Chimay Red clone

[Mark2018]

I want to brew an, “on point”, Chimay Red clone. Any suggestions?

 

[Mark2018]

I wanted to use only ingredients mentioned in, “Brew Like A Monk”.

 

[Bill Huelsman]

https://www.homebrewing.org/Beer-Clone-Recipe-Kits-Extract_c_190.html

I've brewed this win first place in the category, and runner up best of show.

 

[z-bob]

I can't help you with a clone recipe, but I have read BLAM. For a Trappist dubbel, I'd use something like 90% Belgian pils malt and 10% dark candi syrup (D-90?). Styrian Golding or Saaz hops (maybe both), and a Belgian yeast like WY1214. That would be in keeping with the "keep it simple; little or no specialty grains" concept, which is what I got out of BLAM.

 

[CoreyD]

http://www.candisyrup.com/recipes.html
Go here. i brewed the Chimay Triple recipe and it was spot on.

 

[kevin58]

http://www.homebrewing.org/assets/images/AIH 2013 recipes All Grain/Chimay Red Clone.pdf

 

[Big Monk]

I wanted to use only ingredients mentioned in, “Brew Like A Monk”.

I love BLAM just as much as the next Trappist beer lover but don’t be a slave to exactly what is written in it. In fact, there is a lot “between the lines” in BLAM that isn’t spelled out. That’s how the book was written, not so much as a recipe tome, but as a guide and springboard for your own adventures in those styles.

I don’t think dark Candi syrups are appropriate if you want to clone Chimay’s Dubbel. Sure, I’ve tasted delicious Dubbel style beers with D90 and even D180, but at 15 SRM, you don’t need the dark syrup and frankly, I don’t think the flavors in those dark syrups are right for that beer. D45 would probably be a better choice and I agree with @z-bob that 8-10% is probably the right number. Turbinado sugar is another excellent choice.

For malt, I’d say blend a few base malts, Pils/Pale or Pils/Vienna, and use a <20 °L cara malt for complexity. CaraHell, CaraRed, and CaraBelge are some of my favorites. CaraBelge in particular is a great malt and right in the ideal color range for this beer, not to mention it’s flavor wheel touches on many of the hallmark flavors of this beer.

Lastly, at 1.061 OG and 7%, you are going to want to make sure you have a very fermentable wort and a healthy fermentation. Chimay’s flavor profile is distinct and really driven by fermentation and attenuation. You want to make sure you avoid the trap of making this a high gravity beer and instead keep it around 1.060 and shoot for >85% attenuation.

Hope this helps.

 

[snowtiger1987]

http://www.candisyrup.com/recipes.html
Go here. i brewed the Chimay Triple recipe and it was spot on.

Wow, the recipe page is great. I want to brew all those beers.

 

[CoreyD]

Wow, the recipe page is great. I want to brew all those beers.

Right? Me too.

 

[nh_homebrew]

I’ve run low on 2 row and want to try making this chimay red clone with Maris Otter instead. What do y’all think?

 

[Big Monk]

I’ve run low on 2 row and want to try making this chimay red clone with Maris Otter instead. What do y’all think?

I wouldn’t. Pilsner base is your best bet.

 

[brewbama]

I love the fact that the fermentable ingredients are so simple but the processes, techniques, and yeast make some of the most complex styles in the world.

 

[mashpaddled]

I’ve run low on 2 row and want to try making this chimay red clone with Maris Otter instead. What do y’all think?

You could make a delicious beer but it likely will not be on target. Pale malt, especially a richer malt like maris otter, tends not to develop the dryness or crispness of pils malt. You need that character in the beer to develop the right balance of sweet flavors, crispness and light body. Maris otter will give you a heavier body and lack the crispness of the style. You will get something closer to an English brown ale with Belgian yeast. Again, probably a tasty beer but not one that immediately screams dubbel.