Belgian Dark Strong Ale The Pious - Westvleteren 12 style quad - multiple

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

The repeating issues that may need to be addressed:

1. "Thread is too long and too time consuming to read...I just want to brew this thing without reading a book"
2. "I read half way through and brewed what I thought was the best advice, then I found out that I under-pitched"
3. "There are like 9 different variations of the recipe. Which one is the closest clone to an actual Westvleteren 12?"
4. "Is this thread supposed to be just a great Belgian quad or are we looking to create as close to a Belgian Westy as possible? I'm confused on this."
5. "Can we focus in on brewing the best possible clone first, get that nailed down, then branch off to variations? We can always go back to the reference recipe."
6. "Why is there a kitchen sink recipe with a gob of malts and then one that looks closer to the BLAM spec? Aren't we brewing a Westvleteren 12 clone? One is a clone and one isn't."
7." So why are your guys throwing into the mix a barrel aged version when you know it isn't in the tradition of St. Sixtus? Not to offend anyone but isn't this moving away from the clone idea?"

I agree with every one of these comments. They're focusing us back to a pure clone.

Getting back to a pure clone is a good fix as a baseline of what's been learned over the past 4.5 years. Moving it to a new thread is looking more and more like a remedy. On a new thread anyone reading the first post can find the best clone recipe for the Westvleteren 12 clone at the beginning, then the science of brewing quads properly, then move on to lots of great innovative variations....creativity unimpaired . It may also free us up from a lot of the repeating questions we see as new posters enter the board. Just a thought.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

The repeating issues that may need to be addressed:

1. "Thread is too long and too time consuming to read...I just want to brew this thing without reading a book"
2. "I read half way through and brewed what I thought was the best advice, then I found out that I under-pitched"
3. "There are like 9 different variations of the recipe. Which one is the closest clone to an actual Westvleteren 12?"
4. "Is this thread supposed to be just a great Belgian quad or are we looking to create as close to a Belgian Westy as possible? I'm confused on this."
5. "Can we focus in on brewing the best possible clone first, get that nailed down, then branch off to variations? We can always go back to the reference recipe."
6. "Why is there a kitchen sink recipe with a gob of malts and then one that looks closer to the BLAM spec? Aren't we brewing a Westvleteren 12 clone? One is a clone and one isn't."
7." So why are your guys throwing into the mix a barrel aged version when you know it isn't in the tradition of St. Sixtus? Not to offend anyone but isn't this moving away from the clone idea?"

I agree with every one of these comments. They're focusing us back to a pure clone.

Getting back to a pure clone is a good fix. Moving it to a new thread is looking more and more like a remedy. On a new thread anyone reading the first post can find the best clone recipe for the Westvleteren 12 clone at the beginning, then the science of brewing quads properly, then move on to innovative variations....creativity unimpaired . It may also free us up from a lot of the repeating questions we see as newcomers enter the board. Just a thought.

Great overview, and I heartily agree. One other aspect of the clone that seems a little sparse is an evaluation of the results. A lot of people have made the clone, but very few have come back with an evaluation of the results: how close it was to a true Westy, what seems to be lacking, how it can be adjusted to become closer, etc. I realize that it takes a year to make such an evaluation, but I think many have already made the clone at least a year ago, and others have sampled it along the way.

As I mentioned previously, my clone is still quite young, but having sampled it, it did not taste too close to a Westy. In fact, it tasted much more like a St. Bernardus. I feel it needs a little more "maltiness" or "breadiness", a little less fruit, and a little more of a cinnamon taste. Perhaps aging may change that.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Great overview, and I heartily agree. One other aspect of the clone that seems a little sparse is an evaluation of the results. A lot of people have made the clone, but very few have come back with an evaluation of the results: how close it was to a true Westy, what seems to be lacking, how it can be adjusted to become closer, etc. I realize that it takes a year to make such an evaluation, but I think many have already made the cone at least a year ago, and others have sampled it along the way.

As I mentioned previously, my clone is still quite young, but having sampled it, it did not taste too close to a Westy. In fact, it tasted much more like a St. Bernardus. I feel it needs a little more "maltiness" or "breadiness", a little less fruit, and a little more of a cinnamon taste. Perhaps aging may change that.

Yep, concur.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Yep, concur.

