Belgian Dark Strong Ale Westvleteren 12 Clone - Multiple Award Winner

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CSI - CandiSyrup

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2011
Messages
856
Reaction score
179
Location
Charlotte
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
WLP 530
Yeast Starter
3.8L Stirplate
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
Starter Seeded w/ 100 Billion Cells
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.5
Original Gravity
1.090
Final Gravity
1.012
Boiling Time (Minutes)
90
IBU
36
Color
33
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
7
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
60
Tasting Notes
Plummy, mildly malty, finishing with a rich spice and hint of candi syrup
Grist/Fermentables
----------------------------------
8.00 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Belgian (2.0 SRM)
7.00 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) Belgian (3.0 SRM)
2.50 lbs D-180 Candi Syrup (180.0 SRM)

Mash Steps
---------------
Mash at 149.0 F 90 min
Fly or batch sparge 168.0 F

Boil Steps
---------------
Boil 90 minutes
Add hops and Servomyces per schedule, (make sure to open the Servomyces cap).
Stir-in adjuncts at 10 minutes prior to flame-out, (alternatively, stir in adjuncts at flame-out)

Boil Ingredients
---------------------
1.00 oz Brewer's Gold [8.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min
1.00 oz Hallertau Mittelfrueh [5.00%] - Boil 30 minutes
1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [4.10 %] - Boil 15.0 min
1.00 Items Servomyces - Boil 5.0 mins


Yeast Ingredients
----------------------------------
320 Billion cells or 3200 ml stir-plate starter seeded with 1.0 vial Abbey Ale (White Labs #WLP530)
***Krausen yeast method to be added here


Clear wort boil-down notes (Optional Step):
-------------------
(Optionally) perform a separate boil-down of 1.00 gallon of vorlaufed wort into a syrup using the following steps:
1. Extract 1.0 gallon of wort at the beginning of clear runoff into a 3-5 gallon pot.
2. Boil the wort down until it becomes a dark mahogany brown and is bubbling with large bubbles.
3. Be careful NOT to burn the maltose syrup.
4. The result will be approximately 24-26 ounces of syrup.
5. Re-crash the syrup by adding wort from the ongoing main boil.
6. Pour the dissolved liquid back in to the main boil.


Fermentation Pitch Notes:
---------------------
Chill wort to 63-64F
Oxygenate chilled wort to 8-10PPM by diffusing pure O2 via .05 micron diffuser for 90-120 seconds.
Pitch decanted yeast starter, adding chilled wort to the yeast flask to clear remaining yeast as necessary.
Ramp fermentation temp (evenly over time) from 63 - 80F over 7 days.


Fermentation Process Notes
---------------------
1/5/2012 - Primary Fermentation (7 days at 63F ending at 80.0 F)
1/23/2012 - Secondary Fermentation (3 -10 days at 78.0 F ending at 60.0 F)
1/26/2012 - Tertiary Fermentation (40 days at 50.0 F ending at 50.0 F)

Final Aged Ale
---------------------
In the end you should have a mohagany dark ale that is fragrant, malty, plummy, with a pillowy tan head and considerable Belgian lace. Like the pic below:

Westy 12 Clone 20130128.jpg
 
We'll be expanding on the method detail of the original post over the next day or so. A few things are mentionable:


  • This is a baseline Westvleteren 12 clone true to traditional grist.
  • This thread is intended to clarify the BLAM grist for Westy 12 versus other multi-grain versions, (the Westy 12 only uses 2 grains and recently very likely only 1 grain).
  • It is intended to be a clone true-to-tradition.
  • This clone is based in both BLAM and 4 years of test brewing, (worldwide).
  • Building upon BLAM we held to the grist but varied method and percentiles.
  • The recipe and methods above are the test results of over 100+ brewers over 4+ years.
  • This recipe has resulted in a great many BJCP First Place Blue Ribbons.

From this baseline grist and recipe, (which is spectacular in its own right), we hope to branch to unique styles and methods possibly resulting in entirely new ales.

Thread posters may wish to consider purchasing Westvleteren ales to support the St. Sixtus monastery, (the taste comparisons using the import will be instrumental in further refining this clone).
 
