Home Brew Forum

I wanted to brew a Belgian that packed a decent punch while being drinkable, and noseying on here got me looking at pdtnc's Kurgan's Candy recipe. I figured I'd do that as it got me a bit out of my comfort zone, I'd have to make a yeast starter and some Candi, as well as have to fanny around with fermentation temperatures. Also, I'm a big Highlander fan (at least the first film). And with imitation the sincerest form of flattery, I cracked on...

What I didn't get right was that pdtnc had changed his recipe, and I ordered my bits based on the first one. Whoops still, what could possibly go wrong, eh. It's almost like the same drink from a different reality, as I used different yeast and also took a suggestion re: mash temperature. Here were my calculations based on the calculators on here re: batch sparging and strike water, along with grain bill etc.

Materials

• 3480g Lager Malt
• 695g Wheat Malt
• 345g Torrified Wheat
  = 4520g Grist Bill (+candi)
• 60m Addition = 38g Bobek Hops, Whole
• 45m Addition = 450g Light Belgian Candi (just normal sugar)
• 30m Addition = 450g Dark Belgian Candi (just normal sugar cooked longer)
• 15m Addition = 1Tsp Protafloc (and immersion chiller!)
• 10m Addition = 26g Saaz Hops, Whole
• WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale Yeast made into a 1L starter

Brewage

• 20L Brew Length
• 11.25l mash @ 65ºC (Strike temp: 72.2ºC) for 90 Minutes
• 9.35l topup @ 77ºC, stir, 10 Minute Rest
• Collect 13.6L into kettle
• Add 13.6L @ 77ºC, stir, 10 Minute Rest
• Collect 13.6L into kettle
• Be amazed that I've collected exactly 27.2l in my kettle
• Add 60m hops (Bobek), 45 min light candi, 30 min dark candi, 15 min chiller & protafloc, 10m hops (Saaz)
• Lose ~15% to evaporation and 3L to hops & trub
• Collect exactly 20.1L in the boiler, transfer via aeration to FV
• Pitch my starter without dropping in the stir bar!
• Stick in controlled cupboard at 18ºC, raising slowly to an eye watering 28ºC over a week
• Bottle and drink in 6 weeks

I took my fermentation schedule for WLP570 from here. Lets hope it doesnt turn my beer into some kind of foul horror.

Fermentation temp schedule:

• Sunday: Pitch: 64F
• Monday: Temp: 67F
• Tuesday: Temp: 70F
• Wednesday: Temp: 73F
• Thursday: Temp: 77F
• Friday: Temp: 80F
• Saturday: Temp: 82F

Notes and interesting bits

• I can never get the hang of my MT. I could only eke out 7l of water in for the first batch rather than the 9.35l. Consequently I only collected 12.4l in my first batch, so decided to split my remainder into 2 7.5l topups which seemed to work. I've built a new, bigger MT for later, but that might be overkill (45l!)
• My thermometer broke the night before so had to make a mad dash into the city centre to get a replacement. Brewers were all shut (sunday), place where I could get a brewers thermometer had run out, so had to get a digital jobbie from Maplins. Note to future self: Always have 2 thermometers! (I have 2 hydrometers...)
• The bloody extension cord for my HLT kept cutting out. Hooray! Fixed before any damage was done, but made the heating up of the HLT very slow indeed.
• OG: 1.063 adjusted. If we get down to 1.010, that'll be nearly 7% ABV. Yum.

Most importantly...

Pictures:

Brewday -48h:


Boiling DME wort by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Stir plate by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Boiling sugar by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Hubble bubble by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Dark Candi by The Grice is Right, on Flickr

Brewday -24h:


Light Candi by The Grice is Right, on Flickr

Brewday!


