Dubbel recipe

[bosium]

I was thinking of doing the dubbel recipe from BCS, but I've had second thoughts after re-reading brew like a monk. I'm thinking of making a small batch of my own recipe which I've been working on for ages, and then doing the BCS recipe and comparing the two.

This is as far as I've got so far:

OG 1.060
IBU 22
EBC 30

Recipe
72% Pilsner Malt
10% Munich Malt
4% Aromatic Malt
6% Caramunich
6% Dark Candi Sugar
2% Table Sugar

23 IBU - Tettnang @ 60 min
WLP550 - Achouffe


I was thinking of splitting the 6% of Caramunich into two different colours of Caramunich (I have I and II, I think 90 and 110 EBC), and / or maybe some Carabohemian (150 EBC).

I've never brewed a dubbel (drank lots though), so any advice or comments from those who have would be appreciated

[Barley Water]

Well for the longest, I tried to come up with my own Dubbel formulation with minimal success. Finally, I just tweeked the formulation in Jamil's book and I finally got something worth a damn. For what it's worth, I grind up about 4 ounes of raisins in mine and use the dark Belgian candi sugar (the liquid stuff, not the rocks). Oh yeah, I also used WLP500 rather than the strain he used. I may try it his way next time I do it (which will be soon).

[bosium]

I know what you mean BW, it's difficult to get a point of reference from which to work and in fact my recipe is very close to Jamil's for that reason. The thing is the dark candi syrup I bought in Belgium is considerably darker than the one he uses (200 EBC), and my special B is considerably lighter, so I'm not convinced my attempt at his recipe will turn out the way he intended it anyway.

I'm tempted to go even simpler - Rochefort, for eg, apparently only use 2x malts (pilsner and cara munich), 2x sugars (dark and light), and their house yeast and their beers are packed with flavour, character and complexity. Rochefort 8 is one of my favourite dubbels.

I'm going to make a 1-gallon batch of it so that if it's way off I won't have wasted a lot of time, effort and ingredients.

[steve_flack]

The Westvleteren beers are apparently very simple with just pale malts and various sugars. You would also probably get a fair dubbel by looking at the St Bernardus 12 recipe. Pils, black malt (dehusked?), sugar and dark syrup. Personally I don't buy that these guys are using the kitchen sink recipes that you see in most 'clones'. The Brouwland dark candi syrup is very distinctive when you use it. It seems to make anything it touches a little bit Belgian.

[Barley Water]

I agree, the books I read say those monks are using very simple formulations and getting all those neat flavors. The thing is, I don't seem to be able to get anywhere close using the simple approach. Either the brothers are not very forthcoming concerning their recipes or there is something spiritual going on in the beer which I have no idea how to replicate. Anyway, being the beer slut that I am, I am willing to pimp myself out and add all those crazy ingredients as long as the beer comes out tasting good. Of course, being American and especially Texan, adding wierd ingredients appeals to me just so I can do something different. Oh well, this weekend I am entering my British phase and doing a pale ale with Ringwood yeast. Not being content with the ordinary, I plan to oak this beer and am trying for something like Firestone Walker's Double Barrel Ale, my first attempt at oak aged beer. Wish me luck.

[steve_flack]

Why don't try some unoaked first? Very very few beers in the UK are served from wood. A few stronger stock ales are vatted in wood but they are pretty rare.

[oblivious]

Brewing a dubbel tomorrow with a few different grains and Candi sugar, brewed it before and turned out very nice

[Barley Water]

Oh, this stuff is sort of a throwback type formulation. Double Barrel Ale is made with sort of a bastardized Burton Union system. What they are really doing is getting the fermentation started in the standard stainless steel conicals then moving the beer into the oak barrels. The commercial stuff is very good, basicly I am just screwing around a bit. The oak flavors should be pretty much in the background if I do this correctly and the beer itself should taste very much like a British Pale ale. My brewing theme this year is experimentation. I got myself into a rut where all I was doing was brewing strictly to style so I could enter contests. That's nice and all but I think it pays once in awhile to try new process, ingredients etc. This will be my first rip at any sort of oak aging and if this works out, I will have just another trick I can use if I want something just a little different. Incidentally, I won a metal at a small contest last weekend with the Four Shades of Stout recipe picked straight off this forum, thanks guys.

[bosium]

Incidentally, I won a metal at a small contest last weekend with the Four Shades of Stout recipe picked straight off this forum, thanks guys.

Hmm, this recipe strikes again. I've been meaning to try it, will have to give it a go next!