DeKoninck Clone

[kcpup]

Here, I have BeerSmith in front of me now.

Next up for my clone attempt is:

80% Belgian Pils
10% Caramunich
5% Flaked Oats
2.5% Aromatic
2.5% Biscuit

6 AAU Saaz 60
2 AAU Saaz 30
0.5oz Saaz 15

For 75% eff. multiply the % by .1 to convert to pounds (8# Belgian Pils, etc).

WLP515 (Platinum) is the DeKoninck yeast strain. I washed the yeast cake from the last go-round since it is a fall seasonal.

Notes:
My grainbill gives estimated SRM of 10 which should be closer. My last clone attempt was SRM=8 and it was lighter than the DeKoninck in a side by side comparison.
Mash 152*F gives correct attenuation for the DeKoninck strain.
Much of the character of this beer comes from the yeast. For a true clone you need the WLP515. The WLP550 comes out good but it doesn't make for a clone. Pitching a 2L starter of the WLP515 the yeast character was a dead ringer in a side by side comparison.
The DeKoninck is hoppier than you would think, there is a lot of malt backbone which hides the IBUs. You need ~3oz of Saaz to get there.

Brewing this tomorrow. What temp did you use for fermentation?

Thanks for the recipe! (Also love your Tejas Wit as well)

Cheers

 

[Layne]

It's time! The WLP 515 is available this month.
Does anybody know which places have it in stock?
None of the online sites have it listed.

 

[Komodo]

I just ordered 2 vials from my LHBS. I'm following this thread, but my beer is more of a distant relative rather than a clone.

10g
15# Belgian 2-row
6# Munich 10L
4# rye malt

2oz Tettnang 60mn
2oz Saaz 30 mn
2oz Saaz 10 mn

WLP 515

I'm also debating adding 2# turbinado at around 4 days in the primary like my other Belgians, to dry it out and kick it up a notch. I was going to brew 10g, then do half ale and half lager, but then I saw the Antwerp was out and decided on that for everything.

My last beer was similar to this, and the rye was awesome in it. Silky mouthfeel, and a nice edge to it. Everyone loved it.

 

[Layne]

I have 10 gallons OG the original recipe in the fermenter.
I can't wait to drink this again.

 

[Komodo]

I just ordered 2 vials from my LHBS. I'm following this thread, but my beer is more of a distant relative rather than a clone.

10g
15# Belgian 2-row
6# Munich 10L
4# rye malt

2oz Tettnang 60mn
2oz Saaz 30 mn
2oz Saaz 10 mn

WLP 515

I'm also debating adding 2# turbinado at around 4 days in the primary like my other Belgians, to dry it out and kick it up a notch. I was going to brew 10g, then do half ale and half lager, but then I saw the Antwerp was out and decided on that for everything.

My last beer was similar to this, and the rye was awesome in it. Silky mouthfeel, and a nice edge to it. Everyone loved it.

Btw - this recipe is:

Og: 1.068
Fg: 1.016

IBU 27
SRM 8.6

6.8% (engineered for two pints which gives you a good crank. I bottle in champagne bottles.)

 

[SpeedyPete]

Resurrecting an old thread...

Has anyone continued to develop this recipe? Thoughts on adding a small amount of candi sugar instead of so much crystal?

Thanks!

 

[dannowatts]

Resurrecting an old thread...

Has anyone continued to develop this recipe? Thoughts on adding a small amount of candi sugar instead of so much crystal?

Thanks!

i’m going to be giving this a try two times over the next month, hoping to get any quirks in the process or recipe figured out, before brewing it a third time with some friends and their parents who live in antwerp! going to be basing it off of post #9, as that seems like it has the consensus that it is the closest to the recipe!

 

[Northern_Brewer]

WLP515 is currently available as a Q4 seasonal.

Also worth noting that the latest DNA sequencing suggests that it's a lager yeast most closely related to WLP940 Mexican, Fermentis S-23 and Wyeast 2001 Urquell H-strain, so they might be possible alternatives if you're looking to do a DK clone.

Aside from Wyeast 3655-PC Belgian Schelde Ale and Omega OYL-049 Belgian Ale DK of course. Or just harvesting from a bottle of DK itself.

 

[dannowatts]

or just harvesting from a bottle of DK itself.

if only i could find a distributor in the sf bay area to pick up some bottles, i would!

 

[Northern_Brewer]

DK are now owned by Duvel Moortgat, so I'd imagine that anywhere that has Duvel, Achouffe etc (or at a pinch Firestone Walker) should be able to get hold of DK somehow.

 

[jcav]

I have really wanted to brew this for a while now. Just can't get the yeast (WLP515). Supposed to be available now (November to December) but no one has it online or anywhere. If someone knows who has it in stock please post to let me know or send me a pm.

Thanks,

John

 

[dannowatts]

DK are now owned by Duvel Moortgat, so I'd imagine that anywhere that has Duvel, Achouffe etc (or at a pinch Firestone Walker) should be able to get hold of DK somehow.

oh thanks for the heads up on that, i’ll reach out to some places!

 

[dannowatts]

I have really wanted to brew this for a while now. Just can't get the yeast (WLP515). Supposed to be available now (November to December) but no one has it online or anywhere. If someone knows who has it in stock please post to let me know or send me a pm.

