Belgian Dubbel Ommegang Abbey Dubbel

[fastasaturtle]

Just bottled this yesterday and it came out great. Got stuck at 1.020 but still came out at 8.3% abv. I have tweaked a few things with my process and brewed it again, so we'll see if it finishes out a little lower than the first try...
Really looking forward to cracking open the first bottle, thanks Gordon!

 

[GordonT]

Just bottled this yesterday and it came out great. Got stuck at 1.020 but still came out at 8.3% abv. I have tweaked a few things with my process and brewed it again, so we'll see if it finishes out a little lower than the first try...
Really looking forward to cracking open the first bottle, thanks Gordon!

You're welcome Turtle. Nothing better than helping someone make good beer.

 

[gifty74]

:cross:
You're very welcome. Glad that it turned out for you. I just finished a keg that was brewed in June and I was sad to see it go. As soon as Xmas is over I'm brewing this again with the same recipe but using several variations in the brewing process that I have since learned about. Should be even better this time around.

So Gordon, what was it that you learned about your brewing process that you would do differently the next time you brewed it?

I assume this one you would want to mash a bit on the high side, say 155°?

 

[GordonT]

So Gordon, what was it that you learned about your brewing process that you would do differently the next time you brewed it?

I assume this one you would want to mash a bit on the high side, say 155°?

No the opposite. This has enough unfermentables that the FG is going to be relatively high anyway. I would mash lower and longer. Say 146 - 152 for 60 minutes. I've also taken to adding the sugar just after high krausen.
Doing this again I plan to slightly reduce the malt and slightly increase the sugar to make it drier, or as the Belgians say "digestible".
I've been playing with spice timings and would add the Coriander at 5 rather than knock out. I've also found that licorice is extremely sweet and any amount of it adds a LOT of sweetness to a beer so I've switched to Star Anise and a smaller amount.
Ferment warm, don't be in a rush to see it finish. My last few beers with these changes have improved tremendously.

 

[gifty74]

So how does Star anise compare to licorice as far as flavor?

 

[GordonT]

So how does Star anise compare to licorice as far as flavor?

Very similar but without the added sweetness. Star anise is available at most supermarkets. If you can find some fresh in the spice department spend a $1 or 2 and taste it yourself. I frequently use this in Chinese and South East Asian recipes and find it aromatic and pleasant.

It certainly works well in beer.

 

[boozehoundbrew]

Great recipe. Just tasted mine this weekend while I was racking to the secondary. Very pleasant flavors, and looking forward to drinking the rest in November and December.

FYI - I added 2oz candied ginger and 1/4 C honey @ 10 min in addition to the orange peel. (Skipped the coriander because I thought it would be redundant with the ginger). I'll let you know how it turns out when I start drinking the finished product.

Thanks so much.

 

[GordonT]

Great recipe. Just tasted mine this weekend while I was racking to the secondary. Very pleasant flavors, and looking forward to drinking the rest in November and December.

FYI - I added 2oz candied ginger and 1/4 C honey @ 10 min in addition to the orange peel. (Skipped the coriander because I thought it would be redundant with the ginger). I'll let you know how it turns out when I start drinking the finished product.

Thanks so much.

It gets even better with some age and carbonation. The coridander does add a unique flavour but yours sounds pretty tasty.

 

[psubrewer]

Made this a few months back. Turned out excellent, the yeast is really the star here I think.

I used plain old 2 row instead of lager malt and it still turned out great.

Added star anise instead of licorice root, wish I had backed off a bit but it it seems to be mellowing out with age.

Thanks for the recipe, will definitely be making it again!

 

[GordonT]

Made this a few months back. Turned out excellent, the yeast is really the star here I think.

I used plain old 2 row instead of lager malt and it still turned out great.

Added star anise instead of licorice root, wish I had backed off a bit but it it seems to be mellowing out with age.

Thanks for the recipe, will definitely be making it again!

Tweaking is as good as reason as any to make it again. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[redbone]

I love Dubbels and I love the unique flavour of Special B malt. This beer lets me enjoy both. The recipe was patched together from many sources. Thanks to an interview with the former head brewer at Ommegang the spicing came together more clearly than in previous attempts.

11 lbs lager malt
2 lbs Special B
2 lbs Aromatic
1 lb 30 - 40 Crystal
1 500 ml bottle of dark syrup

1 oz. Hallter for the boil. Added after the first half hour.
.5 Saaz at 5

I zested two mandarin oranges and add at 15
.5 oz licorice root at 15
.4 oz crushed coriander seed add as I turned the heat off.

Mashing schedule was 130 for 15, 148 for 30 and 160 for 15.

Fermented with Wyeast Ardennes yeast at 72F in primary, 60 F in secondary.

This turned out really great. It is a big beer but is quite elegant and well rounded. Nothing really stands out, all flavours blend nicely.

The nose is spicy and malty. It is difficult to distinguish whether the spice in the nose is from the yeast or coriander or a blend.

Tasting it you first get fresh sweet malt and quickly after that the various flavours of licorice, orange, coriander and spicy yeast, all blending together.

It is almost black but shows red around the side of the glass. Nice tight head and looks great in a glass.

I'm curious how this recipe compares to the BYO and which one is closer to the real thing. Here is the Clone recipe from BYO first printed in September 2005.

 

[GordonT]

I'm curious how this recipe compares to the BYO and which one is closer to the real thing. Here is the Clone recipe from BYO first printed in September 2005.

you posted a clone recipe for their Abbey Ale, not their Dubbel.

