Belgian Golden Strong Ale Pink Elephant (Delirium Tremens clone)

[cgoldberg3]

Three weeks in the bottle and they are completely uncarbonated. Like, not even a tiny bit. IDK what went wrong here. It's like the yeast just totally died. Really wishing I would have kegged right about now.

How do I salvage this? Pitch more yeast into each bottle?

 

[Kee]

Three weeks in the bottle and they are completely uncarbonated. Like, not even a tiny bit. IDK what went wrong here. It's like the yeast just totally died. Really wishing I would have kegged right about now.

How do I salvage this? Pitch more yeast into each bottle?

The method I use is to uncap the bottles and sprinkle in some dry yeast, something like Lavin EC-1118 that works on simple sugars but not so much on maltose.

 

[cgoldberg3]

Month 2 in the bottles and there's a dusting of yeast in the bottom of every bottle, but not much. I think I'll give it another month to a month and a half before I look into using champagne yeast or something. According to some of the older threads on here, people have seen Belgian strong ales take as much as 3 months to carb.

Regardless though, next time I'm kegging any high OG beers.

 

[Dancy]

Three weeks in the bottle and they are completely uncarbonated. Like, not even a tiny bit. IDK what went wrong here. It's like the yeast just totally died. Really wishing I would have kegged right about now.
How do I salvage this? Pitch more yeast into each bottle?

I’ve brewed a couple of Belgian Dark Strong Ales in the last 5 months. Initially used Mangrove Jack’s M41 for one and M31 for the other (2 pks each, 5G batches). At bottling time, when I gently stirred corn sugar into the bottling bucket, I also stirred in hydrated LalBrew CBC-1 yeast. The carbonation turned out great.

 

[cgoldberg3]

I’ve brewed a couple of Belgian Dark Strong Ales in the last 5 months. Initially used Mangrove Jack’s M41 for one and M31 for the other (2 pks each, 5G batches). At bottling time, when I gently stirred corn sugar into the bottling bucket, I also stirred in hydrated LalBrew CBC-1 yeast. The carbonation turned out great.

Didn’t know they had yeast specifically for bottle conditioning. Definitely good to know for next time.

 

[laurentobias]

Thanks so much to everyone for your contributions to this thread. I decided to try my hand at a belgian strong, starting with HuRRiC4Ne's extract version and (obviously) making my own adjustments and mistakes. OG hit 1.073 but I think I pitched the WLP570 too low - of course, this is the time I finally got my wort chiller to cool down to 60. I didn't use the S-04. 13 days into fermentation (without temp control - and it's winter), FG is down to 1.02. What do I do from here? Call that done and keg it? I've tasted and the beer is pretty good... I would happily drink it, but admittedly my palate isn't quite awakened to things like greenness. I had planned to cold crash in the kegerator for 2 weeks before letting it age a little longer outside of the fridge, but am I overthinking it?

 

[madscientist451]

If you can, move the fermenter into a warmer environment for 3-4 days or longer and maybe it will go a little lower, then cold crash and keg. I’d probably let it age a month after kegging, but if you like it as is, go ahead and enjoy it.

 

[laurentobias]

Will try that, thanks! And thanks for replying in such an old thread!

 

[jdubdvdt]

Just brewed a batch of this (or similar enough to it, this thread inspired it)

5.5 gal fermenter batch
12lb Dingemans Belgian Pilsner
1lb 1oz Simplicity Candi Syrup
1lb Dextrose
4oz D-45 Candi Syrup

0.4oz Magnum 14% AA at 60' min
1oz Saaz 2.5% AA at 10 min
0.5oz Styrian Goldings 2.5% AA at 10 min
13.2g ground coriander seeds at 10 min
4g ground grain of paradise seeds at 10 min
4.5g freshly chopped ginger at 10 min

Water - Ca 40, Mg 7, Na 30, Cl 75, SO4 75, pH to 5.44 (lactic acid to adjust)
Mash 125 (15min), 144 (45min), 158 (30min), 168 (10min)
90 minute boil

Ended up with 1.082 OG on accident. 24 IBU
Pitched directly on my Belgian Tripel yeast cake of Mangrove Jack's M31 Tripel Friday night at 11pm. Currently roughly 60 hours later it is 1.010 and slowly chewing this morning. Planning to transfer to a keg at 14 days and age for a minimum 3 months.

I thought I had candi sugar and I had already started the mash so I had to make it work with candi syrup and dextrose. Should be fine. My Styrian goldings was waaaay too low AA to use for bittering and I would have had a lot of vegetal matter in the beer. I pushed the late hop additions closer to flame out. Looking forward to this one. Thanks for the recipe.