Thanks,

John

I just ordered 3 packages of it from white labs last night, will be arriving overnight on wednesday (i live in the sf bay area)

https://www.yeastman.com/

under yeast strains > vault > antwerp strain.

they’ve got homebrew sized packs

 

[FunkedOut]

I have really wanted to brew this for a while now. Just can't get the yeast (WLP515). Supposed to be available now (November to December) but no one has it online or anywhere. If someone knows who has it in stock please post to let me know or send me a pm.

Thanks,

John

https://www.homebrewing.org/White-Labs-515-Antwerp-Ale-Yeast_p_1322.html

I made a Palm clone with this yeast.
Should be ready to keg this week.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I have really wanted to brew this for a while now. Just can't get the yeast (WLP515). Supposed to be available now (November to December) but no one has it online or anywhere. If someone knows who has it in stock please post to let me know or send me a pm.

I can only speak from a UK perspective, my impression is that seasonal strains aren't available on the 1st day of the quarter, but they do appear fairly soon after, and then it's just a question of how often a retailer orders from White Labs (and sometimes they miss the seasonals on their first order of the quarter).

There seem to be two British retailers on the White Labs "premium" list that reliably stock the seasonals, and they both have WLP515 in stock at the moment so if it's reached here it should be everywhere.

The Omega version seems to be a core strain, but one that retailers tend not to bother ordering, so you can probably ask any Omega stockist to add it to their next order.

Or it would appear that S-23 will get you close....

 

[Northern_Brewer]

oh thanks for the heads up on that, i’ll reach out to some places!

The other thing you can try is to look it up on the mobile version of Untappd, which will usually give you an idea of where people have checked it in recently near to you. It works quite well for "name" beers like that - and the Firestone Walker connection should mean that reasonable amounts are reaching CA.

 

[jcav]

Thanks to all that replied to my question. I am going to order it tonight. Funny, two weeks ago I got an email from a online homebrew supply that advised that they had the yeast in stock, so I ordered two packs. They told me a week later that it was a mistake and they send me a refund. Thanks again guys!

John

 

[jcav]

https://www.homebrewing.org/White-Labs-515-Antwerp-Ale-Yeast_p_1322.html

I made a Palm clone with this yeast.
Should be ready to keg this week.

Thanks, just ordered two yeast packs.

John

 

[dannowatts]

Thanks to all that replied to my question. I am going to order it tonight. Funny, two weeks ago I got an email from a online homebrew supply that advised that they had the yeast in stock, so I ordered two packs. They told me a week later that it was a mistake and they send me a refund. Thanks again guys!

John

Oh, awesome!

when are you planning on doing your brew? whenever you do, make sure to update us with how it went and photos!

 

[jcav]

I plan on brewing it next month in December. My brew for November is a London Porter that I am brewing this Saturday.

John

 

[SpeedyPete]

How did you make out brewing this? WLP515 is available now.... I finally got some!

 

[Northern_Brewer]

This recipe is based on Jamil Zainasheff’s clone of De Koninck in BYO...
IBU = 29

SRM = 8

ABV = 5.3%

JFTR Roncoroni and Verstrepen measured the real thing at 5.2%, 24 EBC (12 SRM) and 19 IBU.

I now have both WLP515 and an old pack of 3655, I just need a bottle of DK to harvest...

 

[FunkedOut]

WLP515 is delicious.
I bought some to try my hand at cloning Palm, which is a really clean Belgian Pale Ale.
It came out so great, I just brewed another batch yesterday and I’m getting a tripel going today with the same yeast.

i had just about written off ever brewing ales again (I much prefer lagers). This yeast brought me back!!!

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Well the latest DNA sequencing shows that WLP515 is a lager yeast....

As an aside, Roncoroni and Verstrepen's analysis of aroma compounds put Palm and DK close together in a bit of a group of their own, they had regular Palm at 5.2%, 19 EBC and 12 IBU. Royale is closest to Rochefort 6 and is 7.5%, 13 EBC and 9 IBU.

 

[ba-brewer]

WLP515 is delicious.
I bought some to try my hand at cloning Palm, which is a really clean Belgian Pale Ale.
It came out so great, I just brewed another batch yesterday and I’m getting a tripel going today with the same yeast.

i had just about written off ever brewing ales again (I much prefer lagers). This yeast brought me back!!!

Was WLP515 phenolic when you used it?

 

[jcav]

How did you make out brewing this? WLP515 is available now.... I finally got some!

I brewed it last Monday Dec 23rd, so I currently have it in my fermenter. I will post back when I tap it! Oh and I went with a different recipe but it looked like a winner so I wanted to try it.

John

 

[ba-brewer]

Thanks. I have had it come out clean and sometime phenolic, just trying to figure out if it is me or the yeast.

 

[FunkedOut]

Was WLP515 phenolic when you used it?

Not at all. It was very clean. Just a touch of ale fruitiness but ever so slight.

Pitched it at 63*F and it was very slow to start.
Took me almost a week to raise the temp slowly to 68*F.
It wasn’t really active until day 2 or 3 (64*F, 65*F).
It sat a second week at 68*F before it was done.

1.052 to 1.010 with a 0.75 pitch rate (million cells / mL / * Plato).

 

[ba-brewer]

Thanks for the info @FunkedOut.

I seen they still had some wlp515 available on yeastman, so I got a vial to replace what I am currently slanting. Last time I looked at the white labs website it did say it is phenolic, but I don't recall seeing that in the past.

 

[FunkedOut]

I have a second batch along with a tripel going at the moment.
Pitched at 64*F, and they’re at 68*F by day 3.
I’ll keep them at 68*F for a week, then raise to 70*F for a second week.
Hoping to get a little more yeast expression this time.