I was thinking that adding a little more biscuit malt to the recipe (up to 10% of the grain bill), and/or some Amber and Victory malt, may improve the "malty, bready" taste.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

I was thinking that adding a little more biscuit malt to the recipe (up to 10% of the grain bill), and/or some Amber and Victory malt, may improve the "malty, bready" taste.

As long as we're still posting on this thread...here goes.

I recently read in an article that "European brewers change their ales starting with method while US brewers change their ales starting with grist." My first reaction to that was something like 'what a crock of stereotypical 'Sh@#'. I won't say which nationality the article was written from since we sell our products all over the EU now. There are a couple of ways to bring out the breadiness in brewing this ale without altering the grist. One is full mash decoction or multiple decoctions. The other is a clear-wort distillation (boil-down).

We order the Westvleteren 12 twice a year from BelgianShop.com to test each of our Westy clones that come of age. The Westvleteren 12 imports, (at least the one's ordered in 2013 and 2014), are not overly bready. In fact, the breadiness is very slight...more the result of toasted/decocted Pils, (than using more bready malts). We set aside the Pale malt altogether for just that reason since the Pale over-emphasized too bready a palate compared to the import. For the most part it worked out well.

Overly fruity Westy clones are usually the result of fermenting at too high a temp too early. An early rise to 80F+ and the fruity esters will dominate from then on. With a full Fix pitch, temp control is necessary to control the metabolic heat produced to keep the ale well under 70F in the first 2-3 days. Controlling the rise steadily from 63F to about 80F over 7 days is almost impossible to do without a night's watch and 24 hour vigil with a cooling hose (as they do as St. Sixtus). We use the Oasis 150/160 on our jacketed test fermenters. This small chilling unit is intended for laser cutters and CNC mills but they also work really well for small batch fermenter temp control. Sometimes you can find them on ebay for $200-$300 each. You can actually use just one across a couple of fermenters. With ramped temp control you'll finish with a balance of mild bread, hint of fresh plums, spice, hops, (hopefully Brewers Gold!), and a subtle candi syrup finish.

 

[Kee]

As long as we're still posting on this thread...here goes.

I recently read in an article that "European brewers change their ales starting with method while US brewers change their ales starting with grist." My first reaction to that was something like 'what a crock of stereotypical 'Sh@#'. I won't say which nationality the article was written from since we sell our products all over the EU now. There are a couple of ways to bring out the breadiness in brewing this ale without altering the grist. One is full mash decoction or multiple decoctions. The other is a clear-wort distillation (boil-down).

We order the Westvleteren 12 twice a year from BelgianShop.com to test each of our Westy clones that come of age. The Westvleteren 12 imports, (at least the one's ordered in 2013 and 2014), are not overly bready. In fact, the breadiness is very slight...more the result of toasted/decocted Pils, (than using more bready malts). We set aside the Pale malt altogether for just that reason since the Pale over-emphasized too bready a palate compared to the import. For the most part it worked out well.

Overly fruity Westy clones are usually the result of fermenting at too high a temp too early. An early rise to 80F+ and the fruity esters will dominate from then on. With a full Fix pitch, temp control is necessary to control the metabolic heat produced to keep the ale well under 70F in the first 2-3 days. Controlling the rise steadily from 63F to about 80F over 7 days is almost impossible to do without a night's watch and 24 hour vigil with a cooling hose (as they do as St. Sixtus). We use the Oasis 150/160 on our jacketed test fermenters. This small chilling unit is intended for laser cutters and CNC mills but they also work really well for small batch fermenter temp control. Sometimes you can find them on ebay for $200-$300 each. You can actually use just one across a couple of fermenters. With ramped temp control you'll finish with a balance of mild bread, hint of fresh plums, spice, hops, (hopefully Brewers Gold!), and a subtle candi syrup finish.

I only wanted to say-wow! What a wealth of information. Makes me want to drop what I am doing and brew another batch.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

As long as we're still posting on this thread...here goes.

I recently read in an article that "European brewers change their ales starting with method while US brewers change their ales starting with grist." My first reaction to that was something like 'what a crock of stereotypical 'Sh@#'. I won't say which nationality the article was written from since we sell our products all over the EU now. There are a couple of ways to bring out the breadiness in brewing this ale without altering the grist. One is full mash decoction or multiple decoctions. The other is a clear-wort distillation (boil-down).

