CASTLE MALTING: BELGIAN STYLE IPA

[seymour]

As you know, I'm always hunting for good beer recipes. You may have noticed lately I'm getting some proven ones directly from maltsters. This makes perfect sense when you think about it, because the companies producing the malt ought to know how it performs best, which malts go best together, etc. It's also in their best interest to recommend the best possible recipes because if the brewer produces great beer, they'll keep coming back for more of that particular malt.

Today I'll share some from Castle Malting in Belgium. Their slogans are straight-forward and honest, "Belgian Malts That Make Your Beer So Special" and "Malts From The Country Famous For Its Beer."

Castle Malting: Belgian Style IPA

DESCRIPTION:
The perfect answer for enthusiasts who want hoppy IPA character combined with the complex, fruity, spicy character of Belgian Strong Pale Ales.

Original gravity: 14 – 16°Plato, 1057-1065
Alcohol: 6 - 7%
Colour: 10 - 15 EBC
Bitterness: 38 IBU

INGREDIENTS:

Malts:
61% Pilsen
31% Light Munich
8% Abbey

Hops:
Fuggles early, East Kent Goldings and Willamette late

Yeast:
Safale S-04 (primary and secondary)

Step 1: Mashing
-Mash in 70 litres of water at 59°C and gradually raise the temperature to 63°C
-Rest at 63°C for 60 minutes
-Rest at 72°C for 15 minutes
-Rest at 78°C for 2 minutes

Step 2: Filtration
Separate the wort from the spent grain with water at 75°C

Step 3: Boiling
Duration: 90 minutes; the volume of wort declines by 8 - 10%
Counting from the start of boiling, after 5 minutes add Fuggles, after 80 minutes add East Kent Goldings, after 85 minutes add Willamette

Step 4: Fermentation
Fermentation at 23°C

Step 5: Lagering
minimum 3 weeks at 4°C

[weiht]

What's so belgiany abt this?

English hops and yeast..

[masterosouffle]

He won't know, it's not like he's actually brewed the recipes he posts

[seymour]

What's so belgiany abt this? English hops and yeast..

Good question, and the same goes for their "Belgian Stout" and others. The only true Belgian ingredient I see is the small percentage of Abbey Malt. It contains far more Munich Malt, should we rename it a German-style IPA?

I think the thing is they're a Belgian maltster brewing beers on their pilot brewery in Belgium for Belgian drinkers and brewers. They're just trying to promote the whole Belgian Beer "brand". You'll notice all their recipes start with "Belgian" for whatever reason. I only see a few of their recipes call for a true Belgian yeast, which in my opinion is the main contributor to distinctly Belgian characteristics.

Of course, historically speaking, "Belgian IPA" isn't even a thing. The trendy ones I've tasted (and brewed) at least contain a spicy Belgian yeast. You're right, surprisingly this one doesn't.

He won't know, it's not like he's actually brewed the recipes he posts

That's true about these. I haven't brewed these Castle Malting recipes. I just got 'em yesterday, and wanted to share with the group for information purposes. I also post some research-based clone recipes by request which I haven't personally brewed. However, I've obviously brewed my Brewday posts and tons of other homebrew recipe posts. I hope you don't think I'm trying to trick anyone.

[mozza]

He won't know, it's not like he's actually brewed the recipes he posts

Hang on a minute, he's sharing some fantastic looking recipes. They will no doubt inspire someone to give them a go

[PhilB]

I hope you don't think I'm trying to trick anyone.

... of course, when it comes to communicating with strangers, that we only know over the internet, then our default position should be to assume that anyone and everyone is trying to trick us ... only by assessing the quantity and quality of our interactions with such strangers, and assessing the quantity and quality of their interactions with others and the feedback from those others on their interactions with the stranger, can we develop trust in the stranger ... although we still have to bear in mind that the others are also strangers, and the stranger (and others in collaboration) may even be developing their "track record" in order to gain our trust specifically, in order to trick us even further (that's basically the technique called "grooming") ... since the development of the internet and social media technologies now mean that more human beings probably have more interactions with more strangers than ever before ... then learning to assess the trustworthiness of strangers, and developing your trustworthiness with strangers are becoming fairly fundemental capabilities to have to cope in modern society

That's why I find it astonishing that sneering comments like this ...

