Low Alcohol Dark Belgian Ale (specialty bier)

[MVKTR2]

malt and fermentables
% LB OZ MALT OR FERMENTABLE °L
78% 3 8 British Pale (Maris Otter) 3
8% 0 6 Chocolate Malt (UK) 450
6% 0 4 American Crystal 120L 120
6% 0 4 American Crystal 40L 40
3% 0 2 Carafa III 525
Total 4 8
Batch size: 5.0 gallons
Original Gravity 1.026
Final Gravity 1.006
Color24° SRM / 47° EBC
(Brown to Dark Brown)
Mash Efficiency 78%

hops
USE TIME OZ VARIETY FORM AA
boil 30 mins 0.25 Cascade pellet 5.5
boil 20 mins 0.5 Willamette pellet 5.5
boil 10 mins 0.5 Cascade pellet 5.5
boil 1 min 0.75 Willamette pellet 5.5

Bitterness
15.9 IBU
BU:GU
0.62

yeast
White Labs Abbey Ale (WLP530)

Alcohol
2.7% A.B.V.
Calories
85 per 12 oz.

Any thoughts on how this might turn out. I was inspired by the Bud Select 55 thread... sort of... I guess. Oh yea I would absolutely be adding 4-6 oz. flaked wheat for body & head retention, this bier would need it.

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[rinhaak]

did you ever make this? How did it turn out?

 

[MVKTR2]

Never did get around to brewing this... but I just might at some point. Thanks for reminding me of it!

Seriously though knowing what I know now I'd probably up the crystal 40 up to 8 oz. and leave the rest alone. No reason it shouldn't turn out great and be a pretty good test of brewing skill. Wheat/flaked wheat would also be important for body.

Would love to know if you decide to brew something similar.

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[rinhaak]

I'm thinking of making a low ABV Belgian Dark, so I was happy to see your idea!

I'm curious why you thought to use Maris Otter instead of Belgian Pilsen? or even Belgian 2-row Pale?

Very appreciative of the flaked wheat suggestion, btw. Hadn't thought of that!

 

[ylpaul2000]

Besides the Belgian yeast there is nothing in this recipe that is Belgian ale based. I would think it would be more akin to English ale hybrid. I made a Belgian black ale that was about 5.5% ABV and it actually won a medal in competition with it. I would be happy to share the recipe with you folks, and you could scale it back to reduce the ABV's. Just let me know.

 

[badlee]

I would love the recipe mate.
Should nobody else show interest,you could just PM it to me?
Cheers,Lee.

 

[SimBrew]

Intereseted here too

 

[badlee]

No recipe then?

 

[ylpaul2000]

Working on it standby.

 

[bjl110]

I made one up a while ago, but have never brewed it. One of those things that I'll get around to sometime, probably just to grow the yeast for a bigger brew. The thinking was that I didn't want to add candi syrup at this low of a gravity (Although this guy seemed to have success: http://ryanbrews.blogspot.com/2011/10/dark-belgian-table-beer-review.html), so I used more specialties than I would in one of my typical Belgians.

5# 2row
.5# Wheat malt
.5# Caramunich
.5# Special B
.25# Belgian De-bittered Black

.5 oz Centennial @ 60

Wyeast 3522 Ardennes

OG 1.033/IBU 18/SRM 19

This was the recipe exactly as I had it. I want to use 3787 (that is wlp530, right?) for my next BDSA, so when I make this it will probably use that. That is, unless I get a wild hair and buy 3711. I kinda want to try that yeast after all of the good stuff I hear/read. In fact, it might be good for a low abv, as everyone says that even though it finishes very dry the mouthfeel is silky and rich. Hmmm....



This kind of came up already in the thread, so I will address the inconsistencies with the Belgian "style" in my recipes (and philosophy, really). I use American hops, because so do the Belgians (BLAM mentions Chimay uses clean American bittering hops sometimes). Also, that is what I like and what I have. I don't use pilsner because I wouldn't use it for anything but Belgians. If the beer is flavorful enough, I don't miss it a bit. Personally, I'm not a real big fan of it anyway. I've used it and it is fine, but I don't have it on hand ever. The Belgians make beer with their local ingredients and what they have on hand. That's what I do as well. I'm a cook as well as a brewer, and they have a saying in cooking that there are two kinds of cooks: French and Italian. In Italian cuisine, the food is the star. Fresh, local ingredients and simple preparation are the keys. In French cooking the chef is the star. He makes the ingredients submit to the sometimes complex processes that he has spent much time mastering. Neither is wrong, or better than the other. They are just different ways of looking at the world of cooking. I love both French and Italian food. However, I tend to cook (and brew) more "Italian". I think that brewing is the same kind of thing. There are those that try to make something with the same kind of flavor profiles as the Belgians do, and there are those that try to make the beers with the exact kinds of ingredients that the Belgians use and make the beer fit into BJCP guidelines. Neither is wrong, or better than the other, they are simply different.

Having said all of that, I don't think that the original recipe would have much in common with the flavor profiles of Belgians...but even that is fine to me. As far as I'm concerned, experimentation is part of the "style". Anyway, sorry for the long post, I just had to get that out there.

Cheers!

 

[rinhaak]

The Belgians make beer with their local ingredients and what they have on hand. That's what I do as well.

I can relate to that. That's one of the reasons I don't mess with my water chemistry. For starters, my water tastes great. But whether I'm doing a Belgian or German style beer, I don't change the water profile to match Belgian or German water tables. I have a similar philosophy: they use that water because that's what they have, and so, then, do I!

 

[ylpaul2000]

Cool, do your thing! I meant no harm just checking. Here is the recipe that I promised sorry it's late.

7 lbs pilsner
1 lb Munich
8 oz biscuit
8 oz black patent
8 oz special b
8 oz aromatic
1 lb D2 candi syrup at knockout
1.50 oz styrian goldings (90 minutes)
1 liter starter w/ WLP510

Single infusion mash @ 158
90 minute boil.


I was going to replace the black patent with carafa 2 because I thought the astringency was a bit high but the judges didn't and I took second place at a large competition with this recipe.

 

[badlee]

Cool, thanks very much for posting.
I may well have a go, but take my axe to it first and see what I can do with what I have

 

[MVKTR2]

For the record I put my recipe together with ingredients I had on hand at the time. All in all it would have been belgianey enough for such a non-existent style. Sure if making it from scratch I would use belgian base, throw in some munich, perhaps victory/biscuit or some other things. To me making this is a bit like making a German IPA, sort of lots of wiggle room. I certainly wouldn't worry much about having a german base malt for a German IPA, though it would be nice. Hope to get around to something like this at some point in the future.

 

[rinhaak]

I certainly wouldn't worry much about having a german base malt for a German IPA, though it would be nice. Hope to get around to something like this at some point in the future.

German IPA? Have you had Hoponius Union by Jack's Abbey? It's what they call an IPL (India Pale Lager): is that what you would consider a German IPA?