Thread posters may wish to consider purchasing Westvleteren ales to support the St. Sixtus monastery and also to help further the refining of this clone.

Short of going to the Abbey yourself you are doing absolutely ZERO to suport the monastery. They never have and never will approve of the distribution of their beer outside the Abbey, especially to America, so anyone selling it over here (or sites like Belgium in a Box) for outrageous money are pocketing 100% of the profits and doing so against the wishes of the Monastery.

Not that its a big deal or most people care, but figured I'd make that point clear.
 
We should have some pics and method descriptions up soon for revitalizing and pitching krausen quality Westmalle yeast. Even fresh batches of WLP530 vials or smack packs of WY3787 will be of lesser quality than a krausen pitch, (one of the keys to an effective and attenuative fermentation of this ale).
 
Do you know how long the brewery ages the beer before the sell it. Someone I know just sent me a six pack with 01/10/17 stamped on the cap. He said he just got it at the abbey

Aren't the dates 3 years from bottled and isnt the month the second number in Europe?

So was this bottled on the first of October?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Do you know how long the brewery ages the beer before the sell it. Someone I know just sent me a six pack with 01/10/17 stamped on the cap. He said he just got it at the abbey

Aren't the dates 3 years from bottled and isnt the month the second number in Europe?

So was this bottled on the first of October?

yeah you got it, they reverse the date and month.

Nice to see this summary up here with the methods discovered over so many batches distilled into a new recipe. Thanks for doing this CSI!
 
Do you know how long the brewery ages the beer before the sell it. Someone I know just sent me a six pack with 01/10/17 stamped on the cap. He said he just got it at the abbey

Aren't the dates 3 years from bottled and isnt the month the second number in Europe?

So was this bottled on the first of October?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew


Would it be worth culturing the yeast since the bottles are not that old for my clone. Or is this it the same as the white labs strain


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Brewed 15 gallons of this on Sunday. You weren't joking about that krausen, its in a 30 gallon conical.

1415306472991.jpg
 
This is going to be my next brew.... It seems like I can't buy the right candi syrup here in Belgium. The syrup I can get here is 180-220 EBC (91-111 SRM). Other than that difference I should be following the rest of the recipe. It will be my first time trying Servomyces, but after reading more about it I think I could probably benefit using it in more of my batches.
 
This is going to be my next brew.... It seems like I can't buy the right candi syrup here in Belgium. The syrup I can get here is 180-220 EBC (91-111 SRM). Other than that difference I should be following the rest of the recipe. It will be my first time trying Servomyces, but after reading more about it I think I could probably benefit using it in more of my batches.

I can't help but note the irony here but I know that doesn't help. CSI may have some advice. I've never used anything but the D-180 from Candi Syrup, Inc. but I know that having a good (or great syrup) is essential.
 
This is going to be my next brew.... It seems like I can't buy the right candi syrup here in Belgium. The syrup I can get here is 180-220 EBC (91-111 SRM). Other than that difference I should be following the rest of the recipe. It will be my first time trying Servomyces, but after reading more about it I think I could probably benefit using it in more of my batches.

Yes, you should be able to acquire D-180 fairly closely. Here is a link to one reseller at not too great a distance, (their territory is both Holland and Belgium):

http://www.brouwmarkt.nl/bier-brouwen/brouw-suikers.html
 
A few people had asked that I re-post a summary of the key comments regarding the Westvelteren recipe developed in a previous thread, that I had posted there. That thread was started by saq with an original recipe that he subsequently revised, and which is reposted below. Since then, CSI developed his own modification, which is posted as Message # 1, which begins this thread. Here is what I had posted in the previous thread:

I highly recommend that people read ALL the comments in that forum, since there are dozens and dozens of great tips. The following is a summary of SOME of the great comments that I have transcribed from my handwritten notes, and ones that I have used in my process. It is by no means complete, but I hope that it will be of some help to some. Note also that this is only ONE of several variations of the recipe. This is based on saq's revised recipe. I also recommend that you check out CSI's recipes.

