Belgian Golden Strong Ale Pink Elephant (Delirium Tremens clone)

[Kee]

Sugar can be added directly to the boil in this recipe, the last 10 or 15 minutes. I stir a few times and that is it.

 

[mjackson]

Okay awesome. I am a DT fan and am thinking of brewing this next weekend. Where is a good place to get beet sugar or should I just use some other type of sugar?

 

[Kee]

Cane sugar can be used instead. Whatever the common table sugar is in your area is fine.

 

[lawlessamps]

I had my first DT and I was very happy and sad. Happy to have finally tasted such an awesome beer and sad it took me so long to find it.
While I've been busy brewing all the other Belgian clones out of the book Beer Captured I am going to do there DT clone which is close to this recipe only adding the specialty malts and only using grains of paradise.
Question is about mashing at 149 for 90 mins as opposed to 153 for 60 mins. What difference shall I expect?
Also while googling DT I noticed that this is also a medical term. Funny its all about the shakes from alcoholism. Maybe not funny but spooky.
Just reading DT in wiki and they say that the beer is made with 3 yeasts

 

[Kee]

Question is about mashing at 149 for 90 mins as opposed to 153 for 60 mins.

You should get a lower finish at 149, how much I can't say. The longer mash time makes it more likely to get conversion, may not be absolutely needed.

 

[nman13]

Anyone know what Mash Thickness ratio to use for this batch. Is 1.33 qts/lb good?

 

[chefjeremy]

When I go to bottle this do I let it warm up first or bottle cold. The difference in the amount of priming sugar seems pretty substantial: 5.7oz @ 68f vs. 3.7oz @ 32f.
Just trying to avoid the dreaded bottle bombs.
Thanks

 

[Kee]

I trust the charts when it comes to priming but I usually use Belgian bottles for added safety. Also, it is not a bad idea to chill and drink a bottle at regular intervals to check the carbonation level.

 

[sudndeth]

Sub'd

 

[chefjeremy]

Sooooo....bottle it cold, using the larger amount of priming sugar, then warm it up for the bottle conditioning? ? Something about that seems off to me.
I don't have any Belgians to bottle in, just sam Adams bottles.

 

[Kee]

Chefjeremy, as your original post stated, if you bottle cold the priming sugar is the lower amount. I use the brewersfriend.com calculator, and 3.5 oz. of table sugar or 3.9 oz. of corn sugar would give you 3 volumes of carbonation at 33 degrees (the calculator does not go down to 32).

I never carb more than 2.5 volumes in standard bottles. You can usually get away with more, but I like a safety factor.

 

[loeks]

So I'm getting close to bottling this. I don't have any fancy Belgian bottles, so I am thinking that 2.7 vol. would be ok with standard bottles? Is that about the most that I could get away with to avoid getting bombs?

 

[Kee]

I don't have a definitive answer to that since bottles vary, but generally speaking you should be fine, as long as everything (beer, sugar, temperature) is measured carefully.

 

[djbradle]

Has anyone tried WLP545? That is the Huyghe yeast as far as I know....

 

[MongooseMan]

Questions on the spices:
-Crushed/ground/whole?
-Filter them out after the boil, or chuck them all into the fermenter?

 

[Kee]

Questions on the spices:
-Crushed/ground/whole?
-Filter them out after the boil, or chuck them all into the fermenter?

This is a quote from the OP (post #28) "I used fresh grated ginger and coarsely ground whole coriander"

I really don't know if filtering out the spices makes that big of a difference. I usually don't bother. I do ease up on the spices a little from this recipe, but that is personal preference. Delirium Tremens is very spicy.

 

[alaskana]

$.

 

[El_Conejito]

Has anyone tried WLP545? That is the Huyghe yeast as far as I know....

I've used WLP545 in my last two batches and I think this is the Huyghe's strain. I made my spice additions as extracts to add at bottling time so I could have spiced and unspiced versions. The spiced bottles are almost indistinguishable from Delirium Tremens. I think the difference is due to the freshness of my beer. The character of this yeast is fantastic on its own and I've gotten to where I prefer the unspiced version.

I don't use a starter but I add the sugar to the fermenter when the activity starts to slow around day three. I ferment this yeast a bit lower than other Belgian strains I've used.
1st Week - start at 66-68F
2nd Week - raise to 72F
3rd Week - condition at 55-60F
4th Week - cold crash 30-40F
5th Week - bottle

 

[Kee]

I've used WLP545 in my last two batches and I think this is the Huyghe's strain. I made my spice additions as extracts to add at bottling time so I could have spiced and unspiced versions. The spiced bottles are almost indistinguishable from Delirium Tremens. I think the difference is due to the freshness of my beer. The character of this yeast is fantastic on its own and I've gotten to where I prefer the unspiced version.

I don't use a starter but I add the sugar to the fermenter when the activity starts to slow around day three. I ferment this yeast a bit lower than other Belgian strains I've used.
1st Week - start at 66-68F
2nd Week - raise to 72F
3rd Week - condition at 55-60F
4th Week - cold crash 30-40F
5th Week - bottle

I can't speak to the WLP545, I haven't used that yeast. I agree that this recipe is very good without the spices. I have brewed this without, trying to follow the recipe exactly, and using a little less spice. My last batch I used the recommended amount of grains of paradise and the spice came through a little too strong. Spice strength varies, so it is not an exact science.

It is a very good recipe to play around with.