Grist Bill by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Additions by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Yeast Starter by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Mash time by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


First runnings by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Smiley boil by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Modded Chiller by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Just Chillin' by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


OG of 1063 by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Not so turbid a bit later by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Amber by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Belgian Amber by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Mighty Break by The Grice is Right, on Flickr

Hey, I've hardly even got a feel for how this is going to turn out, though you are using some real yeast so I'd reckon it will be a cracker.
The First film is a utter classic, which just about stands up to films of today thanks to the sword-play, not to mention the Queen Sound Track!

pdtnc wrote:Hey, I've hardly even got a feel for how this is going to turn out, though you are using some real yeast so I'd reckon it will be a cracker.
The First film is a utter classic, which just about stands up to films of today thanks to the sword-play, not to mention the Queen Sound Track!

And the Seansch Connerysch.

Salamanka Broid Soid!

The yeast is new to me I'll admit, but it seems to be reacting well to me stepping the temp, bubbling like a grumbling stomach, just gotta see whether I chicken out or actually take it to the sunny 28°C that is recommended... I've a soft spot for quaffable Belgians, I can see the hangover from here!

I've used WLP500 which I started off cool for about a week then warmed it up towards the finish on the last 10 points. Its a yeast I will use again.
I have some WLP550 to use at some point soon.

btw, I see you bought a silicone bun case for the sugar

Yeah, didn't stop me getting it all over the mrs' new worktop protector and oak worktop though eh!

8 days at a stepped temp and I've taken the SG. It's 1.013 (corrected), so maybe a couple of points to go yet.

Looks like luminous pee in this photo (left) but the flash brightened it up somewhat. Still, a far cry from the nectar I snapped pre FV. (right)



Smells like a belgian (fruit), tastes like a belgian (alcohol masked by fruitiness with a mild sourness).

Could be ace, could be horrid. I'm siding with ace, it seems to be a cross between a leffe and something else. Time will tell...

Even if its still cloudy when you bottle it will settle out ok and all will be good

So I had my first taste today, 1 week in the bottle. It's delicious!

Put a couple in small bottles so that I could sample them on the sly.


Belgian @ 1w in bottle by The Grice is Right, on Flickr


Belgian windowsill by The Grice is Right, on Flickr

Got a real fizz on it but a flavour I'm finding hard to pin down. Open the bottle and its bananas. But then the taste is a mix of Leffe Blonde and Duvel. Can't taste the alcohol which is dangerous given that it's 7.15%

Don't think this one is going to last its full maturation......... hurry up Weiss!

Consoling myself with a couple of bottles now. It's improved with age, nice one pdtnc This thing is dangerously quaffable

pdtnc, have you saved any of yours?

I have just opened one (I kept maybe 3 or 4 behind as I was going off them, they were a bit full on) and its amazing. Like something I'd spend lots of money on in Belgium! Even the missus loved it, shocked. And my 3rd ever AG Smells of a belgian golden ale, if you've bought any of those stubby bottles youll know what I mean. Taste wise quite duvelly, but a kind of full, round, warm mouthfeel. Fine prickly carbonation. Love it!

it wasn't to my tastes as it got older, dumped mine, better to use a real yeast rather than a bottle re-cultured yeast.

Interesting...

so this belgian is a good un? I'm looking out for good recipe for a belgian blonde/golden ale... I've come accross a possible on a Aussie HB forum called UXB (all malt no sugar) but this might be a contender...

PDNC are you saying use a wyeast or WL belgian strain instead of a bottle cultured yeast and this would be good/better?
apart fromt he yeast character I dont see anyhting I wouldnt like in the grain bill or hop schedule!

failing this I might go with a 'De konnick' clone...



Cheers!

Guy

I dunno. I like it but its a bit full on. It's a lot like Duvel, I wonder if thats what WLP570 is (cooking so can't look). That said I've always been more of a fan of dubbels than tripels and the like...

Well its a nice looking drink!

Although I was dissapointed that Hendys didnt get its usual 'product placement'....

I may well go with my blonde UXB recipe and get some 'proper' Belgian yeast

Cheers!

Guy