Favorite Belgian session beer recipe?

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specharka

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After an exhaustive search of the forums, I didn't see anything similar to this one...apologies if I missed a spot.

Recently I've been on a bit of a session ale kick, and with the warm weather approaching, I'm in the mood for something crushable, spicy, and Belgian to keep me company. There's plenty of recipes out there, and I've tried more than a few:
Patersbier
Belgian Enkel
Belgian Wit
Petite Saison
Belgian blond
Belgian pale ale

I'm curious to hear from the community here...what's your favorite Belgian session ale recipe?
 
My favorite is based on the Santa Teresa Enkel from AZ Wilderness brewing company. I enjoyed it so much that I wrote the brewery to ask for advice on brewing it, and below was their response:

"74% Pilsner
11% Wheat
6% Carastan
6% vienna
3% acid

We use styrian goldings @ 30,15,5,1 minutes for a total of roughly 13 IBUs, mash @ 154

Pitch westmalle 530 @ 65 and raise up to 70 over a 5 day period"

Their website lists ABV as 5.2%, so I'd aim for an OG around 1.050. It's not really true to style as a Trappist Single or a Belgian Blonde, but it's delicious, refreshing, and really easy drinking. You may not need the acid malt depending on the chemistry of your source water.
 
My favorite is based on the Santa Teresa Enkel from AZ Wilderness brewing company. I enjoyed it so much that I wrote the brewery to ask for advice on brewing it, and below was their response:

"74% Pilsner
11% Wheat
6% Carastan
6% vienna
3% acid

We use styrian goldings @ 30,15,5,1 minutes for a total of roughly 13 IBUs, mash @ 154

Pitch westmalle 530 @ 65 and raise up to 70 over a 5 day period"

Their website lists ABV as 5.2%, so I'd aim for an OG around 1.050. It's not really true to style as a Trappist Single or a Belgian Blonde, but it's delicious, refreshing, and really easy drinking. You may not need the acid malt depending on the chemistry of your source water.


That looks like an excellent recipe, and I imagine that it produces exactly what I'm looking for: low booze, high flavor, with decent body and mouthfeel.

The Rare Barrel golden ale has a very similar grainbill. I've made it with the Westmalle strain before and been tempted to skip the souring steps altogether. I imagine if you increased the hopping rate you could arrive at a very similar beer:

https://beerandbrewing.com/the-rare-barrel-golden-ale-recipe/
 
I'm amazed a brewery would share such a detailed grain bill.
I like this flexible little recipe and believe it'd be a great beer using "soft" spring water, no sour malt or Brett bugs. A bit of rye or oats would make it interesting, too.
 
Patersbier. 10lb Pilsner malt, 30IBU of Saaz / Styrian / Goldings. Use your favourite Trappist yeast (I used a few bottles of Rochefort) and allow the fermentation temperature to raise somewhat.
 
5 Gallon Saison recipe

Malt:
7.5lb pilsner malt, 1.2lb rye malt, 8oz wheat malt, 6oz Carastan

Hops:
(All hallertau) 1.5oz @ first wort, 1.5oz @10min, 1oz @ 0min

Mashed at 152f for an hour

Boil for an hour adding 1Lb sugar with 10 min left

Ferment with WL Belgian saison I or French Saison (I have tried and loved each one)
 
Make a Belgian Single with pretty much a German Pils recipe of 100% Pils malt, 30-40 IBU noble hop, and then ferment with a Belgian yeast.
 
I settled on a recipe very similar to popsicleian's suggestion, and it turned out tremendously. My spin on it:

1.052 OG, 1.010 FG (5.3% ABV)

73% Avangard pale ale
10% Great Western white wheat
7% Briess Vienna
5% Dingemans biscuit
5% Weyermann acidulated (for pH adjustment)

Double decoction mash with rests at 130, 145, 160 & 168
30 IBU Tettnang (60 min & 30 min), 2 IBU Hersbrucker (5 min)
Westmalle and Conan pitched at 64F, allowed to free rise to 75F thereafter

Beer is still carbing following 2 week fermentation and 2 week cold crash, but it's already showing signs of delicious delicious malt and hoppy goodness. Some light banana and lemon esters percolate with the classic Westmalle stone fruit aromatics. Definitely has more of a hoppy bite to it, which really helps offset the (relatively) high finishing gravity and keeps it from tasting too heavy.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1500818444.274601.jpg
 
I hate to bump this thread, but I will be making this recipe this weekend::
5# Digemann Pale Malt
1# Digemann Pils
1# Castle Abbey Malt
0.5# Special B
0.5# White Wheat Malt
10oz Turbino Sugar
1oz Perle @60
0.5oz Saaz @30
0.5oz Saaz @10
Mash@155
Wyeast-3522 Ardennes
 

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