WESTVLETERN RECIPE AND PROCESS

RECIPE

Saq’s Revised Recipe
--------------------
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: WLP530
Yeast Starter: 3.8L stirplate
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.090
Final Gravity: 1.012
IBU: 35
Boiling Time (Minutes): 90
Color: 33
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 5 @ 83
Additional Fermentation: 60 @ 50
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 2 @ 65

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.75 gal
Estimated Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.065 SG
Estimated OG: 1.091 SG
Estimated FG: 1.006 SG
Estimated ABV: 11.4 %
Estimated Color: 36.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 37.9 IBUs (Rager)
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Efficiency: 75.00

Measurements
--------------------
Measured OG: 1.090 SG
Measured FG: 1.012 SG
ABV: 10.4 %

Total Grains: 17 lbs 15.4 oz
Total Hops: 2.00 oz

Mash Ingredients
----------------------------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU

8 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 44.5 %
4 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) Bel (3.0 SRM) Grain 2 22.3 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 3 8.4 %
12.0 oz Biscuit Malt (27.0 SRM) Grain 4 4.2 %
5.3 oz Aromatic Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 5 1.8 %
4.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 6 1.4 %
2.1 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 7 0.7 %


Mash Steps
---------------
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 22.77 qt of water at 158.2 F 149.0 F 90 min
Fly sparge with 3.85 gal water at 168.0 F


Boil Ingredients
---------------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2 lbs D90 Candi Syrup (90.0 SRM) Sugar 8 11.1 %
1 lbs D180 Candi Syrup (180.0 SRM) Sugar 9 5.6 %
1.00 oz Brewer's Gold [8.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 10 33.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [4.10 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 11 4.6 IBUs
1.00 Items Servomyces (Boil 5.0 mins) Other 12 -


Fermentation Ingredients
----------------------------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1.0 pkg Abbey Ale (White Labs #WLP530) [40.00 ml] Yeast 13 -


Fermentation
------------------
1/5/2012 - Primary Fermentation (18.00 days at 80.0 F ending at 80.0 F)
1/23/2012 - Secondary Fermentation (3.00 days at 80.0 F ending at 60.0 F)
1/26/2012 - Tertiary Fermentation (3.00 days at 60.0 F ending at 36.0 F)

Do a separate boildown of about 0.75 gallons of first runnings into syrup, should be able to add back to boil kettle before boil gets rolling.
- Boiling down into syrup
That means take .75 gallons of runnings from the mash into a separate (pref a big 3.5-5gal pot) and boil it down until so much has evaporate that it starts to burn and bubble. At this point it will look like syrup and you'll have less than a pint to pour into the kettle. It’s like what you do with strong scotch ales.
I've done quads like this before at 30 SRM and it’s too light in color. 35 SRM or higher for sure.

GENERAL PROCESS

- prepare 2 liter starter of yeast
- mash in about 18 lb of grain - add 22.77 quarts of water at 158.2 F, resulting in 149.0 F
- mash for 90 minutes
- fly sparge with 3.85 gal (15.4 quarts) water at 168.0 F
- collect 7.75 gallons
- take out about ¾ gallons of first runnings, boil it down to about a pint, and add it back to the kettle
- boil for 90 minutes, add hops and end up with 5.5 gallons
- add candi sugar at flameout
- chill wort to 65 F
- pitch starter yeast, wrap carboy with a blanket, or sleeping bag, and let it self-rise to about 82-83 F
- hold it there for about 5 days (primary fermentation) – may have to add external heat
- when S.G. is about 1.015 - 1.018, start to chill to 65 F (secondary fermentation)
- hold there until you hit terminal gravity at 1.012 (about 2 days)
- then leave it on the yeast for another week
- then rack into secondary and chill to 50 F for seven weeks to 60 days (additional fermentation)
- carbonate ale
- three ways to bottle condition:
a) pressurize in keg
- pressurize keg to about 3.1 psi; bottle at about 3 psi
b) use candi syrup and harvested yeast
- use yeast from previous krausen – add DME, put on stir plate, and decant just before adding to bucket
- use about 30 grams/gallon of Candi Syrup (D-180 is best) for total of 150 grams with a ½ cup of water
- aim for about 2.5 – 2.6 volumes CO2
c) use yeast package and sugar
- generally, use ½ package of rehydrated yeast along with about 4 ounces (113 grams) of corn sugar (note – 5 ounces is too high for this style)
- yeast could be Nottingham (5 gm), Champagne yeast (Lalvin EC-1118), WLP530, or Safale US-05 (Champagne is probably the best)

