Belgian-style table beer recipe

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nufad

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This is my first attempt at a Belgian table beer. I'd appreciate any feedback:

Volume: 5.5g
OG: 1.031
Est. FG: 1.005
Est. IBU: 19

4 lbs pilsner
1 lbs white wheat malt
8 oz flaked wheat
8 oz biscuit
Mashed at 150F

15 min - 0.5 oz Sorachi ace (12%)
10 min - 0.5 oz Citra (11%)
0 min - 0.5 oz Citra (11%)

Wyeast 3711, fermented at 75F
 
Can't comment on your grain bill since I'm not doing all grain brewing yet but your OG seems a bit low so I would worry about the body of the beer being a bit lacking. Here's a good post on making good session beers if you haven't read it yet: Session Ale Brewing Tips. Good luck!
 
Your grainbill looks good, I tend to let the yeast do most of the work in terms of flavor/aroma in Belgians, so if I were to brew this I probably would have just stuck with a bittering charge and maybe some noble hops @15 min, but that's just me.

Next time maybe consider subbing in some Vienna or Munich for some of the Pilsner if you're finding this batch lacking in complexity.
 
I made a saison a few months ago with Citra and EKG, and I really liked it. The tropical fruit notes from the citra nicely complimented the spicier character of 3711. I haven't brewed this yet, so I think I'll sub 2 pounds of the pilsner for vienna.
 
My only advice is to mash high. 3711 and a 1.031 og will leave you with a very thin beer, although 1.5lbs of wheat should help.
 
Looks tasty to me. I'd be very curious to know how that hop schedule marries with the French Saison yeast. More of a cosmopolitan table beer, rather than strictly Belgian. The lemony character of the Sorachi Ace and the fruitiness of the Citra with no real bittering addition should fit pretty well, but the proof is in the pint.

With such a short boil would DMS from the Pils be a concern, or would you do a full boil and just not add hops until the 15 minute addition?

Also, for my taste, I might go for 1 more pound of Pils. 1.031 is a little lower than I would want to go. And I second the higher mash temp, as well.
 
With such a short boil would DMS from the Pils be a concern, or would you do a full boil and just not add hops until the 15 minute addition?

Also, for my taste, I might go for 1 more pound of Pils. 1.031 is a little lower than I would want to go. And I second the higher mash temp, as well.

It would be a full 90min boil to drive out the DMS. I wanted try my hand at a sub 4% ABV beer, hence the lower gravity. I hope mashing in at 155F and including vienna and wheat give it enough body, but, as you said, the proof is in the pint. I'll update when I open the first bottle in 6 weeks or so.
 
I guess the main thing to try to control on this beer is the attenuation. If the grain bill and mash temp are on point, it could turn out really well. It is probably easiest to control if you use a yeast you are familiar with. I have never used the 3711, so I have no idea how it attenuates.
 
I guess the main thing to try to control on this beer is the attenuation. If the grain bill and mash temp are on point, it could turn out really well. It is probably easiest to control if you use a yeast you are familiar with. I have never used the 3711, so I have no idea how it attenuates.

3711 will chew through just about everything but the fermenter, but for how dry it finishes it leaves a surprisingly full mouth feel. Something about glycerol production during fermentation IIRC.
 
3711 will chew through just about everything but the fermenter, but for how dry it finishes it leaves a surprisingly full mouth feel. Something about glycerol production during fermentation IIRC.

This has been my experience with 3711. My last saison finished up at 1.005 after 3 weeks in primary, and it had great mouthfeel.
 
Finally got around to brewing this last night, but with a few small changes:

Volume: 5 gallons
OG: 1.032
Est. FG: 1.008
Est. IBU: 22

3 lbs pilsner
1 lbs vienna
1 lbs white wheat malt
8 oz flaked wheat
6 oz carapils
Mashed at 155F (BIAB)

60 min - 0.32 oz Warrior (14%)
5 min - 0.5 oz Calypso (15%)

Used 3724 instead of 3711, currently bubbling away.
 
An update on this:

FG was 1.004 (3.7% ABV) after 2 weeks, bottled conditioned up to 2.3 volumes. The body on this beer is lacking a little bit, so I would push this to 2.8 volumes. It has a wonderful fruity taste and aroma from the 3724 and calypso hops. I definitely get the mild pear and red apple aspects of calypso that I've read about. It's a very refreshing beer, and great for a hot summer day.
 
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