 

[HazzyJ]

Righto... I came and joined just to get this of my chest.
Firstly I would like to thank the OP for his recipe and the dedication he put to answering everyone early on in this thread. He really created a juggernaut that has powered on for over 15 years
After watching and reading this thread for over a year now, I decided to brew as close as I could get to this. I'm in Australia (excuse the metric measurements), so liquid yeast from the US is getting harder to source, and we don't see Dingemans malts much anymore.
My recipe is as follows for a 60L batch:
90L RO water with minerals for Antwerp water in mash.
13.5kg Weyermann Floor Malted Pilsner
2kg Cane sugar (in boil)
Followed original step mash with HERMS temp control.
90 min boil.
35g Warrior @ 60 (16.6 IBU)
70g Saaz @ 15 (4.3 IBU)
At 10 mins:
30g Coriander
10g Fresh grated ginger
10g Alligator Pepper (GoP)
4 sachets of Mangrove Jacks M41 Belgian Ale, starting at 20c and rising 1c per day.
OG 1.066 (overshot total volume by ~8L!)

It's been down for a week now and it seems to be fermenting along nicely. Current gravity is 1.009 and still dropping. I can't tell you how it smells of tastes as I am away for work over 2000 miles from the beer, and won't be back there for another 12 days. It should be going through the cold crash by the time I get there to taste it.
Thank god for WiFi fermentation pills and tools!

Thanks again to the OP, and all you who have chimed in for the feedback on your brews. Normally this isn't my jam to comment, but this thread really meant a lot to me.

Cheers all,

Hazzy

 

[jdubdvdt]

Righto... I came and joined just to get this of my chest.
Firstly I would like to thank the OP for his recipe and the dedication he put to answering everyone early on in this thread. He really created a juggernaut that has powered on for over 15 years
After watching and reading this thread for over a year now, I decided to brew as close as I could get to this. I'm in Australia (excuse the metric measurements), so liquid yeast from the US is getting harder to source, and we don't see Dingemans malts much anymore.
My recipe is as follows for a 60L batch:
90L RO water with minerals for Antwerp water in mash.
13.5kg Weyermann Floor Malted Pilsner
2kg Cane sugar (in boil)
Followed original step mash with HERMS temp control.
90 min boil.
35g Warrior @ 60 (16.6 IBU)
70g Saaz @ 15 (4.3 IBU)
At 10 mins:
30g Coriander
10g Fresh grated ginger
10g Alligator Pepper (GoP)
4 sachets of Mangrove Jacks M41 Belgian Ale, starting at 20c and rising 1c per day.
OG 1.066 (overshot total volume by ~8L!)

It's been down for a week now and it seems to be fermenting along nicely. Current gravity is 1.009 and still dropping. I can't tell you how it smells of tastes as I am away for work over 2000 miles from the beer, and won't be back there for another 12 days. It should be going through the cold crash by the time I get there to taste it.
Thank god for WiFi fermentation pills and tools!

Thanks again to the OP, and all you who have chimed in for the feedback on your brews. Normally this isn't my jam to comment, but this thread really meant a lot to me.

Cheers all,

Hazzy

Awesome. Keep us posted. I'm not going to sample mine again until September most likely. The small sip I did have was good!

 

[HazzyJ]

Awesome. Keep us posted. I'm not going to sample mine again until September most likely. The small sip I did have was good!

Cheers
I look forward to hearing updates on how yours turned out with the D-45, and Simplicity! I had 2X sachets of the Simplicity that I think I bought to use, but decided to go with the sugar in case I didn't get the fermentability of the wort. Now that I look at the way the ferment is going, and the expected FG of 0.999, I am kinda wishing I did use it!

 

[Peteinno]

It's been down for a week now and it seems to be fermenting along nicely. Current gravity is 1.009 and still dropping. I can't tell you how it smells of tastes as I am away for work over 2000 miles from the beer, and won't be back there for another 12 days. It should be going through the cold crash by the time I get there to taste it.

I brewed a recipe similar to this for my Delerium clone using a combination of 1388 and S-04. I left it in the fermenter for 3 weeks and wished I left it in longer. I started fermentation at 70 and let it rise to 78. OG was 1.074 and final gravity was 1.008. It had a Sulphur odor and taste that took away from it's enjoyment. After about 2 months in the keg the Sulphur finally started to dissipate but it was still detectable. Anyone else have a Sulphur problem?

 

[jdubdvdt]

Cheers
I look forward to hearing updates on how yours turned out with the D-45, and Simplicity! I had 2X sachets of the Simplicity that I think I bought to use, but decided to go with the sugar in case I didn't get the fermentability of the wort. Now that I look at the way the ferment is going, and the expected FG of 0.999, I am kinda wishing I did use it!

Well, as much as I thought I had D-45 and Simplicity, I did find out right after I brewed it that LD Carlson was making their own out of corn syrup and the flavors are not exactly the same as what CSI was making. LD Carlson is definitely pushing the limits of a potential lawsuit with their packaging and how it essentially was swapped on the distribution side without notifying home brew stores.
I bought it through my LHBS and they were blown away that it had changed and no one said anything on the distribution side. Sounds illegal.

