Who’s still brewing Belgian-style ales and what’s your favorite recipe?
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Have a Patersbier on tap right now. 100% Belgian Pils, a touch of Magnum hops at FWH and then all Loral hops at 30,20,10.
My first beer I brewed was all grain belgian saison. I have brewed 2 other Belgian styles since, 1- belgian quad which I drank up, 2-Belgian blonde . The blonde aka “Spring Dreams” is definitely my favorite.
I absolutely loved Belgians since that style introduced me to craft beer and I’ve seem to taken a love to them. I keep Trappiste Rochefort 10 in my house and eventually I’ll drive 5hrs to ommegang. Belgians are the best beer style IMO and I’ll never stop enjoying and brewing them.
I absolutely loved Belgians since that style introduced me to craft beer and I’ve seem to taken a love to them. I keep Trappiste Rochefort 10 in my house and eventually I’ll drive 5hrs to ommegang. Belgians are the best beer style IMO and I’ll never stop enjoying and brewing them.
I also like the fact that they age so well. I can do batches and store them in the cellar. Pull them years down the road if you like. They are also great styles for beginning brewers that don’t have temperature controlled fermentation. There are no dislikes for me regarding Belgian styles.
Would you mind sharing the full recipe? I have some loral hops that I've been wanting to try.
I brewed two Belgians last year, a Dubbel, and then a spiced Quad for Christmas. The Dubbel finally blew last week. It took almost a year to go through it.
I do have plans for a Singel this year, but that will probably be it.
I do have plans for a Singel this year, but that will probably be it.
monkeymath
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We should have a dedicated thread just to collect all the witbiers ruined by ambitious hopping.
I bottle every Belgian because of this very thing. Maybe I’m crazy for thinking bottle conditioned tastes better. Once spring hits, that Belgian desire slows. Single is a style I’ve never brewed.
I have a plan in the back of my head of brewing one 2.5 gallon batch of a Belgian every month to bottle. I should be able to build up a supply of beers like Saisons, Dubbels, Triples and Quads so I always have some around and some have a chance to age for a year or two. I am not quite there as I have only done 3 batches in the last 6 months, and I only have a couple Saison bottles left (plus the Dubbel that I bottled yesterday).
Sure, this was for a 3.5 gallon batch. What I originally posted was incorrect, was thinking of my American Wheat that was all Loral too.
1.052 OG, 75 min boil, 72% Brewhouse Efficiency
100% Belgian Pils
14.3 IBUs Traditional FWH at 75 (Not Magnum like I had originally said.
19.0 IBus Loral at 60
10.0 IBUs Loral at 20
6.5 IBUs Loral at 5
Wyeast 1214 Belgian Ale (It's a low flocculating yeast, which I have learned the hard way, as even after 2 days cold crashing and 2 weeks in keg it's still pouring cloudy).
Mash was 148 for 60, 170 Mash out for 10.
Water Profile -Distilled water adjusted to Ca 56, Mg 0, Na 7, SO4 88, Cl 45
Gus_13
Cul de Sac Brewer
Belgian beer is why I started homebrewing in the first place. First with Dubbels and Quads then my obsession with Saisons happened. I like to keep a wit around pretty often in the summer as well. But I'm brewing a Quad here soon and I haven't done that in years. Trying our Omega Belgian R for it. Supposedly the Rochefort strain so we'll see how that goes. I've used it with White Labs before and liked that.
i had a Wit at a brewery with notable grainy texture. id guess flaked barley . is that a thing/style acceptable? I liked it.
monkeymath
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"Grainy texture" sounds like there were actual pieces of grain in the beer.
(If so, then: No, not acceptable, and you're a bad person for liking it.
)
Touché. I should have said flavor 
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Just marking this thread to follow it. Carry on.
beren
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Did you ever make a good clone? I wish I could have tried it. I had flying fish’s I winter cru on tap and it was really good. Subtle spice I’d love to make one like it.
JeffersonCoastal
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Typically my Trippels mature a bit faster, so if starting at the beginning, I'd do Quad - Dubbel - Triple - Single.
In any case would like to hear how yours turned out!
catdaddy6676
Member
Absolutely 
Belgian dark quads and the best recipe I know of is the Westvleteren 12. My brother and I agree it's the best beer we make regardless of style or recipe.
That reminds me that after my saison I'll need to pick up some pilsner malt
Belgian dark quads and the best recipe I know of is the Westvleteren 12. My brother and I agree it's the best beer we make regardless of style or recipe.That reminds me that after my saison I'll need to pick up some pilsner malt
beren
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Where's that recipe at?Absolutely
That reminds me that after my saison I'll need to pick up some pilsner malt
I've not had a quad yet but want to try it now.
catdaddy6676
Member
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/westvleteren-12-clone-multiple-award-winner.500037/Where's that recipe at?
