Belgian Dark Strong Ale Westvleteren 12 Clone - Multiple Award Winner

[hobbybob]

After 4 days it's @ 80F still a bubble every 5 to 8 sec.

When using yeastcake be sure not to pitch too much that will give the most problems ( pitching too much yeast cake ) with head problems

 

[mbbransc]

I was planning on using the whole thing to make sure it fermented all the way down.

 

[hobbybob]

For a 5 gallon batch you need about 300 ml thick slurry

 

[user 141939]

For a 5 gallon batch you need about 300 ml thick slurry

I'm making 5.5 this weekend. I'm gonna use about 300 mL slurry harvested from a patersbier I made.

I'm gonna make a Small 1 liter starter in the morning and pitch at night. Not looking for growth, just getting the yeast a kick start. This is what I did last time and it seemed to work well (although my beer has no head, but that could be a different problem).

It's the best I can do to make up for the not krausening thing.

Are they any flaws in this plan?

 

[mbbransc]

I'm making 5.5 this weekend. I'm gonna use about 300 mL slurry harvested from a patersbier I made.

I'm gonna make a Small 1 liter starter in the morning and pitch at night. Not looking for growth, just getting the yeast a kick start. This is what I did last time and it seemed to work well (although my beer has no head, but that could be a different problem).

It's the best I can do to make up for the not krausening thing.

Are they any flaws in this plan?

HAHA!! This is exactly what I'm trying to fix!! My Belgian beers fizzle out like a soda!

 

[hobbybob]

Could be a fermantation temp problem don't go over 69F in the first 48 hours
After that you're safe to reach the 80F

The way I harvest yeast cakes:

- catch the cake in a large bottle ( I use a 2 ltr bottle)
- Leave it in the bottle for about 20 minutes
- gently pour it over to a jar or bottle, beshure it's full

 

[hobbybob]

Update:

Messured it's @10,8 brix thats 1012 dropping back temperture now to 68F ( from 80F) for 2 days then will go back to 50F for 5 days and then bottling.

 

[hobbybob]

I'm making 5.5 this weekend. I'm gonna use about 300 mL slurry harvested from a patersbier I made.

I'm gonna make a Small 1 liter starter in the morning and pitch at night. Not looking for growth, just getting the yeast a kick start. This is what I did last time and it seemed to work well (although my beer has no head, but that could be a different problem).

It's the best I can do to make up for the not krausening thing.

Are they any flaws in this plan?

Well in my experience your 1 liter starter will be overkrausing within 1 hour.

Here's what I always do:

When starting to boil I get my slurry out of the cooler.

Leave it on the sink, after cooling down the wort I catch 1/2 liter off the cooled down wort.

Decant the slurry and add the 1/2 liter wort and shake the suspension.

Then add it all to the fermentor.

Mostly at the end off the boil my slurry is already awake on the kitchen sink. ( depends how old the slurry is )

 

[user 141939]

Well in my experience your 1 liter starter will be overkrausing within 1 hour.

Here's what I always do:

When starting to boil I get my slurry out of the cooler.

Leave it on the sink, after cooling down the wort I catch 1/2 liter off the cooled down wort.

Decant the slurry and add the 1/2 liter wort and shake the suspension.

Then add it all to the fermentor.

Mostly at the end off the boil my slurry is already awake on the kitchen sink. ( depends how old the slurry is )

Good point. Here's what I'll do. I'm still going to "wake" the starter up with starter wort, but I'll just give it an hour or so instead of half a day.

 

[user 141939]

Should have gone with my original plan. Yeast could have used 8 hours or so. Here is what the portion leftover that I am saving looked like the following morning.

This is what I wanted to pitch, instead I pitched just barely waking up yeast.

View attachment 1462128397077.jpg

 

[stonebrewer]

The worst part of brewing this beer is the wait! So I didn't...

I ended up with a full 5G keg plus 2+G in a second keg, so I put the second one on gas and am sampling over time to see if it changes. It is really good and I am expecting it to just get better. Complex, tasty, with a kick! I will be patient with the main keg and will let that sit for at least 60 days as 45-50F before carbing, but I am really glad to be getting into this beer a little early!! Cheers!

