Belgian beer using British grain?

Get advice on making beer from raw ingredients (malt, hops, water and yeast)
Post Reply
bottles
Steady Drinker
Posts: 80
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 10:24 am

Belgian beer using British grain?

Post by bottles » Mon May 07, 2018 7:27 pm

I'm thinking of trying my hand at some Belgian triples and doubles. I have a large sack of golden promise and various lager, plisner and others malts from LBS. I've read a bit about making Belgian beers that all recommend using Belgian malts.These books are also aimed at the USA brewers. How bad will any beer be if I use what malts I've got sitting in my grain tubs?
Can anyone explain how fawcetts (insert any maltsters here) Vienna, pilsner or lager malts vary from continental malts. I understand that the growing conditions will be different but how much difference is there in their malting? Is it that noticible in the final beer?
Andrew

Rookie
Falling off the Barstool
Posts: 3550
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2007 5:30 pm
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Re: Belgian beer using British grain?

Post by Rookie » Mon May 07, 2018 11:49 pm

Use what you've got, you'll make good beer.
I'm just here for the beer.

testtube
Hollow Legs
Posts: 485
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:08 pm
Location: Lancashire

Re: Belgian beer using British grain?

Post by testtube » Tue May 08, 2018 5:21 am

They use sugar.

User avatar
IPA
Under the Table
Posts: 1731
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:29 am
Location: France Gascony

Re: Belgian beer using British grain?

Post by IPA » Tue May 08, 2018 7:02 am

testtube wrote:
Tue May 08, 2018 5:21 am
They use sugar.
Is there anything wrong with that ?
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

BigMouth
Steady Drinker
Posts: 76
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2014 7:18 pm

Re: Belgian beer using British grain?

Post by BigMouth » Tue May 08, 2018 7:54 am

I've used MO for dubbel and currently have a triple carbonating that was made with pilsner malt. These are British and German malts, not too geographically distant from what would grown in Belgium. The climate is not too different. I read somewhere once that Britsh and Belgian pale malts aren't too different.

Belgians do add candi sugar (make some at home) for colour and strength but the Belgian bit is more about the yeast. British and or noble hops too. Get a Belgian yeast. Yeast is the key, malts aren't too different.

Did I mention the importance of the yeast for Belgians.

User avatar
dean_wales
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 991
Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 1:13 pm
Location: Welshman exiled in Exeter!

Re: Belgian beer using British grain?

Post by dean_wales » Tue May 08, 2018 9:35 am

As above, unless you are looking to make the very lightest of Tripels etc you will be fine with British malts.

Nail the yeast (recommend WLP530 and Belle Saison), fermentation temperature (high and stable) and sugar content (lots) and you can still brew them just fine.

Cheers,
Dean.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Click here for my cider pressing...
Click here to see my 20% Damson port experiment...
Click here for red wine from my allotment vine...

User avatar
Hanglow
Under the Table
Posts: 1399
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2012 6:24 pm

Re: Belgian beer using British grain?

Post by Hanglow » Tue May 08, 2018 7:33 pm

Watch out for british munich though, it's quite different.

User avatar
scuppeteer
Under the Table
Posts: 1512
Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2010 7:32 pm
Location: Brenchley, Kent (Birthplace of Fuggles... or is it?)

Re: Belgian beer using British grain?

Post by scuppeteer » Wed May 09, 2018 12:13 am

Its the yeast that makes it not the malt.
Dave Berry


Can't be arsed to keep changing this bit, so, drinking some beer and wanting to brew many more!

Sir, you are drunk! Yes madam, and you are ugly, but in the morning I shall be sober! - WSC

Post Reply