Home Brew Forum

Just finishing the last bottles of my current Belgian (viewtopic.php?f=24&t=30611&hilit=+belgian) so have decided to get cracking on another Belgian and after lots of research, sampling and advice on here I decided I wanted to do something like Delerium Tremens:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_T ... %28beer%29

Plan was to culture yeast from a bottle of DT but it was unsuccessful so I decided to use Duvel yeast instead.

Found a DT clone recipe and based my own around that. Here's what I came up with:

Typhon
16-E Belgian Specialty Ale
Date: 04/09/2010

Size: 24.0 L
Efficiency: 80.0%
Attenuation: 93.0%

Original Gravity: 1.080 (1.026 - 1.120)
Terminal Gravity: 1.006 (0.995 - 1.035)
Color: 7.28 (1.0 - 50.0)
Alcohol: 9.79% (2.5% - 14.5%)
Bitterness: 26.6 (0.0 - 100.0)

Ingredients:
6.5 kg Belgian Pale
100 g Torrified Wheat
1.0 kg White Table Sugar (Sucrose)
35 g Bobek (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 90 min
20 g Saaz (3.5%) - added during boil, boiled 90 min
20 g Saaz (3.5%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
18.0 g Crushed Coriander - added during boil, boiled 10 min
8.0 g Grains of Paradise - added during boil, boiled 10 min
8.0 g Ginger (fresh) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
1.0 ea Duvel - Cultured






The Brewery:


The ingredients:


Heating up the Strike Water:


Adding Strike Water to Mash Tun:


Mashing in:


Fly Sparging:


Collecting the Sweet Wort:


The Boil:


Crushing the Coriander:


Crash Cooling:


Fermenting at 21.6c at the minute. I reckon this will reach around 26c on its own. Will then crank the heat up to around 30c to ensure a complete fermentation.

Will update here too of course as this brew unfolds. Very excited about this one!!

Let me know what you think to the yeast, I might try a bottle of mine tonight.

Can you not recycle the hot water and take a shower whilst the IC is in?

Not a bad idea!!

Yes, try one of yours and report back! Thanks for all your info so far. Feeling confident about this yeast now.

Aroma: Subtle Pear drops & Banana
Taste: Spicy with more Pear Drops & some Sourness (possibly getting some of the Bobek & a bit of the Muscovardo in the finish)

Rather too easy drinking for a 7.5%

Sounds good Floyd,

What are grains of paradise? I've never even heard of them before.

pdtnc wrote:Aroma: Subtle Pear drops & Banana
Taste: Spicy with more Pear Drops & some Sourness (possibly getting some of the Bobek & a bit of the Muscovardo in the finish)

Rather too easy drinking for a 7.5%

Haha, that was quick! This sounds absolutely perfect man. Super duper excited now. Did you need a blow off tube? Reckon this ferment might get quite lively..

DarloDave wrote:Sounds good Floyd,

What are grains of paradise? I've never even heard of them before.

Lots of info here:

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

I'd never heard of them either prior to researching DT. They are very 'peppery'. Should be interesting in a beer I reckon.

It was actually a pretty steady ferment in mine.

Looks good to me! I love the cooling in the shower.....hope your missus is of the understanding variety. Mine banished me from the house after the first few brews.....

adm wrote:Looks good to me! I love the cooling in the shower.....hope your missus is of the understanding variety. Mine banished me from the house after the first few brews.....

She is unbelievably understanding. The room you see in the pics is the only room in out flat apart from our tiny bedroom. I keep my entire brewery here and around 120 bottles not to mention bubbling fermenters!

Yep... we need a bigger place.

Mine is understanding too, she understands that all brewing takes place outside

Must try something like this soon, looks straight forward enough.

How difficult is it to culture the Duval yeast?

It wasn't troublesome at all Spud. Unlike Chimay, for example, it took off within a few days then kept going.

Yes, it's the same process as brewing a typical ale. Only difference is more malt and temperature control. To be honest, temp control probably isn't vital with this brew but I have read that Moortgat crank the heat up to the high 20s during fermentation then into the 30s at the very end. Should ensure a full fermentation.

Fermenting away nicely. Cranked the temp up to 25c. Will increase by 1c a day for another 4 days. Taste wise, it's still super sweet but those spices are really coming through. So far, so good!

So, cranked the heat up by 1c a day until it reached 28c. Keeping it there now. Yeast performing brilliantly. Already at 1012. Will leave it in primary for another 3 weeks to ensure the yeast does its job. Will also rouse it next wknd. Really hoping this finishes up dry. Duvel finishes up at 1002. However, my mash was a bit high so not overly hopeful. Still bubbling away healthily though!

Syphoned a bottle's worth 2 weeks ago from secondary to try this baby out. It is outstanding. Everything I could have hoped for and more on top!

The spices really come through and are a big part of the profile... but in no way over powering whatsoever. The subtle tang of the coriander is there along with the warm soothing heat from the Grains of Paradise and the Grains of Paradise are completely in tune with the gentle sting from the alcohol. The ginger just comes through at the end as a little surprise.

Gravity finished up at 1012 which was higher than what I was expecting. However, not cloying in the slightest... just perfect.

Only worry now is that I won't be able to bottle the rest for another month or so... ARRGGGHH!!!

Would love for someone else to give this a go. It really is a beaut!