California/Belgian Pale Ale Recipe

[bigbeergeek]

Like the rest of you, I've tried my fair share of Belgian IPAs. Some are better than others. I've tried my hand at brewing them (twice) and both times found it hard to strike a balance between west coast style hopping rates and Belgian yeast character. The yeast flavors fade into the background in my attempts as well as many commercial examples. So the idea of a Cali-Belgique PALE ALE came to mind, and it seems like the idea (from it's very inception) is much better suited for a balanced effect. Anyone tried anything like this? Thoughts on my recipe? Brew day is tomorrow. Here's the recipe:

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator?item=9871

 

[yodalegomaster]

There is a reason that this type of beer, doesn't have a style in the bjcp. It just doesn't work very well, or taste very good. I would pick the IPA hops or Belgian yeast and try to make what you choose work well. To me this combination just doesn't work very well. I have tried myself so I do know what your going through.

 

[rockfish42]

I made a modified clone of Houblon Chouffe that tasted just great. I based it off of the Houblonmonstre kit from NB and Hop Chewy from Houblon.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/houblon-chouffe-aka-hopchewy-150742/

 

[bigbeergeek]

Clearly, some manage to nail the "style" but it is a damn difficult balance to swing. The concept my (non-beer nerd) brother came up with was specifically a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone with a Belgian yeast strain. The maltiness and moderate cascade burst of SNPA seems like it could pair well with Belgian yeast indeed. So the idea was born. My WLP500 yeast comes from a 3 month old mason jar from the back of the fridge. The starter limped to life, so I'm going to go with it... crash cooling it now after taking it off the stirplate. If the batch doesn't look like it's taking off after a reasonable amount of time after the pitch tomorrow, I've got a backup packet of US05 to prevent an infection etc. Nothing wrong with a straight up SNPA clone as a fallback plan...

 

[dirty_martini]

There is a reason that this type of beer, doesn't have a style in the bjcp. It just doesn't work very well, or taste very good. I would pick the IPA hops or Belgian yeast and try to make what you choose work well. To me this combination just doesn't work very well. I have tried myself so I do know what your going through.

I hate this line of thinking. BJCP is not the be all end all. If anything, it hinders creativity and most of the award winning beers I find boring.

I think following a SNPA type recipe will work fine with a Belgian yeast. Whenever I taste ommegang's Belgian pale ale I think it tastes like SNPA but with a Belgian yeast.

Another option is you could look at a De Konick clone since it's a Belgian pale ale, then substitute a fruity American hop like cascade, Amarillo, or centennial for the spicier European hops it uses.

If you are losing the Belgian yeast behind the hops, I would just use less late addition or dry hops so they don't overpower.

 

[bigbeergeek]

I hate this line of thinking. BJCP is not the be all end all. If anything, it hinders creativity and most of the award winning beers I find boring.

I think following a SNPA type recipe will work fine with a Belgian yeast. Whenever I taste ommegang's Belgian pale ale I think it tastes like SNPA but with a Belgian yeast.

Another option is you could look at a De Konick clone since it's a Belgian pale ale, then substitute a fruity American hop like cascade, Amarillo, or centennial for the spicier European hops it uses.

If you are losing the Belgian yeast behind the hops, I would just use less late addition or dry hops so they don't overpower.

Agreed. I'm not interested in anyone's style guidelines with this brew

I appreciate the encouragement. I love Ommegang's products, but I've never tried the Rare Vos (the beer I think you're talking about?). My bro's vision was not that of a Belgian pale ale with cascade, rather an American pale ale with a Belgian yeast strain. Subtleties, I know.

I struggle with lowering the late/dry hop additions in ANY sort of IPA I brew as I appreciate those contributions most of all. Rather than a tug of war between the bold flavors of heavy-handed American hops and Belgian yeast, I'm going the pale ale route. I've got the grain cracked and the yeast starter crash cooling as I type. Tomorrow should be fun. I'll try to remember to update when tasting.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Oh Dirty Martini, where in LA are you? I lived in Culver City until last year and was a member of Pacific Gravity. Curious if you dabble in any of the active clubs down there...

 

[Sheldon]

I just bottled a clone of Stone's cali-belique. tasted good going into bottle. this coming weekend it should be ready for the world premier.

Sheldon

 

[Brewitt]

We all have our own opinions and taste buds. Mine find the Belgian/Cali blend desirable. I just brewed up wort for a Pilsner Urquell-like lager and split off 5 gallons for what will become a Belgian Pale with west coast hops. I added wort from a pound of melanoidin and pitched yeast from Pranqster, the Belgian Golden from North Coast Brewing. It will get dryhopped with Citra and Belma. Should be interesting.

When I finished my brew day, I sat down with an IPA brewed with the same yeast but using an IPA grain bill, Simcoe and Cascade in the boil and Citra and Belma dry hop. This is one of my favorite brews I have made and always gets rave reviews from those who drink it. Admittedly, I don't let the fermentation heat up too much, keeping it below 72F so I don't get over the top fruitiness. But the blend of the fruity melon aroma of the Belma, the tropical fruits of the Citra and the IPA base make for a very satisfying brew.

 

[wileaway]

I'm not very experienced with many different belgian strains, but to my mind White Labs 530 (Westmalle, I believe) tastes great paired with some fruity American or especially Aus/NZ hops.

I think fermenting somewhat low to moderate the belgian character may help.

Also, I'd suggest avoiding the more piney hop varieties, as I think the pine & grapefruit clashes most with a belgian flavor.

 

[Brewitt]

I'm not very experienced with many different belgian strains, but to my mind White Labs 530 (Westmalle, I believe) tastes great paired with some fruity American or especially Aus/NZ hops.

I think fermenting somewhat low to moderate the belgian character may help.

Also, I'd suggest avoiding the more piney hop varieties, as I think the pine & grapefruit clashes most with a belgian flavor.

I agree with you on the yeast strain and the temperature. I would have agreed with you on the piney hop but it didn't turn out that way. The brew I was mentioning had Simcoe flavor additions. It was part of a wort that got split between several beers. The one with belgian yeast was my favorite of the group. That said, I don't think the piney character came through too big with this one.