Brewing Like Monks -Abbey-style trippel, dubbel, table ales

[bosium]

I hope you'll bring a belgian or two to the fest! I had a minor disaster when I brewed my belgian blonde this weekend. Shouldn't surprise me, it's my cursed beer style. Fourth attempt Ive had at it...

[lancsSteve]

Have my succesfull and now well matured furness abbey ale (Rochefort-inspired recipe, chimay yeast, old willamette hops) and the blonde (a little banana-y but goor) will bring along a dubbel for you as well...

[lancsSteve]

Felt like time to post a drinking report on there.

Both were markedly better in 300 or 330klein bottled with a coronation drop for coronation and quantity.

The blonde has been the best all the way through and only about 10 bottles left - it was fairly leffe like when young and has matured well.

Tue dubbel has been a very varied beer - bubble initially, which backed off to leave a none too peasant spice soup which I even poured away, however a few months later and the flqfours have mixed nicely to cfeate something dark, copper,.sweet and with a spicy edge that's harder to differentiate with the ginger in particular backing off.

The dubbel looks set to improve further and I'm positively glad it went through a not v nice period as I have lots of bottles left and will save them as at the 1 year mark it could really come into its own - one for 2011's Cba comp maybe!

My furness abbey ale is.now excellent too after 8 months on the bottle with the bitterness backing off - long long maturation times really work and change these beers.

[Andris]

*cough cough*... where are the pics of sampling homebrew while brewing?

other than that, all seems in place, great pics!

[TheMumbler]

Both were markedly better in 300 or 330klein bottled with a coronation drop for coronation and quantity.

coronation? I'm not sure they were that good

I liked one bottle of the abbey, a bit of Rochefort about it. I was less keen on the one that coated the wall and floor of the front room though , I think that probably had an infection. The Dubbel was improved but still not great. The Blonde still good, didn't that one place at the NCBA comp?

So how to improve the Dubbel? I'm thinking about doing a couple of belgians, maybe do a split ferment with different yeasts (Duvel and Chimay perhaps). I also have a bottle of Daas but I don't know how it tastes or whether the yeast is the primary strain.

[lancsSteve]

I liked one bottle of the abbey, a bit of Rochefort about it. I was less keen on the one that coated the wall and floor of the front room though ,

The Dubbel was improved but still not great. The Blonde still good, didn't that one place at the NCBA comp?

Both are MUCH better in 300ml bottles but I now likethe Dubbel and think it will get better and may even one day become 'rather good'. The Blonde got 'very good' at NCBA but it was my wit that got rosette.

So how to improve the Dubbel?

Simpler... No coriander or orange peel, much less crystal, just aromatic or biscuit + munich + maybe a little bit of ONE crystal... Use blend of EKG + Saaz + Styrian Goldings or just saaz or styrian goldings rather than 'super styrian' aurora...

I'm thinking about doing a couple of belgians, maybe do a split ferment with different yeasts (Duvel and Chimay perhaps). I also have a bottle of Daas but I don't know how it tastes or whether the yeast is the primary strain.

I've got the moinette blonde/brune + leute + bruges zot + wlp575 available if you want to try any of them - or reculture the chimay strain from one of my abbey beers... Oh and the Sun will let you open a beer and keep the bottle if you ask nicely - and have Rochefort in.

I'd use the oxfam buckets and do split yeasts

[bosium]

Fwiw, I've tried the Rochefort yeast (Wy1762) in quite a few beers and I can't say I'm a fan, although it's fairly subtle as these yeasts go. Also tried Duvel (Wy1388), again not for me, extremely fruity. Once I cultured up the dregs of a few bottles of La Trappe into a starter and brewed with that once which turned out quite well but I think you run the risk of culturing up all sorts of critters, mutated yeast cells and the like doing it this way so I won't do it again if I can get the commercial version.

My last foray into belgian yeasts was Achouffe (WLP550), which I thought was really good actually but you REALLY need to control the temp as it's *extremely* estery. I'm keen to try the Westmalle and Chimay strains next, ie the two most people start with :p

One thing worth mentioning is that I really believe that fermenter geometry plays a big part with these weirdass yeasts. I've always had the best luck keeping the height of the column of fermenting beer about equal to the diameter of the fermenter, although I'm certainly no expert on Belgians, I've yet to make one I really consider a "good beer"
(bit of a sore point, tbh) I'll be watching this space to see what you guys get up to next!

Btw, I've still got that bottle of dubbel you gave me, it's been lagering since September. I'll crack it one cold winter evening I reckon

[lancsSteve]

Btw, I've still got that bottle of dubbel you gave me, it's been lagering since September. I'll crack it one cold winter evening I reckon

Haven't you missed those and it's now wet miserable evenings?

Hope it's a good one - variation between bottles and the occasional sour nasty one is oh so belgian eh

[bosium]

You'd know eh, what are the chances that you'd get a sour, infected Westvleteren.
Of all the rotten luck! I'll bring you a new one in September.

[lancsSteve]

Ben claims it wasn't that sour or off and I was just being moany - or got a mouthful of the yeastiness but it was a 'bit too belgian' and going all geuze for me...

However am planning a van trip at Easter to Hooland (tulips for t'wife and baby) and Belgium (beers for me) so knowing how to get there and sort out a crate may be of more import... Rumours abound about increasing capacity though http://appellationbeer.com/blog/about-t ... eren-beer/

[Barley Water]

Have any of you guys done an Abbey single? I keep reading about them but of course have never tasted one since I gather they don't sell them commercially, at least not in this country. Anyhow, my idea was to try making a single then using the yeast cake for one of the "big boys", say a triple (as I recently made a Dubbel that I have not tasted yet). I wanted something with an O.G. of say 1.048 or so that I could keg and would not kill you if you decided to have more than one pint.

[TheMumbler]

Never brewed one, tasted one, or seen one for sale. I think they are mainly brewed for consumption in house. I'd certainly be up for doing some research and having a go though.

[Kp2]

Mumbler, just pulled this of the net.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer

Enkel Enkel, meaning "single", is a term formerly used by the Trappist breweries to describe the basic recipe of their beers.[3] There are now no Trappist (or secular) breweries using the term. Instead, "Blond(e)" (La Trappe, Westvleteren), "5" (Achel) or "6" (Rochefort) are used to describe the brewery's lightest beer. An Enkel could fulfil the role of a patersbier, as was the case with De Koningshoeven's when it was in production

PatersbierMost Trappist breweries also feature a "patersbier" or "fathers' beer" that is only available within the monastery. This variety is designed to be consumed by the monks themselves, although it is sometimes offered at the monastery's on-site café. It is usually a relatively weak beer and may only be offered to the Brothers on festive occasions, both of these facts relating to the Trappist tradition of austerity. Examples include Chimay Dorée

Hope this helps you on your way. kp2