We order the Westvleteren 12 twice a year from BelgianShop.com to test each of our Westy clones that come of age. The Westvleteren 12 imports, (at least the one's ordered in 2013 and 2014), are not overly bready. In fact, the breadiness is very slight...more the result of toasted/decocted Pils, (than using more bready malts). We set aside the Pale malt altogether for just that reason since the Pale over-emphasized too bready a palate compared to the import. For the most part it worked out well.

Overly fruity Westy clones are usually the result of fermenting at too high a temp too early. An early rise to 80F+ and the fruity esters will dominate from then on. With a full Fix pitch, temp control is necessary to control the metabolic heat produced to keep the ale well under 70F in the first 2-3 days. Controlling the rise steadily from 63F to about 80F over 7 days is almost impossible to do without a night's watch and 24 hour vigil with a cooling hose (as they do as St. Sixtus). We use the Oasis 150/160 on our jacketed test fermenters. This small chilling unit is intended for laser cutters and CNC mills but they also work really well for small batch fermenter temp control. Sometimes you can find them on ebay for $200-$300 each. You can actually use just one across a couple of fermenters. With ramped temp control you'll finish with a balance of mild bread, hint of fresh plums, spice, hops, (hopefully Brewers Gold!), and a subtle candi syrup finish.

Great information! We should move that post to the new thread as well.

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

+1 vote for starting a new thread using Bottoms_up's post as a starting point.

 

[bunt1828]

+1 for a new thread.

I brewed a blend of the "new world" versions this weekend. Pitched Monday night into 63deg wort and am slowly ramping up to 80 by upping the temp every 12 hours (at 67 right now). It's fermenting away nicely and has filled up the cup my blow-off tube terminates in with a thick yeast "cake". It smells exactly like banana LaffyTaffy - is that normal?

I also just now pitched a pack of roeselare into the other 5 gallons I made. Anyone else done this? it'll be my first sour - I'm really looking forward to it (next Thanksgiving...)

 

[Brewtiful]

As long as we're still posting on this thread...here goes.

I recently read in an article that "European brewers change their ales starting with method while US brewers change their ales starting with grist." My first reaction to that was something like 'what a crock of stereotypical 'Sh@#'. I won't say which nationality the article was written from since we sell our products all over the EU now. There are a couple of ways to bring out the breadiness in brewing this ale without altering the grist. One is full mash decoction or multiple decoctions. The other is a clear-wort distillation (boil-down).

We order the Westvleteren 12 twice a year from BelgianShop.com to test each of our Westy clones that come of age. The Westvleteren 12 imports, (at least the one's ordered in 2013 and 2014), are not overly bready. In fact, the breadiness is very slight...more the result of toasted/decocted Pils, (than using more bready malts). We set aside the Pale malt altogether for just that reason since the Pale over-emphasized too bready a palate compared to the import. For the most part it worked out well.

Overly fruity Westy clones are usually the result of fermenting at too high a temp too early. An early rise to 80F+ and the fruity esters will dominate from then on. With a full Fix pitch, temp control is necessary to control the metabolic heat produced to keep the ale well under 70F in the first 2-3 days. Controlling the rise steadily from 63F to about 80F over 7 days is almost impossible to do without a night's watch and 24 hour vigil with a cooling hose (as they do as St. Sixtus). We use the Oasis 150/160 on our jacketed test fermenters. This small chilling unit is intended for laser cutters and CNC mills but they also work really well for small batch fermenter temp control. Sometimes you can find them on ebay for $200-$300 each. You can actually use just one across a couple of fermenters. With ramped temp control you'll finish with a balance of mild bread, hint of fresh plums, spice, hops, (hopefully Brewers Gold!), and a subtle candi syrup finish.

Whats wrong with using a brewPi or STC 1000 to control fermentation temperature?

I've read nearly all of this thread over the last two days and have to say it is one of the most informative I have ever come across. It's a good read and doesn't take too long. I have learnt a lot about all aspects of brewing, particularly Belgian beers of which I'm a great fan. I am now planning to brew my own Westvleteren 12 clone very soon!

Many thanks to saq and CSI in particular and also to Bottoms Up for his fantastic summary, although I'm not sure how much sense it will make to anyone who hasn't actually read any of the thread?