 

[MongooseMan]

So good:
View attachment ImageUploadedByTapatalk1424103850.956865.jpg

Fermented with safbrew abbaye, turned out really nice after 6 weeks in the bottle

 

[jtp137]

Ingredients
-----------
Beet Sugar 1.00 lb, Sugar, Other
Pilsener (Belgian) 6.50 lb, Grain, Mashed

Styrian Golding 0.75 oz, Pellet, 60 minutes
Saaz 0.50 oz, Pellet, 15 minutes

Coriander Seed 7.20 grams, Spice, 10 min
Ginger 2.40 grams, Spice, 10 min
Paradise 2.40 grams, Spice, 10 min


Notes
-----
Recipe is from a Belgian who supposedly knew the brewmaster at Huyghe.

10 min @ 125F mash-in, 45 min @ 144F, 30 min @ 158F, 172F mashout. I'm frankly skeptical of the effectiveness of this mash schedule, but hey, it's how Huyghe does it, I'm told. 90 minute boil. 7 day ferment (pitch both yeasts), starting at 67F and allowed to rise as yeast desired. 14 day lager at 30F, followed by a 21 day warm bottle condition at 76F.

How do you not get any fusel alcohol if you pitch at 67 and let it free rise. I pitched wlp570 at 65 and let it free rise and I got a headache beer

 

[djbradle]

Too little yeast for pitching is how you get fusels as well when precluding high temps as the root cause. I've used wlp570 several times and never had fusels that were perceptible in the final product.

 

[jtp137]

Looking through this thread I noticed a lot of different yeasts being used wlp570 (which I thing is pretty clean for a Belgian in my opinion) and US04

Another person used wlp550 which has more belgian character and is balanced toward the phenols more than the esters

Really want to make this, I love the beer what yeast should I use

 

[Kee]

Looking through this thread I noticed a lot of different yeasts being used wlp570 (which I thing is pretty clean for a Belgian in my opinion) and US04

Another person used wlp550 which has more belgian character and is balanced toward the phenols more than the esters

Really want to make this, I love the beer what yeast should I use

I've always used the wlp570 in this recipe, but as you note it is a clean yeast for a Belgian. Without the spices added this is a good beer but nothing like DT. When I have tried to follow the recipe exactly the added spices lack subtlety in my opinion. (But seems to improve with aging. I just haven't aged any for more than a few months).

I just started using the wlp550 (actually the Wyeast 1214, which is the equivalent) in other recipes and you definitely get more of the Belgian esters and phenols. Seems to me a good choice. If you add spices go a little easy on them (I don't have a specific amount in mind).

 

[djbradle]

I've always used the wlp570 in this recipe, but as you note it is a clean yeast for a Belgian. Without the spices added this is a good beer but nothing like DT. When I have tried to follow the recipe exactly the added spices lack subtlety in my opinion. (But seems to improve with aging. I just haven't aged any for more than a few months).

I just started using the wlp550 (actually the Wyeast 1214, which is the equivalent) in other recipes and you definitely get more of the Belgian esters and phenols. Seems to me a good choice. If you add spices go a little easy on them (I don't have a specific amount in mind).

Wyeast 1214 is WLP500 which is the Chimay yeast. WLP545 is the Huyghe yeast for Delerium tremens. WLP550 is Achouffe; Wyeast 3522. A great yeast that I don't scoff at as it's my recent house. yeast Wyeast does not carry the Huyghe yeast. WLP545 is an impressive attenuator dropping way down in gravity. I recently used it on belgian pale ale (not suited for that style) and a dark strong. This is based on Kristen England's work. http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast.htm

 

[Kee]

Wyeast 1214 is WLP500 which is the Chimay yeast. WLP545 is the Huyghe yeast for Delerium tremens. WLP550 is Achouffe; Wyeast 3522. A great yeast that I don't scoff at as it's my recent house. yeast Wyeast does not carry the Huyghe yeast. WLP545 is an impressive attenuator dropping way down in gravity. I recently used it on belgian pale ale (not suited for that style) and a dark strong. This is based on Kristen England's work. http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast.htm

Thanks. I must have looked at the wrong comparison chart, some of the White Labs to Wyeast charts are wrong. It is the Chimay yeast (WY1214) that I was referring to.

 

[jtp137]

Wyeast 1214 is WLP500 which is the Chimay yeast. WLP545 is the Huyghe yeast for Delerium tremens. WLP550 is Achouffe; Wyeast 3522. A great yeast that I don't scoff at as it's my recent house. yeast Wyeast does not carry the Huyghe yeast. WLP545 is an impressive attenuator dropping way down in gravity. I recently used it on belgian pale ale (not suited for that style) and a dark strong. This is based on Kristen England's work. http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast.htm

I was looking at wlp546 the description says its from the Ardenne region in belgium which is in the south. i thought the Hague was on the North Coast

 

[djbradle]

In the Ghent region which is indeed the northern part. That is strange that they mention the Ardennes as until now I never paid that description any attention but now that you mention it I find either Wyeast or Mr Malty is "faulty". Wlp545 certainly is much different than the Achouffe yeast since I've experienced both. Both great yeasts. Eh, I don't know what to say.

 

[djbradle]

Could be where Huyghe did get their yeast though (Ardennes)😁

 

[jtp137]

In the Ghent region which is indeed the northern part. That is strange that they mention the Ardennes as until now I never paid that description any attention but now that you mention it I find either Wyeast or Mr Malty is "faulty". Wlp545 certainly is much different than the Achouffe yeast since I've experienced both. Both great yeasts. Eh, I don't know what to say.

How do you treat the temperature on the wlp545 do you pitch in the mid 60's and ramp couple degrees a say