My recipe is tasty as hell and makes a fantastic beer, just read the comments from some of those that have brewed it. Is it the same as the original? Only one way to find out :cross:

 

[redbone]

you posted a clone recipe for their Abbey Ale, not their Dubbel.

My recipe is tasty as hell and makes a fantastic beer, just read the comments from some of those that have brewed it. Is it the same as the original? Only one way to find out :cross:

Huh? The Abbey Ale is their Dubbel.

http://www.ommegang.com/#!beer_abbey

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42/142

 

[redbone]

=\

 

[fastasaturtle]

The grain bill on that recipe is less than 11 1/2 pounds minus the corn sugar. I would have thought you'd need more to brew a dubbel, but I guess 2.66 pounds of corn sugar goes a long way...
The flavor has to be different on this without the dark Belgian candi syrup. It has a richer, more complex taste than the corn sugar does it not? (admittedly I haven't done a side by side blind taste test...)
I would like to brew it though just to see what it's like, thanks for posting it. And thanks again to Gordon for the original recipe post!

 

[redbone]

I also find the lack of Dark Belgian Syrup to be a bit troublesome as well as the lack of Special B. Note that the Briess Special malt described is not the same as Special B.

Gordon's recipe is probably closer or at least better than the BYO magazine recipe is IMO.

 

[warriorpoet85]

I am a long time lurker and first time poster. Have a couple of brews under my belt.

I was curious exactly what type of syrup is being used here when it calls for "500 ml of Dark Syrup?" I am planning brewing this next weekend (in about a week) and wanted to know so I could get the supplies necessary.

Really looking forward to this one!

 

[fastasaturtle]

warriorpoet85, you're looking for something like this:
http://www.annapolishomebrew.com/p/912/candi-syrup-d180

 

[redbone]

Check these out:

http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shopping...-Finings,-Flavorings-etc./Alternative-Sugars/

 

[atri]

No the opposite. This has enough unfermentables that the FG is going to be relatively high anyway. I would mash lower and longer. Say 146 - 152 for 60 minutes. I've also taken to adding the sugar just after high krausen.
Doing this again I plan to slightly reduce the malt and slightly increase the sugar to make it drier, or as the Belgians say "digestible".
I've been playing with spice timings and would add the Coriander at 5 rather than knock out. I've also found that licorice is extremely sweet and any amount of it adds a LOT of sweetness to a beer so I've switched to Star Anise and a smaller amount.
Ferment warm, don't be in a rush to see it finish. My last few beers with these changes have improved tremendously.

How much sugar do you recommend adding after high krausen?

 

[GordonT]

How much sugar do you recommend adding after high krausen?

The sugar mentioned is the syrup, as in my original recipe - one 500 ml bottle of dark syrup.

 

[atri]

Thanks!

As luck would have it I ended up making a litre of syrup last weekend.

Gonna give your recipe a try this weekend

 

[warriorpoet85]

I brewed this last weekend, BIAB method, scaled to two gallons and had a 1.074 OG. I had slightly more grain (7lbs total) because I did it BIAB. I also had an issue and lost some (a decent amount splashed out, ouch) wort when removing the bag to the colander to drain. So my efficiency ended up being around 67%.

Anyway, all that to say my OG was 1.074

 

[GordonT]

Thanks!

As luck would have it I ended up making a litre of syrup last weekend.

Gonna give your recipe a try this weekend

Great, let us know how it goes, and seeing as we are neighbours, invite me over for a pint when its done!

 

[atri]

Will Do, GordonT!

I'm nearing the end of my mash as I type.

 

[atri]

Just got this batch into the secondary.

SG was 1090.
Gravity into the secondary is at 1020.

Smells fantastic.

I used a brew belt for the primary and oh my did it ferment. Had wanted to rack into the secondary over the weekend but the krausen was still quite thick. Cleared this morning and I could I actually see the beer.

Can wait to try this out!

thanks again GordonT for sharing!

 

[GordonT]

Just got this batch into the secondary.

SG was 1090.
Gravity into the secondary is at 1020.

Smells fantastic.

I used a brew belt for the primary and oh my did it ferment. Had wanted to rack into the secondary over the weekend but the krausen was still quite thick. Cleared this morning and I could I actually see the beer.

Can wait to try this out!

thanks again GordonT for sharing!

You're welcome atri, sounds like you have one fantastic beer coming up!

 

[homebrewdad]

Hi Gordon!

I stumbled across this beer for the first time tonight... this is a new top five beer for me. It will come as no surprise that I now want to brew it.

How many times have you brewed this recipe? How true do you feel it comes to the commercial version?

Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[warriorpoet85]

I recently brewed this (*it is bottling). I let it ferment for a good 5 weeks. I actually made a two gallon batch and split it up into two separate one-gallon fermenters (I am just starting up and costs prohibit a bigger pot for bigger sizes and I just recently bought a five gallon bucket).

My OG was 1.076 and my FG was 1.016.

The taste of it (pre-carb) was awesome. Best I have brewed so far, and it tasted remarkably similar to the real deal. I was quite pleased. Haven't been this excited for my beer to carb yet! I'll let ya know how it tastes when I crack one around Christmas time!

 

[GordonT]

Hi Gordon!

I stumbled across this beer for the first time tonight... this is a new top five beer for me. It will come as no surprise that I now want to brew it.

How many times have you brewed this recipe? How true do you feel it comes to the commercial version?

Thanks so much for sharing!

This is very close to the original which I also love. This recipe is slightly darker and slightly richer, if you can imagine that

If you want a more exact match up substitute my Special B for Special Roast and it should be spot on. If you don't have Special Roast available you can use Brown Malt.