Mermaid
Well-Known Member
I am now officially obsessed with this beer, despite never having tasted it.
I've wanted to try brewing a fruit beer and this sounds like something right up my alley.
Saw a clone recipe online which called for about half Belgian 2-row and half wheat making up the base grain bill, I would add a little crystal (because my beers brewed with a little crystal malt produce nicer head).
The cherry thing seems debated a bit, but if I brew a 3 gallon batch I can go half jarred sour cherries (which are easy to find this time of year, although expensive) and half cherry puree.
NG web site says the beer is brewed with Hallertau hops (not surprising, I love Hallertau as it's very subtle) and they're common in Belgian ales.
Yeast strain on the clone recipe I saw called for Wyeast 3787 (Trappist) strain, but I might use the Unibroue strain that I have yeast banked (3864) because it's so lovely in the Unibroue ephemere (which seems to have a similar grain bill) and has worked very well for me.
Thinking of using a few oak chips in the secondary, although all I've read on this beer seems to point to the oak being very subtle in this beer.
Has anyone had success in brewing a clone of this? Care to share ideas?
Would love to brew this over my holiday work break and have it ready to drink by my 45th birthday in late March.
I've wanted to try brewing a fruit beer and this sounds like something right up my alley.
Saw a clone recipe online which called for about half Belgian 2-row and half wheat making up the base grain bill, I would add a little crystal (because my beers brewed with a little crystal malt produce nicer head).
The cherry thing seems debated a bit, but if I brew a 3 gallon batch I can go half jarred sour cherries (which are easy to find this time of year, although expensive) and half cherry puree.
NG web site says the beer is brewed with Hallertau hops (not surprising, I love Hallertau as it's very subtle) and they're common in Belgian ales.
Yeast strain on the clone recipe I saw called for Wyeast 3787 (Trappist) strain, but I might use the Unibroue strain that I have yeast banked (3864) because it's so lovely in the Unibroue ephemere (which seems to have a similar grain bill) and has worked very well for me.
Thinking of using a few oak chips in the secondary, although all I've read on this beer seems to point to the oak being very subtle in this beer.
Has anyone had success in brewing a clone of this? Care to share ideas?
Would love to brew this over my holiday work break and have it ready to drink by my 45th birthday in late March.