GRAIN

- use Dingemann’s pilsener and pale malts which is better than Castle
- the German Pilsener results in a slightly more bready flavour that lends well to the Westy 12 clone
- CSI – for the Westy we grind the grain at .0320” gap – this could be a little coarse, but it cuts down on husk dusting and some of the astringency – low astringency matches the style well
- CSI – this is now a Pils only Belgian quad – pale malt is not required

HOPS

- use Brewer’s Gold for bittering rather than Northern Brewer
- it’s the actual bittering hop used for Westvletern 12
- for bittering hop, Brewer’s Gold ages well and retains some of its spicy character after 12 months in conditioning
- Northern Brewer is a little more floral and ages to “faintly noticeable” after 12 months
- Northern Brewer is likely the bittering hop used, but the IBU’s are probably higher than reported
- Poster – likely need 10-15% more hops than reported

SYRUPS

- add candi syrup at flameout
- some add it 10 minutes before flameout
- D180 is the premium Belgian style candi syrup you would use in the Westy clones
- D-180 has a shelf life of 6 months (at 60F) – tested for longer than that
- D-90 was crafted to be used mainly in dubbles
- D-180 was designed to be used for Westvleteren 12 and Rochefort 10

YEAST, YEAST STARTER AND PITCHING

- USE Westmalle yeast only:
WLP530
Wyeast 3787
- use a 2 liter starter (1.040 SG) on stir plate – give it two O2 infusions
- use servomyces for starter (yeast nutrient)
- rule of thumb – pitch yeast at about 1 million cells per ml per degree Plato
- best to pitch between 300 – 320 billion cells within 6-7 days
- a 2 L starter (with 150 billion cells) will create about 320 – 340 billion cells
- CSI – for a 2000 ml starter, we pitch 165 billion cells to end up at 340-350 billion cells
- CSI – pitch at 320-330 billion cells (used a 2000 ml starter seeded with 160 billion cells)
- CSI use a 200 ml starter seeded with 150 billion cells to give approx.. 320 billion cells
- CSI – we use a 4 L Erlenmeyer flask for yeast propagation and a 2” stir bar – we oxygenate our starters 2 times and keep it at a steady 72F during culture

MASHING

- mash for 90 minutes at 148-150 F
- for single infusion, do not mash higher than 150 F (152 F is too high)
- 165 F is too warm for the sparge
- some say to sparge at 168 F
- CSI – mashing in the low end (148 F) and mashing out on the higher end (170 F) gets the best of both worlds for fermentability and head retention
- do not do a mashout
- sparge as normal to get your pre-boil volume
- mash ph – Westy does best between 5.3 – 5.5
- CSI – our efficiency is set for 76% or up to 78%

BOILING DOWN INTO SYRUP

- add extra ¾ gallon of water in recipe for boiling down into syrup
- take about ¾ gallon (2.8 liters) of the first runnings from the mash into a separate pot (I prefer a big 3.5 gallon pot) and boil it down until it starts to burn and bubble foam up
- it will look like syrup and you will have less than a pint (0.5 liter)
- going too far is when it bubbles up so much that it starts to come out of your pot because it’s just so thick
- if you can shake the pot around and it still moves without leaving a sludge behind, then it’s not thick enough
- once you reduce it down big time (from 96 ounces > 12 ounces OR from 2.8 liters > 0.35 liters), transfer it to the main kettle and put some wort back in to deglaze the container to get all the syrup out

