Belgian Dark Strong Ale Westvleteren 12 Clone - Multiple Award Winner

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

View attachment 265701

Finally ready to age at 50 for a month

Right on the mark!

 

[jtp137]

It was stuck around 1.014 to 1.015 I repitched and let it sit warm for another week. Total of 5 weeks

Next time I will pitch more yeast, maybe my home made stir plate didnt get me close to 320 billion cells

 

[jhaislip]

I brewed this 10 days ago and followed the CSI technique of slowly ramping up from 64 to 80 over 7 days. I held it at 80 for 24 hours and then killed the heat. I just checked and I'm currently at 1.009 with the hydrometer and the refractometer in agreement. I was shocked at how good the sample tasted. I figured with a beer this big and it only being +10d it would not taste very pleasing, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very little heat from the alcohol and it has a clean/simple Belgian fruitiness about it. I'm sure the more complex dark stone fruit flavors and spice will appear with age.

I apologize if this has already been addressed in a previous post, but does anyone have suggestions for those who can't bulk condition at 50F? I understand that no matter what I do, it won't be a perfect match to the recipe. Should I go ahead and rack to a secondary? Should I plan to bottle next week and then condition for a year? In bottles, I could probably move it all to a friends cellar that would stay around 50 for the next couple of months.

Thanks for all the work that went into creating this incredibly helpful forum post!

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

I brewed this 10 days ago and followed the CSI technique of slowly ramping up from 64 to 80 over 7 days. I held it at 80 for 24 hours and then killed the heat. I just checked and I'm currently at 1.009 with the hydrometer and the refractometer in agreement. I was shocked at how good the sample tasted. I figured with a beer this big and it only being +10d it would not taste very pleasing, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very little heat from the alcohol and it has a clean/simple Belgian fruitiness about it. I'm sure the more complex dark stone fruit flavors and spice will appear with age.

I apologize if this has already been addressed in a previous post, but does anyone have suggestions for those who can't bulk condition at 50F? I understand that no matter what I do, it won't be a perfect match to the recipe. Should I go ahead and rack to a secondary? Should I plan to bottle next week and then condition for a year? In bottles, I could probably move it all to a friends cellar that would stay around 50 for the next couple of months.

Thanks for all the work that went into creating this incredibly helpful forum post!

Those are great numbers. The 50F crash is mainly for brightening so you could crash and bottle in a week or so depending on how well the yeast floccs.

 

[Kee]

I brewed this 10 days ago and followed the CSI technique of slowly ramping up from 64 to 80 over 7 days. I held it at 80 for 24 hours and then killed the heat. I just checked and I'm currently at 1.009 with the hydrometer and the refractometer in agreement. I was shocked at how good the sample tasted. I figured with a beer this big and it only being +10d it would not taste very pleasing, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very little heat from the alcohol and it has a clean/simple Belgian fruitiness about it. I'm sure the more complex dark stone fruit flavors and spice will appear with age.

I apologize if this has already been addressed in a previous post, but does anyone have suggestions for those who can't bulk condition at 50F? I understand that no matter what I do, it won't be a perfect match to the recipe. Should I go ahead and rack to a secondary? Should I plan to bottle next week and then condition for a year? In bottles, I could probably move it all to a friends cellar that would stay around 50 for the next couple of months.

Thanks for all the work that went into creating this incredibly helpful forum post!

I usually go straight from the primary to bottles (or keg). It will age well in bottles, although there are bound to be subtle differences than following the recipe exactly.

I admire your patience if you are aging for a year. It will be tasting great before that.

 

[jhaislip]

I usually go straight from the primary to bottles (or keg). It will age well in bottles, although there are bound to be subtle differences than following the recipe exactly.

I admire your patience if you are aging for a year. It will be tasting great before that.

Thanks Kee. Do you think additional yeast will be needed if I'm bottling this early? Would cold crashing be wise? I could stick the carboy outside for a couple of cold nights which would cool it down quite a bit.

Edit: As for letting it age a whole year, that will only work if I let the wife hide the bottles. ; )

 

[Kee]

Thanks Kee. Do you think additional yeast will be needed if I'm bottling this early? Would cold crashing be wise? I could stick the carboy outside for a couple of cold nights which would cool it down quite a bit.

Edit: As for letting it age a whole year, that will only work if I let the wife hide the bottles. ; )

I don't pitch additional yeast when I bottle after such a short time. (After an extended secondary it's recommended). I usually cold crash, but if the beer is clear that is an optional step.

And yes, the better batches are hard to save. My wife appreciates good beer also.

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

I bottled the batch I made at the end of Dec last night. Once I unwrapped the carboy I was really surprised how much yeast there was at the bottom. The beer dropped about 1/4-1/2" of yeast and man was it really incredibly clean looking now. The hydrometer sample I tasted was really great, although it still had a noticeable alcohol bite on it. I am going to try and age these at least 6 months before cracking my first bottle. Also I figure the timing will be great for christmas gifts.

Thanks CSI, and Bottoms_Up for helping me make this great beer. If you haven't brewed it yet, it's worth it!