See this link -> https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/candi-syrup-is-it-real-does-it-matter.735380/
if it does not come in the pouch and say the ingredients are "beet sugar" and "water" then it is not real candi syrup. I am pissed.

I brewed a recipe similar to this for my Delerium clone using a combination of 1388 and S-04. I left it in the fermenter for 3 weeks and wished I left it in longer. I started fermentation at 70 and let it rise to 78. OG was 1.074 and final gravity was 1.008. It had a Sulphur odor and taste that took away from it's enjoyment. After about 2 months in the keg the Sulphur finally started to dissipate but it was still detectable. Anyone else have a Sulphur problem?

Sulfur is typically produced by lager yeasts - especially when stressed. Although S-04 is an ale yeast I would imagine that the yeast was stressed with that combination of temperature and gravity. Did you use a yeast nutrient, oxygenate the wort, etc? I always use yeast nutrient regardless of the beer or yeast. It is a silly habit, but a happy yeast is a happy beer dad.

I have always tried to maintain no higher than 68F with S-04, but honestly my notes are so old I can't find out what temperature range I actually liked. I haven't used it since 2015-2016ish. It has the capacity to do higher gravities, but above the max recommended temperature, high gravity, and maybe without yeast nutrient? I would a think you'd have a stressed yeast.

I originally misread and missed that you used a WY1388 as well. I don't know if one took off before the other or if you underpitched the belgian yeast. If the belgian yeast was underpitched and the S-04 took off, then maybe that is where the sulfur came from.

Let me know what you think, but those are my initial thoughts.

 

[Kee]

Well, as much as I thought I had D-45 and Simplicity, I did find out right after I brewed it that LD Carlson was making their own out of corn syrup and the flavors are not exactly the same as what CSI was making. LD Carlson is definitely pushing the limits of a potential lawsuit with their packaging and how it essentially was swapped on the distribution side without notifying home brew stores.
I bought it through my LHBS and they were blown away that it had changed and no one said anything on the distribution side. Sounds illegal.

When CSI candi syrup apparently became unavailable at retail (somebody correct me if they know a source) I thought I had found it on Amazon, the item info described it as such. When it arrived it was LD Carlson syrup with different ingredients. I posted a comment on the item and Amazon informed me that my comment did not meet their editorial approval, which makes no sense. I was only relating facts.

So, buyer beware.

 

[Peteinno]

I originally misread and missed that you used a WY1388 as well. I don't know if one took off before the other or if you underpitched the belgian yeast. If the belgian yeast was underpitched and the S-04 took off, then maybe that is where the sulfur came from.

Let me know what you think, but those are my initial thoughts.

Thanks for your thoughts. I think a pouch each is plenty of yeast and usually the liquid takes off before the dry. I may have pitched too warm and let it rise too high. Next attempt I'll pitch around 66 and only let it get up to 74. The S-04 may not have liked the high temps.

 

[Trevor Mack]

I've been in contact with a few homebrew stores and linked them to the source to be able to inventory themselves as they also don't like the LD Carlson product (or at least their customers don't - those that know better).

https://www.candisyrup.com/ is the source company - feel free to message them as they may be able to do one off bulk orders (8 bottles at 2.5lb each). They no longer pack in the 1lb pouch we have grown so used to they now use a bottle for packaging.

 

[Man_the_Dan28]

I brewed this batch on May 31st and hit an original gravity (OG) of 1.075. I pitched WLP570 at 68°F, and by June 6th, the gravity had dropped to 1.022. This is only my second brew, so I decided to purchase a Tilt hydrometer to monitor fermentation more closely. On June 6th, I CO2 purged the fermenter, added the Tilt, and also pitched 2.5 grams of S-04 along with enzymes to help push it through the final stretch. As of today June 14th, the gravity has reached 1.001, so I’ve started the cold crash.This is definitely going to be stronger than a standard Delirium Tremens, but the sample I pulled tastes just like it, I had some on hand for comparison, and it’s spot on. I plan to cold crash for two weeks, then add Biofine Clear. After letting it sit another week, I’ll transfer to a clean keg and force carbonate using a carb stone

 

[VTMongoose]

Duvel yeast (1388/570/WB-06) reliably reaches a final gravity of 1.004 every batch in my experience for reference on what to expect. Like all diastatic yeasts, it is a very slow crawl to the finish. Warm it up and give it at least a couple weeks and keep an eye on your tilt.

It's funny the LD Carson "imitations" of the CSI candi syrup were mentioned in here. That stuff is an abomination. I ruined two Belgian Dubbels with it back to back before I realized what had happened. My latest two on the other hand brewed with the authentic CSI syrups available at https://www.brewhardware.com/ are absolutely wonderful.