Recipe Critique: Belgian Specialty Ale

[lostfish]

Hello everyone,

I am building a recipe for a Belgian type specialty beer, and was hoping for some honest feedback. I am shooting for a beer similar in character to the 10 Commandments from Lost Abbey. Hoping for a beer with deep complex flavors that I can age for a long while. Doing 11 gallons, split into 2 5 gallon carboys fermented with 2 different strains. What do you think of the adjunct and specialty proportions? Thanks in advance!


15 lbs US 2 row Pale Malt
15 lbs Belgain Pilsner
1 lb Carafa Special II
1 lb Carawheat
1/2 lb Special B
2 lb Dark Candi Sugar
2 lb Honey
1 lb Dextrose
1 oz Magnum (60 mins)
1 oz Tettnang (15 mins)

Per Beersmith:
Est OG 1.087
Est ABV 10.1
Est SRM 34
Est IBU 24

First fermenter is getting a dose of WLP-565 Belgian Saison I, Second fermenter is getting a dose of WLP-530 Abbey Ale, with a vial of WLP-650 Brett in secondary.

 

[ghpeel]

I'm not sure the honey will be discernible with all the other flavors in there, but I might be wrong. If it was me, I'd drop the honey and Candi Sugar and replace them with 1-2 pounds of Dark Candi Syrup. That stuff is supposedly much more flavorful than the rock sugar stuff.

What are you going to mash at? The batch with Brett is obviously going to drop a lot lower than the Saison, so you need to take that into account for the mash. The lower you mash, the less tart the sour will be and the closer it will be to the Saison in terms of final gravity.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

Yeah, the honey will probably ferment almost entirely. I haven't used candi syrup, but instead have made my own candi sugar. Works quite well.

 

[lostfish]

I was thinking of mashing low around 148 for about 45 mins, then 155 for 15 and a mash out. I was hoping for a slight honey character, but I think you're right about it completely fermenting out. Maybe adding the honey to the secondary along with the Brett would help both the honey flavor as well as the secondary fermentation?

 

[LVBen]

Why would you use US malt in a Belgian ale?

 

[ashplub]

I would double the 60 min bittering addition and, perhaps, the flavor addition...this thing will be a little unbalanced as is.

*EDIT* I just noticed the Brett in there. That hopping might work then. I know you have to watch the hops with the bugs.