Celis Grand Cru Clone

[rhamilton]

Went to a beer festival and this was a hit with my family so I'd like to clone it for them.

Brewery Link

The only recipe I can find that say's "tastes like Celis Grand Cru"

"7.6% - A pale-straw Belgian strong ale made with pale barley malts, Saaz and Wilamette hops and seasoned with Curacao orange peel and select spices. The strong and malty character is complemented by a subtle fruitiness and complex flavors."

Malts:
Standard 2-Row or Pilsen
Belgian Specialty Grain?
Belgian Candi or Table Sugar?

Spices:
Curacao orange peel
Mystery Spices (Probably just coriander)?

Hops:
Wilamette Bittering & Saaz Flavor / Aroma

Yeast:
WLP400 Belgian Wit

Any tips?

 

[Nateo]

I don't think I've had Celis Grand Cru, but I've brewed many a Belgian. The most important thing is yeast selection.

Read this: http://traffic.libsyn.com/basicbrewing/KYBelgianYeastExperiment.pdf

I'd use pils over "regular" 2-row if you have. Not necessary, but it does make a difference. Some sort of specialty malt wouldn't be bad, but if your pils is good quality, it's not necessary. Good pils will have quite a bit of flavor. If you chew some and it tastes bland, use maybe 2-3% aromatic malt or similar, like melanoidin malt.

The majority of the spice flavors should come from the yeast. I generally add spice at 1 gram per gallon. So I'll use about 5g of any given spice for a 5 gallon batch. It's really easy to overspice beer. Coriander especially can get soapy in large amounts. You could go as high as 10g per 5-gal batch with the bitter orange.

I also use plain table sugar or dextrose, depending on what I have on hand. I usually use 15-20% sugar by weight. I add it after the ferment has been going for a few days. This helps keep my pitching rate low, and prevents the ferment from going too crazy. If it ferments too fast, it can get too hot.

I keep my ferment temps low, like around 60*. Many people say to ferment Belgians hotter, but I've had a certified judge ask me for my Belgian recipes because he was so impressed at the way they had a complex fruitiness without too much hot alcohol character.