Goldie Locks Belgian Golden Strong Ale

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1Mainebrew

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
934
Reaction score
39
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
White Labs 0570
Yeast Starter
YES
Batch Size (Gallons)
5
Original Gravity
1.082
Final Gravity
1.018
Boiling Time (Minutes)
90
IBU
17.51
Color
5.1
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
45 days at 70
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
30 days at 70
Additional Fermentation
4 months in bottle
Tasting Notes
A real close clone of Duval
Grains/Fermentables

15 # Pilsner 2-row from Belgium
1.25 # Corn Sugar (Last 15 mins of boil)

Hops

1.25 oz Styrian Goldings for 60 mins

Yeast

White Labs Belgian Golden Ale yeast in a starter per mrmalty

Mash Profile

mash at 149 for 90 mins with 32 quarts water no sparge


This beer takes forever to clear because the golden ale yeast is about as low a flocculator as you will find, and I will tell you in advance, its no good early on. It takes the full 6.5 months to get into its own, a year or more will yield even better results. Do yourself a favor and forget about it after you bottle it. No checking for carbonation levels, fellas, and you will be happy. It has a gross twang to it if you have it too early, and then that eventually fades to the crisp aroma of the goldings and honey. Its dry and refreshing to the palate. But at almost 9%, enjoy one and let the rest age.

This beer even got my grandfather asking me to brew this again for him because he liked it so much. He said it was delicious.

This beer becomes brilliantly clear with age and should be bottled with enough priming sugar to get you above 3 volumes of co2 if you can. It makes a champagne like effervescence.

Sorry no pics, I made this one a year and a half ago and there's no more.

If you're new to all-grain, or are thinking of switching over, this is as easy a recipe as you will find and it tastes great with a little patience. Just an excuse to brew more!
 
What do you think about substituting Trappist High Gravity yeast for your recipe? I made a triple that was excellent after 3 months total, including bottle conditioning.
 
I'm sure it would be great but it won't be a Duvel. Their yeast is the one listed in the recipe.
 
So the twang goes away? I though I got a bad batch of yeast myself. Would you describe it as sulfury? How long does it take to fade?
 
So the twang goes away? I though I got a bad batch of yeast myself. Would you describe it as sulfury? How long does it take to fade?

To answer your first question, yes, it goes away. It takes like 4 or 5 months to go away, but after like 9 months in the bottle it is really, really good. Leave the bottles out in room temp for AT LEAST 2-3 months, and then let them sit for the remainder in the fridge and you will be amazed at your results.

As to question two, no, sulfur was not what I tasted. Sulfur reminds me of a match stick or something. Twang was really the only term I could think of to describe it. Funky might also be a viable option.
 
orangehero, have you tried another bottle? How long has it been in the bottle?
 
I had mine bulk aging in a keg since January. I just bottled it the other day. It's drinkable, but the funky twang is still there and it came out really hot and solventy at 10% abv (1.004 FG). Sweet and medium bodied despite the low terminal gravity.
 
I brewed a very similar recipe (actulaly used Jamil Z's). Used 1388 yeast, and the bloody thing went from 1.080 to 1.005!!! I let it sit in secondary for about 2 months and I kegged it yesterday to carb it up. I do plan on bottling once it's carbed and I guess it can sit until it's ready.

Hydro sample was unbelievable smooth, and man those fruity esthers!!!
 
Way to go!! Be patient with this one and really let it come into it's own.
 
Hey el, have you tried one or are you still waiting? (better to wait, but its a wicked tough fight! We won't blame you man!)
 
Ok, so I cracked the first one after 2 weeks in the bottle.

Unfortunately I think I undercarbed for the style, but I'll give it some more time. At 10% and 1.005 it may take a while to carb up.

Taste wise it's unbelievably drinkable. There is a bit of alcohol heat, but it's nice and dry which makes you want another drink. Tart with lots of pear/banana notes, with some nice sweetness almost honeylike which I guess is coming from the alcohol.

10% ABV could sneak up on you with a beer like this. I'm definately going to cellar a bunch, but I would brew this style again.. just perhaps with a bit of a lower OG.

I also think this beer would be great if pitched with some sour dregs in secondary.
 
Nice to hear! Hopefully it will carb better. Either way the taste will continue to improve for many moons to come!
 
1Mainebrew said:
To answer your first question, yes, it goes away. It takes like 4 or 5 months to go away, but after like 9 months in the bottle it is really, really good. Leave the bottles out in room temp for AT LEAST 2-3 months, and then let them sit for the remainder in the fridge and you will be amazed at your results.

As to question two, no, sulfur was not what I tasted. Sulfur reminds me of a match stick or something. Twang was really the only term I could think of to describe it. Funky might also be a viable option.

Glad you posted this. I just bottled an almost identical recipe with that yeast and was bummed by the taste. This forum is awesome and Thank you.
 
I've just ground my grain (Weyermann extra-pale Pilsner, dash of aroma) and am getting ready to brew my Duvel clone tomorrow. Though not Belgian (expat Texan), I've lived in Belgium for the last 25 years, a mere 13 km from the Moortgat brewery in Breendonk, so Duvel is of special interest to me.

I was here looking around specifically to try to pick up some cues on water profile. Normally, I would add half a teaspoon of gypsum (with about a third going into the sparge water) and a quarter teaspoon of Epson salts to the mash. I see the question "what about water profile?" being asked by 1Mainbrew, but I don't see it getting answered. Pity.

My recipe is also based on the Jamil recipe. I'd say that an attenuation of 1.005 is as near perfect as you can get- in my experience, the lower the FG, the closer the taste is going to be to the real stuff. Using WYeast 1388, I typically get an FG between 1.006 and 1.010. It also seems to be important to check the pH on the mash in keep it in the low 5's. If it's too high, you'll get a darker, maltier beer - tasty, but not Duvel, more like Forbidden Fruit or Kwak. Also because of the high OG, I use my lagering cooler to keep the temperature on the low side (around 18-20 C) for the first couple of days, then gradually bring it up, ending up as high as 23 or 24 in the Summer. For secondary, going back to a low temperature (no more than 10-15) for a couple of weeks seems to improve the flavor. It'll take quite a while to carbonate after bottling because the yeast will be a bit torpid from the low temps.
 
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