 

[Kee]

The worst part of brewing this beer is the wait! So I didn't...

I ended up with a full 5G keg plus 2+G in a second keg, so I put the second one on gas and am sampling over time to see if it changes. It is really good and I am expecting it to just get better. Complex, tasty, with a kick! I will be patient with the main keg and will let that sit for at least 60 days as 45-50F before carbing, but I am really glad to be getting into this beer a little early!! Cheers!

I admire brewers that can put a whole batch away for a year before taking a sample. I've never been able to do that. So I finally starting brewing this recipe over and over. It's really nice to have many batches of different ages to compare.

 

[hobbybob]

Bottled my batch yesterday (1092-->1012) will brew another batch in 2 weeks

 

[Bottoms_Up]

I admire brewers that can put a whole batch away for a year before taking a sample. I've never been able to do that. So I finally starting brewing this recipe over and over. It's really nice to have many batches of different ages to compare.

You can have it both ways. I bottled mine, and every month or two I sample a bottle. I bottled mine almost a year and a half ago, and still have lots of bottles. I plan to drink another bottle every month or two, but leave the rest for at least two years. There was a very noticeable improvement after a year.

 

[bogusman]

Hi, I have been brewing saq's and CSI's recipe for the Westy 12 clone from back when it was revision 001a. I like the Chimay yeast for this however. I must say I'm a bit intrigued by the latest rev to CSI's recipe.

Anyway, my homebrew club is looking to do another whiskey barrel project, and we have voted to do a Quad. I might be considered the Quad expert in my club. I'm not sure how I feel about an oaky Quad, but I'm willing to experiment. Can anyone provide any suggestions or tips specific to barrel aging a Quad? Aside from my concerns about this being a lot of the team's first quad, I've never done a barrel quad before.

This will be a fresh barrel donated by a local distillery. About 11 of us will be brewing 5 or 10g batches to fill & top up a 50g oak whisky barrel.

I was wondering if we'd secondary in the barrel, or let everyone lager it for two months before we put it in the barrel. With a fresh barrel, I don't think we can leave it in there very long before we have to take it back out.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[mbbransc]

I don't have experience barreling beers, especially full size bourbon barrel (53 or 55 gallons), but I enjoy barrel aged quads. Check out Boulevard's BBQ for a reference. Locally, Olde Hickory recently release Magnus Caralus, another bourbon barreled quad which I really loved.

I would ferment like normal and secondary in the barrel. Being fresh, you're probably right, it won't take so long. But I think most breweries still go for at least 4-6 months in fresh barrels.

 

[stonebrewer]

Hi, I have been brewing saq's and CSI's recipe for the Westy 12 clone from back when it was revision 001a. I like the Chimay yeast for this however. I must say I'm a bit intrigued by the latest rev to CSI's recipe.

Anyway, my homebrew club is looking to do another whiskey barrel project, and we have voted to do a Quad. I might be considered the Quad expert in my club. I'm not sure how I feel about an oaky Quad, but I'm willing to experiment. Can anyone provide any suggestions or tips specific to barrel aging a Quad? Aside from my concerns about this being a lot of the team's first quad, I've never done a barrel quad before.

This will be a fresh barrel donated by a local distillery. About 11 of us will be brewing 5 or 10g batches to fill & top up a 50g oak whisky barrel.

I was wondering if we'd secondary in the barrel, or let everyone lager it for two months before we put it in the barrel. With a fresh barrel, I don't think we can leave it in there very long before we have to take it back out.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Haven't read it yet but the new Zymurgy has a cover story on barrel aging beer!

 

[user 141939]

Weyerbacher makes a barrel aged quad. Not sure if you can get those. It could give you an idea of what one might taste like.

 

[stonebrewer]

Weyerbacher makes a barrel aged quad. Not sure if you can get those. It could give you an idea of what one might taste like.

My favorite is by Boulevard, and Hardywood makes a decent one as well. I have several BBA Quads in my cellar...they are a real treat!!

 

[wyowolf]

Brewed this last night, all went well except I only got 1.070 efficiency issues . Hopefully will turn out well, I did get about 6+ gallons into the fermentor though.