I was also fascinated to read the development of Candi Syrup through the pages of this thread, it sounded like a fun journey. By the way CSI what on earth do you do with all your test batches, you seem to have made an awful lot of beer?!

Cheers

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Many thanks to saq and CSI in particular and also to Bottoms Up for his fantastic summary, although I'm not sure how much sense it will make to anyone who hasn't actually read any of the thread?
Cheers

Thank you. As I mentioned before, I feel it is still worthwhile to read the entire thread, especially the first 100 pages of messages. My notes were just a basic summary, initially for my own use, and without the fuller context, they may be a little hard to follow. Also as mentioned, I think it would be worthwhile if someone (especially saq or CSI) could publish a book about making Belgian clones, especially Westvleteren and Rochefort, based on the comments in this thread (and the Rochefort thread). The book, "Brew Like a Monk", is a good start with respect to the theory and general aspects, but doesn't get into all of the specific practical details, as this thread certainly does.

 

[jlamato]

I used a variation of this recipe that is a bit higher ABV. OG of 1.104 , FG of around 1.022. I've had the batch sitting in the secondary for almost a month now and was wondering if I should add some fresh WLP530 to the batch a few days or just before bottling. I saw in the awesome summary by Bottoms_Up that a lot of people took yeast from the krousen. I did not do that, but would fresh yeast be just fine? Is it even necessary if it has been fermenting, primary and secondary for only two months?

Thanks.

 

[Kee]

I used a variation of this recipe that is a bit higher ABV. OG of 1.104 , FG of around 1.022. I've had the batch sitting in the secondary for almost a month now and was wondering if I should add some fresh WLP530 to the batch a few days or just before bottling. I saw in the awesome summary by Bottoms_Up that a lot of people took yeast from the krousen. I did not do that, but would fresh yeast be just fine? Is it even necessary if it has been fermenting, primary and secondary for only two months?

Thanks.

I would not take a chance at that gravity. My first batch I did not pitch more yeast but the gravity was well under.

 

[meadowstream]

I find getting this to at least 1.016 is pretty important - 1.012 or 1.010 is better still. Otherwise the sweetness remaining is too much for what is otherwise a perfectly balanced beer.

Most of my beers fully attenuate in 7-10 days...but not this one. This one takes 4 weeks. Every time I make it, I am on pins and needles because I am worried it just won't come all the way down. But it does.

Great beer.

(Thanks for all the great posts CSI.)

 

[jlamato]

I would not take a chance at that gravity. My first batch I did not pitch more yeast but the gravity was well under.

Thanks! Do you suggest just tossing in a vial of fresh WLP530? Should I do it immediate before bottling, or a few days beforehand?

 

[Kee]

I find getting this to at least 1.016 is pretty important - 1.012 or 1.010 is better still. Otherwise the sweetness remaining is too much for what is otherwise a perfectly balanced beer.

Most of my beers fully attenuate in 7-10 days...but not this one. This one takes 4 weeks. Every time I make it, I am on pins and needles because I am worried it just won't come all the way down. But it does.

Great beer.

(Thanks for all the great posts CSI.)

I also would rather err on the dry side, but then again many of the popular beers of this style are too sweet for me.

 

[Kee]

Thanks! Do you suggest just tossing in a vial of fresh WLP530? Should I do it immediate before bottling, or a few days beforehand?

Do it the same time you add priming sugar. No need to stress the yeast before needed. I see on the candisyrup.com website that CSI recommends a 500 ml starter. It sounds like overkill but CSI is the one with experience here.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Whats wrong with using a brewPi or STC 1000 to control fermentation temperature?

Slightly different animals. The Oasis 150/160's are actual self-contained glycol micro-chillers with their own temp control and can be addressed through an RS-232 port for polling and control. They can be manually controlled (daily) through a simple control interface without any additional hardware/software. True PNP unit.