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Thanks Kee. Do you think additional yeast will be needed if I'm bottling this early? Would cold crashing be wise? I could stick the carboy outside for a couple of cold nights which would cool it down quite a bit.

Edit: As for letting it age a whole year, that will only work if I let the wife hide the bottles. ; )

They are hard to resist

 

[BlackWatchBrewery]

Been looking for a good Westy recipe for a while now. Am trying this one soon. I did a Belgian tour and was able to go to the Abby (even did the mass with the monks) then headed over to the store and got 2 six pack gift sets of the 12. There is never a guarantee you can get the 12 if you go. They may not have it on hand and may just have the others available. Felt fortunate that day.

Here it is back home. Did a taste test with the 2 of them. Closer than you would think (St. Bernardus was actually started from a monk from St. Sixtus so may explain the closeness).

 

[Kee]

Been looking for a good Westy recipe for a while now. Am trying this one soon. I did a Belgian tour and was able to go to the Abby (even did the mass with the monks) then headed over to the store and got 2 six pack gift sets of the 12. There is never a guarantee you can get the 12 if you go. They may not have it on hand and may just have the others available. Felt fortunate that day.

Here it is back home. Did a taste test with the 2 of them. Closer than you would think (St. Bernardus was actually started from a monk from St. Sixtus so may explain the closeness).

You inspired me to do a side by side tasting of the St. Bernardus and a Westy clone aged 4 1/2 months (CSI recipe). The clone holds its own. (My wife declared the clone a hands down winner). It reminds me somehow of cognac, where the St. Bernardus is a little more fruity and less subtle.

That was purely for fun and very subjective and unscientific. But tasters I respect agree that this recipe needs to be brewed again and again.

 

[jtp137]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1427453268.733742.jpg

Attempt 2, 3 and 4 coming soon

 

[BrewerTom]

I actually came across this thread and the other large Westy 12 thread when I was looking for info on making a St. Bernardus abt 12 clone. After checking the threads out I decided to I'd give the Westy 12 clone a try. I haven't had a Westy in years, but I love Belgian Dark Strongs, so I figured I'd give it a try.

I made it this morning, the only deviation from the recipe is I used 2lbs of D-180 instead of 2.5lbs, and I'm using Wyeast 3787. My OG came short, I only hit 1.082. I'm hoping that it will still turn out good. I've got it at 64F right now, and will ramp it up through the next week.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

I actually came across this thread and the other large Westy 12 thread when I was looking for info on making a St. Bernardus abt 12 clone. After checking the threads out I decided to I'd give the Westy 12 clone a try. I haven't had a Westy in years, but I love Belgian Dark Strongs, so I figured I'd give it a try.

I made it this morning, the only deviation from the recipe is I used 2lbs of D-180 instead of 2.5lbs, and I'm using Wyeast 3787. My OG came short, I only hit 1.082. I'm hoping that it will still turn out good. I've got it at 64F right now, and will ramp it up through the next week.

I grossly over-estimated the amount of trub (the Westy has very little trub) and the amount of water, and as a result I ended up with about 21 liters rather than 19. I decided to dilute it enough to make it up to 23 liters, so my S.G. ended up at 1.079. It still turned out fantastic - maybe even better than a Westy since the taste is a little more subtle. I call mine a Westy 10 rather than a 12

 

[Bottoms_Up]

I grossly over-estimated the amount of trub (the Westy has very little trub) and the amount of water, and as a result I ended up with about 21 liters rather than 19. I decided to dilute it enough to make it up to 23 liters, so my S.G. ended up at 1.079. It still turned out fantastic - maybe even better than a Westy since the taste is a little more subtle. I call mine a Westy 10 rather than a 12

I just made another realization. I assumed that my efficiency would remain the same as with my lower gravity beers, but after some recent analysis, that doesn't seem to be the case. I believe that my efficiency drops at least 8 percentage points with higher gravity beers.

Has anyone else noticed a drop of efficiency with higher gravity beer? That is certainly something to take into account when calculating grain amounts.

 

[Kee]

I just made another realization. I assumed that my efficiency would remain the same as with my lower gravity beers, but after some recent analysis, that doesn't seem to be the case. I believe that my efficiency drops at least 8 percentage points with higher gravity beers.

Has anyone else noticed a drop of efficiency with higher gravity beer? That is certainly something to take into account when calculating grain amounts.

Efficiency usually drops with high gravity beers. I thought it was just me for a while but others have mentioned this. I do not have a formula, but go by my notes to decide on the grain bill.

 

[SavoryChef]

With all the sugar and the boil down you should be getting a good efficiency. I hit 91%

 

[Kee]

With all the sugar and the boil down you should be getting a good efficiency. I hit 91%

The boil down will not affect efficiency. Efficiency refers to the percentage of sugars extracted from the grain. A gallon of wort contains the same amount of sugar before and after being boiled down.