FERMENTATION

- need to get fermentation up to 78 F minimum to get the high attenuation that defines this style
- a finishing gravity of 1.012 is to style
- a finishing gravity of 1.016 wouldn’t be too sweet, but 1.020 is too much
- use a blow-off tube and ferment in a large carboy – 7 or 8 US gallons
- use fermcap to control the blow off – 2 or 3 drops per gallon
- recommend getting a thermowell for your carboy – I use the 16 inch stainless steel one from “Brewer’s Hardware” (ID = .305"; OD = .375") – [the STC-1000 temperature controller probe has an end that is 1/4" thick, so .3" ID would work perfectly]
- can use a stick-on temp. gauge, but take into account that the temperature in the centre of the wort is likely 1-2 F higher than the sidewalls
- to warm bucket and hold at the warmer temperatures, can use a fermwrap or some kind of heater that you can wrap around the fermenter
- a brewbelt could cause the fermentation temperature to rise too fast, which could cause the yeast to get a little harsh
- an aquarium heater with the fermenter in a water bath is an effective solution for warming the fermenter
- if final gravity is too high, you can use a more attenuative yeast (which can eat more complex sugars), such as WY 3711
- let it free rise to 82 F, which will likely happen by the end of about 36 hours, and hold it there until you get a SG of 1.015 or so – then drop some until you reach a FG of 1.012 – give it another week on the yeast after that, then rack and age it
- for this beer, you want to be hitting at least 84% attenuation – the target attenuation is 86%
- saq has lately been fermenting it to 78-80 to push the yeast hard
- poster – at an ambient temperature of 68-70 F, my ale was chilled to 65 and self-rose to 80 F by the 36th hour – from there he strapped on a brew belt with the temperature controller set at 82 F
- poster – my room temperature is about 71 F and I usually get about 7 F degrees on top of that from fermentation alone – I had wrapped the carboy in a fairly heavy blanket at the start and hit +82 F
- make sure the temperature stays under 83 F
- saq – should rise from 68-82 F in 4-6 days – we set to peak at 80-81 F
- oxygenate wort once at start, once at 6 hours, and once just before chilling
- CSI – we ramp as evenly as possible from pitch to 79F over 7 days – it’s very active for the first 3-4 days
- for beers this big, oxygenate the ale slowly and well with pure O2 for 90 seconds or better
- CSI ramping from 63F to 79F works best for us
- don’t let the yeast escape during the violent blow off – have a sterile trap to capture the yeast
- CSI – ramping up should be done as evenly and incremental a rise as possible over 7 days – about 2.2 F rise daily
- CSI – the monks at St. Sixtus crash the Abt 12 for about 6 weeks to floc the yeast once the FG is reached
- CSI – I like to keep it at the top of the 70s and even up to 80F until it reaches 1 point above FG (1.013)
- CSI – we always rack to the secondary when the ale reaches 1.013 to slow the fermentation down

AGING

- 8 months plus for aging is a bare minimum to begin to see some of the flavours peak

