Hopping Advice: Belgian Dark Strong

[Barfield]

I need some hopping advice: I'm brewing a big Belgian Quad this weekend, modeled after Josh Weikert's "Brew Your Best Belgian Dark Strong" from beerandbrewing.com. The grain bill is 11# Belgian Pilsner, 3# Belgian Munich, 0.25# Special B, and 2# D-180 candi syrup. Planned OG is 1.090. 90 minute mash at 148-150, with 20-minute mashout at 170, boil is 75 minutes and batch size is 6 gallons. I get fantastic efficiency with my HERMS system (88%, on average, with the liquor/grist ratios I use), and my temperature-controlled fermentations run north of 85% with WLP500 Monastery Ale yeast; it may be higher with the 2# of candi syrup.

The author states "shoot for 30 IBU's from Hersbruker (4% AA) added at 20 minutes, and 0.5 oz of Styrian Goldings at flameout".

This would yield an OG/BU ratio of 0.30, in-line with the style if I attained the 30 IBU's from the 20 minute Hersbruker addition and ignored the Styrian's contributions at flameout.

My recipe planned for 4 oz of Hersbruker (@ 20 min), assuming 4% AA. Alas, at the my home brew supply store, the available Hersbruker listed 1.8% AA on the package.

I guess my options would be:

1) move the Hersbruker addition earlier in the boil, but give up some of the wonderful "floral, fruity and spicy aroma",

2) more than double the 4 oz addition to 8 oz, and deal with all the vegital matter, reduced yield, and potentially (almost certainly) negative flavor impact, (I do have whirlpool ability, though),

3) defer brewing until I can locate some Hersbruker with substantially higher than 1.8% AA (maybe some Hallertau?)

4) add a nominal amount (0.25 oz?) of a high-AA, neutral bittering hop (Warrior/Magnum/Nugget, etc.) at the beginning of the boil, for about 10 IBU, to complement 4-6 oz of the Hersbruker.

As I'm quite concerned of the beer being WAY underhopped, given the high original gravity, I'm leaning towards option #4.

Any thoughts, suggestions, alternative approaches?

Thanks!

 

[Big Monk]

IMO, you gotta go 4.

I would do Magnum/Hersbrucker at 60/10 minutes and target an 80%/20% split in BUs to them respectively.

 

[z-bob]

It's not a style I've brewed yet, but I like option 4. Or use a less-neutral but kinda "continental" high alpha hop like Sterling at 30 minutes to goose the bitterness.

 

[Barfield]

Thanks, guys... Good advice, all. Going to try a small, early Magnum addition and goose the Hersbrucker just a tad. Z-bob: Sterling's not one I've tried. It's on my radar, now!