I was also fascinated to read the development of Candi Syrup through the pages of this thread, it sounded like a fun journey. By the way CSI what on earth do you do with all your test batches, you seem to have made an awful lot of beer?!
Cheers

Yep, true. We'll be on our 5th year in just a couple of months, (and we now distribute our products in Belgium). By each February we have accumulations of conditioning ales that are climbing the walls. Company partners and family/friends get the majority when the testing durations are over (4-6-12 months). We do keep a few samples of everything for long term taste testing. I have a 4 year old Westy small batch that has aged like a fine burgundy . You can still taste the distinct flavor of Brewers Gold in them.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Do it the same time you add priming sugar. No need to stress the yeast before needed. I see on the candisyrup.com website that CSI recommends a 500 ml starter. It sounds like overkill but CSI is the one with experience here.

Yes, you're right. You could most likely get away with half that amount (250ml starter) if the OG was around 1.090. A lot of batches on the board did tend to go well over in OG and ABV so we bumped the priming pitch up.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

+1 for a new thread.

I brewed a blend of the "new world" versions this weekend. Pitched Monday night into 63deg wort and am slowly ramping up to 80 by upping the temp every 12 hours (at 67 right now). It's fermenting away nicely and has filled up the cup my blow-off tube terminates in with a thick yeast "cake". It smells exactly like banana LaffyTaffy - is that normal?

I also just now pitched a pack of roeselare into the other 5 gallons I made. Anyone else done this? it'll be my first sour - I'm really looking forward to it (next Thanksgiving...)

Yes, that's normal.

Yes, SmokingHole has done some sour blends in the Westy 12 if memory serves. The method comes highly recommended for a hybrid ale. I haven't done it but man you guys are are really making me want to

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

I saw in the awesome summary by Bottoms_Up that a lot of people took yeast from the krousen. I did not do that, but would fresh yeast be just fine? Is it even necessary if it has been fermenting, primary and secondary for only two months?

Thanks.

If re-pitching to get the gravity down, it's a little like voodoo brewing but I have the Jamil Z. method written down somewhere if you want it re-posted, (Jamil Z. sent it to Mike personally, i.e. Mike is our senior partner-CEO). It does work but it's a LOT of yeast to move the gravity at this stage.

If just pitching for priming a fresh starter would work just fine but only for bottling.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

I find getting this to at least 1.016 is pretty important - 1.012 or 1.010 is better still. Otherwise the sweetness remaining is too much for what is otherwise a perfectly balanced beer.

Most of my beers fully attenuate in 7-10 days...but not this one. This one takes 4 weeks. Every time I make it, I am on pins and needles because I am worried it just won't come all the way down. But it does.

Great beer.

(Thanks for all the great posts CSI.)

We've had Westmalle go to sleep many times and wake up two weeks later. I think it's a strain metabolic property related to the overall health of the yeast. Pure krausen for some reason will not do this. If I remember correctly the monks at St. Sixtus collect fresh krausen from Westmalle Abbey and drive it back the same day to pitch the Westvleteren 12. More on this in the next thread. We have a method for 'distilling' Westmalle back to near-perfect health, (wrong term but the apparatus looks like distilling).

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Thanks! Do you suggest just tossing in a vial of fresh WLP530? Should I do it immediate before bottling, or a few days beforehand?

If trying to push the gravity at the latter end of primary with 1 vial, (80-90 Billion cells), it will have a near net zero affect.

If priming then 1 vial will be plenty to carb. However, if priming on a gravity as high as 1.022 you can create the risk of bottle explosions not to mention the cloying palate of the ale.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Based on input we'll compose a new Westy 12 thread with this thread distilled into it for a rapid up to speed brewing of this world class ale. Of course, this thread will most likely always be open.

Periodically, we'll post a jump entry here with a link to the new Westy 12 clone. The new thread will be up and linked up tomorrow PM EST.

 

[jlamato]

If trying to push the gravity at the latter end of primary with 1 vial, (80-90 Billion cells), it will have a near net zero affect.

If priming then 1 vial will be plenty to carb. However, if priming on a gravity as high as 1.022 you can create the risk of bottle explosions not to mention the cloying palate of the ale.