BOTTLING/KEGGING

Background
- can bottle from keg when it has sat and stabilized at about 3.1 volumes/CO2
- bottle when keg is set at about 3 psi
- use frozen bottles to reduce temperature shock and to keep foam down
- can also rack into glass carboy, let it sit for about 2 months, then pitch fresh yeast harvested from the primary fermentation and bottle with priming sugar
- make sure to add some fresh wort to the yeast and decant before using it for bottle conditioning
- the pitching rate for bottling – about equivalent to half a pouch of wyeast (resulting in roughly 50 – 75 billion cells) for a 5 gallon batch
- best to harvest yeast from the krausen – use a sanitized turkey baster and suck up the yeast from the middle of the krausen when it’s at its highest and most active – then store it in a small Mason jar in the fridge for later use – will have to add more wort to the yeast, put on stir plate, cool and decant before adding
- hold bottles at a modest temperature of about 75-78 F for 10-14 days for initial carbonation
- could take 3-6 weeks or much longer to carbonate properly
- category of beer – 18E Belgian Strong Dark
- for sterile yeast harvesting at high krausen, see Chris White and Jamil’s volume on “Yeast” for advice
- see calculator for calculating how much yeast to use for bottling – Page 103 of forum, Message 1025
- CSI – for priming, use 29 grams/gallon of Golden Candi Syrup (32 pppg) - corn sugar is about 46 pppg – that’s about 2.1 vol. CO2 using 20 grams/gallon of corn sugar – for this, standard bottles should be fine
- CSI - 320 grams/gallon of Candi Syrup at 68 F gives you about 2.3 volumes of CO2 – a good average
- priming with corn sugar is:
30 grams/gallon candi sugar * (32 pppg candi sugar/46 pppg corn sugar)
= 21 grams/gallon using corn sugar
That is the same as 2.2 volumes CO2
- for bottling, the actual Westy’s are not over 2.7 volumes of CO2 – we bottle at 2.5 volumes in standard long necks
- I keg mine at 10 PSI
- the proper level of carbonation is about 2.5 volumes – using standard 12 oz. (350 ml) bottles should be fine
- CSI – the Westvletern 12 seems to be in the 2.5 – 2.6 volumes range, although it is reported to be higher
- Poster – as a general rule, I take a cup of sugar dissolved in about a cup of water and add it to a 5 gallon corny and bottle it from the corny – seems to carb correctly for my palate
- good priming calculator – see link Page 187, Message 1869 of forum
- at room temperature for 5 gallons to 2.5 volumes, they recommend 37 grams/gallon of Candi Syrup – we recommend 33 grams/gallon
- CSI – when we repitch for bottling I like to use 50-75 billion cells or so for 5 gallons – can save some from the primary
Different Yeasts and Sugars Used
- for bottle conditioning, can use 40-41 grams/gallon of candi syrup (D180) – use another 1 liter stir plate pitch of a Westmalle culture from the original fermentation but decant before re-pitching
- one poster bottles with 5 grams of rehydrated Nottingham yeast and 5 ounces (142 grams) of dextrose
- one poster bottles with 5 grams of dry neutral ale yeast and dextrose to 2.7 volumes of CO2
- some posters recommend to use ½ package of champagne yeast for bottling
- champagne yeast will quickly settle to the bottom of the fermenter, so add it to the fermenter, and stir gently before bottling
- poster – for bottle priming, I advocate just using a packet of rehydrated champagne yeast which has been allowed to sit in your priming sugar for an hour or so – I’ve done this many times, even bottle conditioning a 16% ABV beer – it works well
- some posters use WLP530 yeast for bottling
- poster – rather than Champagne yeast, I used Safale US-05 ($4 in Canada)
- poster – I repitched with ½ pack of US05 and added 5.5 ounces (156 gm) of priming sugar – this should work out to 3.2 carb level – condition the bottles at 72-73 F – could take 3 weeks or more, even months
- poster – instead of using ½ packet of US-05, use Lalvin EC-1118 ($1 per 5 gm packet in US, $2.49 in Canada)) for beers 8-11% - it falls to the bottom of the bottling bucket fast, so give it a gentle stir before filling the first bottle and again a second stir mid-bottling
- you can use EC-1118 for all high ABV bottle conditioning – this is a Champagne yeast
- Poster – I used Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity)
- can use wine yeast to bottle condition – it can only ferment simple sugars and not the residual sugars in the beer
- can do a 500 ml stir plate repitch of WLP530 (per 5.25 gal) – use 29-30 gm/gallon syrup – usually Simplicity or CSI Golden - a 500 ml starter gets about 167 billion cells for bottle priming
- CSI – we use Westmalle for bottling – using Champagne yeast should also work

Different Bottles to Use
- for bottles, can use 375/750 ml. Belgian crown bottles
- for higher carbing, use magnum or mini Champagne bottles
- CSI - we carb around 2.4 volumes in standard bottles without breakage
- volumes of 2.6 – 2.8 is fine for standard bottles
- CSI – most standard bottles reach their pressure limitation at about 2.9 volumes
- can use Champagne bottles which can withstand more pressure
- concern about using Grolsch bottles – the rubber gaskets might dry out if left for a year or so of aging, releasing pressure (not tested in practice)
- EZ-cap bottles are tested to around 120 psi at which time the washer pushes out from under the cap

BOTTLE CONDITIONING BY CSI

1) Boil 30 gm/gal D-180 for priming diluted 2:1 by volume with water for miscibility. For 5 gallons, this is 180 gm syrup and about ½ cup water.
2) Cover and cool to room temperature.
3) Open the new batch fermenter (concurrent brew) and collect ½ cup of top krausen with a sterile stainless steel measuring cup – a little over is fine.
4) Stir in syrup and yeast to finished ale for priming – stir “gently”.
5) Bottle. Should get perfect carbonation.

NOTE: 1) yeast collected from another batch 12-18 hours into ferment;
2) any of the syrups can be used for priming – not a great difference in final profile but noticeable.

