1.012. I plan to make this yeast my go-to Belgian yeast.