I just checked it 10 minutes ago, and the gravity is stable at 1.022. The beer itself actually tastes pretty good. No fusels, a little sweet, but I wouldn't describe it as cloying. Getting it down a little bit more would be better, but I don't think it is necessary. I'd rather not have bottle bombs though. This is the first time I have ever tried brewing anything this high, so I really don't know what to do. I don't know if the yeast went to sleep and just stopped fermenting, or if the remaining suars are unfermentable. Someone else suggested I toss in some champagne yeast, but I really don't know what to do at this point.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

I just checked it 10 minutes ago, and the gravity is stable at 1.022. The beer itself actually tastes pretty good. No fusels, a little sweet, but I wouldn't describe it as cloying. Getting it down a little bit more would be better, but I don't think it is necessary. I'd rather not have bottle bombs though. This is the first time I have ever tried brewing anything this high, so I really don't know what to do. I don't know if the yeast went to sleep and just stopped fermenting, or if the remaining sugars are unfermentable. Someone else suggested I toss in some champagne yeast, but I really don't know what to do at this point.

This is a treatable stall in gravity. In most instances it is due to yeast exhaustion.

With a high ABV and oxygen depletion re-pitching using a super-oxygenated yeast will work. You can use Champagne yeast packets. For 5 gallons at 1.022 I would suggest 3 packets or about 280-300 billion cells. Alternatively you can make another Westmalle starter of about 300 billion cells. Prior to pitching or creaming the dry yeast make sure and oxygenate it with pure O2 for about 60 seconds, let it sit for at least 6 hours for the yeast to absorb the oxygen, then pitch the entire amount. In about 6-10 days your gravity will come down.

 

[ruger988]

At this point, would there be much difference between him pitching champagne yeast or more westmalle? Or has the yeast already given just about all of its flavor contribution? Would you still pitch yeast at bottling time as normal with this method?

This is a treatable stall in gravity. In most instances it is due to yeast exhaustion.

With a high ABV and oxygen depletion re-pitching using a super-oxygenated yeast will work. You can use Champagne yeast packets. For 5 gallons at 1.022 I would suggest 3 packets or about 280-300 billion cells. Alternatively you can make another Westmalle starter of about 300 billion cells. Prior to pitching or creaming the dry yeast make sure and oxygenate it with pure O2 for about 60 seconds, let it sit for at least 6 hours for the yeast to absorb the oxygen, then pitch the entire amount. In about 6-10 days your gravity will come down.

 

[meadowstream]

This is a treatable stall in gravity. In most instances it is due to yeast exhaustion.

With a high ABV and oxygen depletion re-pitching using a super-oxygenated yeast will work. You can use Champagne yeast packets. For 5 gallons at 1.022 I would suggest 3 packets or about 280-300 billion cells. Alternatively you can make another Westmalle starter of about 300 billion cells. Prior to pitching or creaming the dry yeast make sure and oxygenate it with pure O2 for about 60 seconds, let it sit for at least 6 hours for the yeast to absorb the oxygen, then pitch the entire amount. In about 6-10 days your gravity will come down.

Adding to this post, raising DO to a high level before initial pitch may be important. I use an oxygen tank from Home Depot or Lowes and and a diffusing wand for a couple of minutes before pitching. I think it makes a difference.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[Kee]

At this point, would there be much difference between him pitching champagne yeast or more westmalle? Or has the yeast already given just about all of its flavor contribution? Would you still pitch yeast at bottling time as normal with this method?

Recently I took drastic measures when my slurry of Westmalle yeast showed no signs of activity after more than 24 hours. I made a 2 quart starter of WY3711 and pitched into the 4.5 gallons of 1.095 wort. (The only yeast I had available). 5 days later it's at 1.009.

My point being using another yeast may be more effective in getting the gravity down. Whether the flavor profile will be what you are seeking is another question.

 

[GregKelley]

I just checked it 10 minutes ago, and the gravity is stable at 1.022. The beer itself actually tastes pretty good. No fusels, a little sweet, but I wouldn't describe it as cloying. Getting it down a little bit more would be better, but I don't think it is necessary. I'd rather not have bottle bombs though. This is the first time I have ever tried brewing anything this high, so I really don't know what to do. I don't know if the yeast went to sleep and just stopped fermenting, or if the remaining suars are unfermentable. Someone else suggested I toss in some champagne yeast, but I really don't know what to do at this point.

I had a Belgian Golden Strong Ale stall around the same place. I tried all sorts of things, including champagne yeast. What did it finally was using WLP099. I think I made a 1.5L starter and pitched. Took just a couple of days to finish it out.

From research, most of the flavors and aromas from the yeast occur earlier. I think that at this stage, you can use any yeast with minimal change in character.