RE-YEASTING PROCEDURE BY POSTER

- yeasting dosing rate: 1 million cells/ml finished beer
20.0e9 yeast cells/gm of dry yeast
5.0 gal = 18,927 ml
1.0e6 * X/18,927
X = 0.95 grams of dry yeast
Boil 4 oz. (118 ml) of spring water in a 4 quart (3.8 liters) measuring cup
Chill to 80F or less.
Sprinkle 1.9 gm dry yeast on water surface and cover with plastic wrap.
Let it sit for 15 minutes.
(Note: measure by weighing full package with top cut off, tare scale and add gradually and keep weighing until about – 1.9 gm)
Stir yeast, pitch 50% of prepared yeast into bottling bucket during the transfer, discard the rest.
 
Bottoms Up, I've been on this forum for a number of years and this may be the most comprehensive write up of a brewing process that I've ever read. Many thanks to you and CSI for taking the time to consolidate all of this information. I've brewed this twice and it is a wonderful beer.

Thanks again!
 
Thank you for the awesome write-up! I'm going to be making this in a few days, once the fermentation chamber is rebuilt.

Any comments on aging time. Aging 60 days seems a tad short for such a big beer (but don't think I won't start sampling!). I've seen other posts that say to age this beer 9+ months.

Any tips/tricks on the syrup? Is it a really vigorous boil, or a bit more gentle?
 
Thank you for the awesome write-up! I'm going to be making this in a few days, once the fermentation chamber is rebuilt.

Any comments on aging time. Aging 60 days seems a tad short for such a big beer (but don't think I won't start sampling!). I've seen other posts that say to age this beer 9+ months.

Any tips/tricks on the syrup? Is it a really vigorous boil, or a bit more gentle?

Thank you - I'm glad you found it of use. In my summary, under "Aging", it says to let it age for a minimum of 8 months, not 60 days. The 60 days is only for the so-called "lagering" phase (at 50 F).
 
Oh yeah... sorry, I was commenting on CSI's post, and I completely missed that part from yours (derp)

Perfect! I have several kegs lined up for the fall/winter, so I'm looking to brew stuff with longer aging, so this is perfect. I'll crack the keg next winter :)
 
Oh yeah... sorry, I was commenting on CSI's post, and I completely missed that part from yours (derp)

Perfect! I have several kegs lined up for the fall/winter, so I'm looking to brew stuff with longer aging, so this is perfect. I'll crack the keg next winter :)

If we have the chance, we should compare our results next year. I live in Whitby, east of Toronto. If you happen to go past on the way to Toronto, drop by. Sometimes I go to Ottawa, but not very often.
 
Bottoms Up, I've been on this forum for a number of years and this may be the most comprehensive write up of a brewing process that I've ever read. Many thanks to you and CSI for taking the time to consolidate all of this information. I've brewed this twice and it is a wonderful beer.

Thanks again!

Thanks, BadClown. I'm glad that it can be useful to others. But a lot of thanks go to the many people who provided input over the years.
 
91-111 SRM sounds right. I'd go with the real stuff if you can get it. We can't really get it easily here in the states.
 
91-111 SRM sounds right. I'd go with the real stuff if you can get it. We can't really get it easily here in the states.

Trolling aside, both statements are incorrect. An SRM as low as 91 will not produce the BLAM spec required for this ale so this is incorrect. Adjunct imports to the States have slowed but are still readily available. If "real" is what is used by Belgian Breweries and Belgian Breweries use D-180, D-90, and D-45, (and they do), then the syllogism is self-explanatory. If the "Belgian Sugar" angle is used it also fails. Most sugar used in confections in Belgium is grown in Germany and France. American Brewers still use some of the imports, and Belgian brewers use our products. What does it matter if world class superior ale is being produced by both?

Let's get back to brewing.
 
:mug:This is an excellent thread. Thanks for all the effort you put into compiling this information. :mug:

I agree and I'd like to thank Bottoms_Up for the monumental effort in distilling a previous thread. That kind of work took hours and should be a paid effort but he dd it for the love of the craft. Well done :)

We have A LOT of brew testing to post in the next few weeks with segments on each stage, (with pics), that make brewing this Westvleteren 12 clone successful and flawless each time.
 
So there are now two different recipes on here. The original with no specialty malts and higher amount of boiled down wort. And the second with a ton of specialty malts and less boiled down wort.