If you do this right it will be amazing
beren
Well-Known Member
Guess I'll be ordering some wyeast 3787 before it gets hot out!
I brewed a Dubbel in January that I entered into NHC and some other competitions. Oddly, it scored a 42 at NHC but did not make it past the mini-BOS round for the table. In the other two competitions it got 28 and 30. It was a 2.5 gal batch with 1 pack of Lallemand Abbaye yeast. I thought fermenting in a 68F ambient room would be fine, but it pushed itself to 78F and came out with an alcoholic note. Hopefully it will improve with age.
I do have a Trippel in the fermenter that is ready to bottle. That one also used Lallemand Abbaye, but was in my fermentation chamber. I might like WLP530 just a touch more, but dry yeast can be so easy to use and store. Hopefully I can find room in my schedule this year to make a Quad (and another batch of Dubbel).
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I have 5 gallons of HB tripel that is conditioning. Plus i have a new neighbor that is the Unibroue Portfolio Manager for the US.
beren
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Ooo. Sounds like we need a local group buy.
BrewerofBeers
Well-Known Member
From the land of windmills and cheese,
Comes ales brewed with Belgian expertise,
With centuries of tradition, and love for craft,
Brewers create flavors that leave us daft.
These ales, so unique and full of taste,
From Trappist monks, to breweries embraced,
With special yeasts and malts in the mix,
The perfect balance, and taste that sticks.
So who's still brewing Belgian-style ales,
From amber to dark, and all that entails?
Many continue the tradition to this day,
Crafting new flavors, and in their own way.
As for my favorite, it's hard to deny,
A Belgian Dubbel, that makes me sigh,
With its complex notes of fruit and spice,
A perfect balance, that's oh so nice.
So raise a glass to Belgian-style ales,
And the brewers who've mastered their tales,
From the land of tulips and clogs,
Ales that are simply, a cut above the logs.
8 lbs 2-row
2 lbs German Pilsner
4 oz Caramunich
4 oz Special B
1 lb Dark Candi Syrup or Sugar
1 oz Perle (60 mins)
1 oz Saaz (1 min)
Abbey Ale Yeast
Ferment 70-72F
Comes ales brewed with Belgian expertise,
With centuries of tradition, and love for craft,
Brewers create flavors that leave us daft.
These ales, so unique and full of taste,
From Trappist monks, to breweries embraced,
With special yeasts and malts in the mix,
The perfect balance, and taste that sticks.
So who's still brewing Belgian-style ales,
From amber to dark, and all that entails?
Many continue the tradition to this day,
Crafting new flavors, and in their own way.
As for my favorite, it's hard to deny,
A Belgian Dubbel, that makes me sigh,
With its complex notes of fruit and spice,
A perfect balance, that's oh so nice.
So raise a glass to Belgian-style ales,
And the brewers who've mastered their tales,
From the land of tulips and clogs,
Ales that are simply, a cut above the logs.
8 lbs 2-row
2 lbs German Pilsner
4 oz Caramunich
4 oz Special B
1 lb Dark Candi Syrup or Sugar
1 oz Perle (60 mins)
1 oz Saaz (1 min)
Abbey Ale Yeast
Ferment 70-72F
Komodo
Well-Known Member
Not sure if this is anywhere in the thread, but this is a nice trove:
https://www.candisyrup.com/recipes.html
https://www.candisyrup.com/recipes.html
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Did an American blonde last night with 2 row (40%), pilsner (40%), Vienna (10%) and white wheat (10%) with tettnanger hops. Since I am BIAB and have crappy efficiency, I thought to myself "ya know, should really go for a parti-gyle 1030-ish Saison. So, after cooling the above wort over night, fired up the converted coffee urn, and mashed all the grain a second time with the addition of a cup of oats, honey and melanoidum with a mix of N Brewer and Tettnanger hops. Going to pitch a mix of Belle Saison and T-58 because I have both.
See if it makes sense to make a table kinda Belgium off of the second runnings.
See if it makes sense to make a table kinda Belgium off of the second runnings.
BeerHolic
Well-Known Member
Trappist Single ?
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Evidently there is a whole genre of Tafelbier aka Table Beer in Belgium: Any one brew the Tafelbier?
I have read on the interwebs that Belgium school kids had Tafelbier for lunch through the 1960's, then they switched to soft drinks and have gained weight ever since.