Does everyone bottle this? or just keg it? I havent bottled in awhile now and was thinking of just leaving this in a keg in the basement?

 

[mbbransc]

Most ppl say the beers are infinitely better if they are bottle conditioned. That said, I racked mine to a keg and let it sit 6-mo or so on gas and bottled with a beer gun.

 

[decoleur]

How are you bottle conditioning this beer?

 

[mbbransc]

I'm not.

 

[stonebrewer]

Brewed this last night, all went well except I only got 1.070 efficiency issues . Hopefully will turn out well, I did get about 6+ gallons into the fermentor though.

Does everyone bottle this? or just keg it? I havent bottled in awhile now and was thinking of just leaving this in a keg in the basement?

I kegged it and it is quite good. Drinking it along with ABT 12, Chimay Blue, and other Belgians and frankly this recipe is as good as the commercial beers...maybe better. I have a keg of this that I am sipping on right now. I also have a bottle of ABT 12 that I am comparing it to. The ABT 12 has more carbonation from the bottle conditioning, however this recipe has a little more flavor than the ABT 12. Cheers!

 

[hobbybob]

I kegged it and it is quite good. Drinking it along with ABT 12, Chimay Blue, and other Belgians and frankly this recipe is as good as the commercial beers...maybe better. I have a keg of this that I am sipping on right now. I also have a bottle of ABT 12 that I am comparing it to. The ABT 12 has more carbonation from the bottle conditioning, however this recipe has a little more flavor than the ABT 12. Cheers!

I had a bottle last weekend ( I botteled 7 x 0,7 ltr PET for tasting the upcoming months)

I also compare it too ABT12 for I won't pay 12 to 15 dollars for a bottle of beer, mine has more flavor (dark fruits) then ABT 12 also there's a "deeper" longer lasting taste, a bit sharp on the edges ( Yeah it's only been 1 week into the bottle ) I'am afraid my 10 gallon batch won't last for months this beer taste to good.

Upcoming weekend I will brew another 10 gallon batch

 

[stonebrewer]

I am with you hobbybob! I just broke out my full keg that has been sitting patiently waiting for me to tap it for 2 months and a day. Compared to the younger keg that I had about 2 gallons in that I rushed, WOW! this is amazeballs and I must brew more!! It is still rather flat as I just put it on gas, but it has an amazing, almost dark chocolate, finish that blows away ABT 12 (which I love and keep in the fridge at all times!). I totally get that long lasting taste too! It just sticks to the tongue and won't go away for minutes...Great recipe!!

 

[CHansen6]

I brewed this up a few weeks ago. I was going to do the cold conditioning in a keg for convenience, and to save on footprint space in my keezer. I actually ended up getting almost 6 gallons of beer out.

My plan was to keep 4-5 gallons as-is, and pitch brettanomyces, a little oak, and possibly some fruit into the remainder. Do you think I can start the brett now, or should I cold condition everything and then hit it with brett in 6 week or so?

 

[hobbybob]

So I brewed a 11 gallon batch yesterday, decided to clone the westy 8 instead off westy 12 butt still the CSi recipe.

The reason I decided for the 8 clone is the ABV, 11,2% against 8% so I can drink more often this amazing recipe

Ended up with 11 gallon @1068 the Wpl 530 was going crazy this morning final SG off 1010 is planned

 

[hobbybob]

Maybe CSI can explain whats in this stuff (candy syrup) the critters are going mad with this stuff:rockin:

I used 530 ( or 3787 ) many times before but everytime I use CS I never see this mad fermantation it's going through the roof

Expect fermentation off this 1068 OG will be done within 3 days I can hardly keep it @73 F the first 24 hours, after that it will get all the room (temp) it needs

 

[UCChemE05]

So I brewed a 11 gallon batch yesterday, decided to clone the westy 8 instead off westy 12 butt still the CSi recipe.

The reason I decided for the 8 clone is the ABV, 11,2% against 8% so I can drink more often this amazing recipe

Ended up with 11 gallon @1068 the Wpl 530 was going crazy this morning final SG off 1010 is planned

Nice, let us know what you think of the 8 after some conditioning time.

I've told myself I won't touch my 12 for a year. That changed to 6 months. I'm really thinking of changing that to 3 months