I guess I can just decide for myself which one I want to do? I'm gonna go ahead and pick the first one I guess.

Also wanted to say thanks to those who spent their time sharing all this info for the rest of us. I'll be making this as my first quad sometime soon!

Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
No one's trolling you are just overly sensitive and defensive. If it doesn't matter what he gets, then what's the problem? If you have access to the actual syrup potentially used by Westvleteren or the other Trappist breweries, why would you go looking for an imported copy? You're welcome to keep playing semantics, but that's what I meant by "real". We get it your product is "world class superior real" syrup. Saq was making award winning Westvleteren clones well before you came along (with an 80 SRM syrup no less).

All the promotion aside, I believe you that some European breweries use CSI syrups but didn't you create the syrups just because the real candi syrups were not easily available in the US (or imports have slowed as you say)? I have never seen the real candi syrups sold here except what you can get sent from overseas, and the shipping isn't cheap. I don't know where they're readily available to homebrewers...can you point me to where I could try them inexpensively?

I'm still curious what products he has available to him, there must be one with the correct SRM. Like you said in the other thread, this is a great base recipe to branch out from for experimentation. And considering the flavor and color in large part depends on the syrup used, it's a perfectly valid ingredient to look into.

On that Dutch website there's a 1900 EBC (965 SRM!) syrup for half the price.

Thanks for putting this thread together though!
 
So there are now two different recipes on here. The original with no specialty malts and higher amount of boiled down wort. And the second with a ton of specialty malts and less boiled down wort.

I guess I can just decide for myself which one I want to do? I'm gonna go ahead and pick the first one I guess.

Also wanted to say thanks to those who spent their time sharing all this info for the rest of us. I'll be making this as my first quad sometime soon!

Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Yes, cloning the Westy 12, (based on BLAM spec), is done with only 2 grains. This is the one in the first post of this thread.
 
This is one of the most serious ales in the world and deserves the best that we have to contribute. Let's keep the trollers off the board.

(On the left hand side of the post you'll see a small red triangle with a black exclamation mark inside. If you see a troller, please don't IM me. Just click and report them. The HBT admins are great about booting trollers permanently off the board).
 
This is one of the most serious ales in the world and deserves the best that we have to contribute. Let's keep the trollers off the board.

(On the left hand side of the post you'll see a small red triangle with a black exclamation mark inside. If you see a troller, please don't IM me. Just click and report them. The HBT admins are great about booting trollers permanently off the board).

Done and done! I'm not new to brewing but new to the thread. This an amazing thread. Best I've seen on the web.
 
I am seriously impressed and grateful for the detail shown in this thread.

I am not going to be able to easily get my hands on candi syrup here (South Africa). I don't know much about different makes and grades of syrup.

As far as I can see I can get golden syrup, maple syrup or molasses syrup. I can also get a range of different honeys. I know they won't come close to candi syrup and i know what that means for the end result.

What is likely to give me the best result out of those options (in bold)?
 
I am seriously impressed and grateful for the detail shown in this thread.

I am not going to be able to easily get my hands on candi syrup here (South Africa). I don't know much about different makes and grades of syrup.

As far as I can see I can get golden syrup, maple syrup or molasses syrup. I can also get a range of different honeys. I know they won't come close to candi syrup and i know what that means for the end result.

What is likely to give me the best result out of those options (in bold)?

If color is not too much of an issue then Lyle's Golden Syrup is the only one that will have a similar affect with the yeast. Molasses may seem like the better option but the final palate will be off-putting due to the iron content.
 
I am not going to be able to easily get my hands on candi syrup here (South Africa). I don't know much about different makes and grades of syrup.

At the risk of making CSI feel like he's getting trolled, you can give making your own a try if you can't get any commercial products. In my personal experience it is easy to do and you can make some awesome tasting syrup.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/20-lb-sugar-jar-yeast-nutrient-114837/

http://nateobrew.blogspot.com/2011/08/candi-syrup-secrets-and-how-to-make.html

http://ryanbrews.blogspot.com/2012/02/candy-syrup-right-way-hint-weve-been.html

http://lifefermented.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/diy-belgian-candy-syrup-1-sugar-science/
 
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