 

[GrowlerMonkey]

BTW, I apologize for taking so long to get the yeast krausen capture pics up. I've had to step back from our larger capture method using stainless tri-clamp micro-industrial hardware to a pyrex version so the process can be photographed. I have the new glassware and will set this up for pics.[/QUOTE]

I'm looking forward to seeing your write up on krausening, as I've brewed this twice now and ended up at 1.020 both times. This time instead of bottling a syrupy mess, I pitched some brett brux into secondary that I had on hand, and I'm letting it ride. Should be interesting if nothing else. The first batch I brewed is about 10 months in the bottle now and tasting better and better, just a bit too sweet. I'd probably be totally over brewing this beer again if I couldn't taste the potential for greatness in it.

Anyway, both times I've made appropriate sized starters, chilled decanted, pitched at 65, and temp controlled the the rise up to 80 over 7 days. Not sure what more I could do (aside from this krausen for which you speak of) to get this to finish out the rest of the way. Hopefully, if I do brew it again, that will get me there.

Cheers!

 

[GrowlerMonkey]

1

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

I'm looking forward to seeing your write up on krausening, as I've brewed this twice now and ended up at 1.020 both times. This time instead of bottling a syrupy mess, I pitched some brett brux into secondary that I had on hand, and I'm letting it ride. Should be interesting if nothing else. The first batch I brewed is about 10 months in the bottle now and tasting better and better, just a bit too sweet. I'd probably be totally over brewing this beer again if I couldn't taste the potential for greatness in it.

Anyway, both times I've made appropriate sized starters, chilled decanted, pitched at 65, and temp controlled the the rise up to 80 over 7 days. Not sure what more I could do (aside from this krausen for which you speak of) to get this to finish out the rest of the way. Hopefully, if I do brew it again, that will get me there.

Cheers!

It's coming. Slowly but surely...

 

[catdaddy66]

This Sunday I am pulling the trigger and making recipe #2 from the OP! Can't wait but I'm brewing with someone and compromises will need to be made. But he has the proper temp control so it's necessary. We will split a 6 gallon batch. I'm excited for my first attempt at a quad!

 

[BrewerTom]

I must have underpitched, I'm coming up on two weeks and I'm almost there with my gravity. It's currently at 1.014, so just a tad bit more to go. Not sure if I should continue with it at 80F or drop it a bit before crashing it.

 

[tehnick]

I must have underpitched, I'm coming up on two weeks and I'm almost there with my gravity. It's currently at 1.014, so just a tad bit more to go. Not sure if I should continue with it at 80F or drop it a bit before crashing it.

Give it maybe one more week. If it stays the same, I'd ramp it down. My first attempt attenuated to 1.016 and the second attempt hit 1.010. I think part of it was the pitch rate, because I lost way less yeast in the blowoff on the second run being better prepared to handle it.

 

[jtp137]

I must have underpitched, I'm coming up on two weeks and I'm almost there with my gravity. It's currently at 1.014, so just a tad bit more to go. Not sure if I should continue with it at 80F or drop it a bit before crashing it.

Thats what happened to mine. I ended up repitching a 500ml starter in another week dropped to 1.012

 

[dynohack]

Hopefully this isn't a silly question and I haven't been able to find it specifically asked in this thread yet.

I'm planning to attempt this recipe as 5.5 gallons as stated, however I'm concerned about headroom in my fermentor. I have the 7 gallon SS brew bucket. Will I have enough head room? Should I connect a blow-off-to-sanitized jar solution to attempt top cropping? (like so: http://i.imgur.com/wTIRhzT.jpg) Otherwise should I try to scale it down?

Just wondering if people who have experience with this process can share their thoughts.

 

[jtp137]

Hopefully this isn't a silly question and I haven't been able to find it specifically asked in this thread yet.



I'm planning to attempt this recipe as 5.5 gallons as stated, however I'm concerned about headroom in my fermentor. I have the 7 gallon SS brew bucket. Will I have enough head room? Should I connect a blow-off-to-sanitized jar solution to attempt top cropping? (like so: http://i.imgur.com/wTIRhzT.jpg) Otherwise should I try to scale it down?



Just wondering if people who have experience with this process can share their thoughts.

Yes it will blow out. This yeast needs lots of headspace. Get some fermcap it will help

 

[dynohack]

Yes it will blow out. This yeast needs lots of headspace. Get some fermcap it will help

Thanks, will do that. I assume that even with fermcap i'd still need to plan for a rather robust blow-off solution?

 

[VulgarCelt]

Thanks, will do that. I assume that even with fermcap i'd still need to plan for a rather robust blow-off solution?

I have made this twice now. I always use a blowoff tube these days but you will certainly need on for this. I busted the center out of an old barrel style airlock. That fits perfectly into both the bung on one end and the 1/2" OD tube I use. I stick the far end in a 1 gal jug of idophor and water. Viola instant blowoff tube...

 

[mbbransc]

I must have underpitched, I'm coming up on two weeks and I'm almost there with my gravity. It's currently at 1.014, so just a tad bit more to go. Not sure if I should continue with it at 80F or drop it a bit before crashing it.

I started at 68° ambient for 3-days, then increased a few degrees a day up to 84° and held for a week. Then let it sit at 68° ambient again for another 2wks. Went from 1.090 to 1.010. Used WY1762.