He won't know, it's not like he's actually brewed the recipes he posts

... still get made on forums like this, and the author rarely seems able to recognise that it tells us more about them than the subject

Just a thought
Cheers, PhilB

P.S. Seymour, thanks for the response to my question over on the CaraRed recipe thread, that seems believable enough to make it onto my ToBrew list

[seymour]

Cheers! I'm not offended, just a little confused.

I didn't claim it was my recipe, nor that I have brewed it. Hopefully that's all masterosouffle was saying. Whatever, moving on...

[masterosouffle]

Actually, not moving on, it was actually more of reference to the (large) number of posts containing made up or randomly Googled recipes in answer to pretty much any question, relevant or not.

[seymour]

Actually, not moving on, it was actually more of reference to the (large) number of posts containing made up or randomly Googled recipes in answer to pretty much any question, relevant or not.

I didn't know my recipe suggestions were bothering you, masterosouffle. I'd be interested to hear more about why/when/how they rub you the wrong way.

The only time I recall you disagreeing with me in a recipe thread was about amber malt. I suggested experimenting with it similarly to a caramel/crystal malt. You informed me it's really more of a roasted/highly kilned malt, and I quickly stated "I stand corrected" so the OP would know to take your advice over mine. I love when that happens--we all have more to learn--and to me, that's the fun of these forums. If you've been storing up resentment about other mistakes I've made, please start speaking up on those specific threads. I can take it. I sure don't want to mislead people who are spending precious time and money brewing beer.

Yes, my own recipes are "made up", to the same extent which all recipes are "made up" by someone; hopefully based on fact-based research, experience, and a deep understanding of how the underlying ingredients and techniques interact. Other times, someone specifically asks for a recipe to a beloved beer. If I have it in my recipe database (2421 and counting which I did not "make up"...so of course I haven't brewed them all, sometimes I haven't even tasted the commercial beer and I say so), I simply cut-and-paste a response. In those cases, I don't "have any skin in the game" at all, but I'm not sure how answering an unanswered request could be construed as irrelevant. What's wrong with "Googling" an answer for someone who couldn't find it for himself?

Dozens of Jim's Beer Kit users have brewed my suggested recipes, many are "repeat customers," and I receive frequent thank you's. Some of these beers have been submitted to bottle swaps and competitions, some brewers now PM me for advice on their own recipes, which is fun too. Some beers based on my recipes are reviewed on other Jim's threads, and I know of at least two cases where my recipe posted on Jims' was reposted and discussed on a competing homebrew site. All those brewers obviously found the recipes worthwhile and relevant, but perhaps there are just as many people who don't find them relevant and simply scroll past. The single complaint I've recieved was a batch where the dry yeast packet didn't take-off, which obviously had nothing to do with me.

At this point, I'm sure I sound boastful and defensive. It's just I had no idea you felt this way.

[mozza]

Actually, not moving on, it was actually more of reference to the (large) number of posts containing made up or randomly Googled recipes in answer to pretty much any question, relevant or not.

Why don't you step up and answer a question regarding a recipe instead then? Or better yet add to the information that Seymour has.
This forum is a place for giving advice to fellow home brewers and I find it incredible that you'd criticise somebody for doing exactly that.

[sbond10]

What's abbey malt Seymour ? Never heard of it what quality a does it bring to a beer

[seymour]

What's abbey malt Seymour ? Never heard of it what quality a does it bring to a beer

Here's the Castle Malting PDF. Sounds like your English Brown Malt might be similar. On page 8, they describe it thus:

Château Abbey®
45 EBC
17.4°L

Features: Belgian brown malt. Specially germinated and kilned at up to 110°C.

Characteristics: Château Abbey® malt is a more toasted form of pale malt. Gives a strong taste of cooked bread, nuts and fruit. Château Abbey® malt has a bitter flavour which mellows on ageing, and can be quite intensely flavoured. Château Abbey® malt is typically used as a small proportion of the grist in the production of beers requiring some substantial depth of colour. ALSO AVAILABLE AS ORGANIC!

Specifications: Page 16

Usage: Pale ale beers, Abbey beers, brown porter and special beers, in a diverse range of British beers. Up to 10% of the mix.

[sbond10]

With them saying used in small amounts I'm personally going to place it below chocolate malt but not as intense maybe? Still don't want more than 5 per cent in your bill tho I'm guessing?

[seymour]

With them saying used in small amounts I'm personally going to place it below chocolate malt but not as intense maybe? Still don't want more than 5 per cent in your bill tho I'm guessing?

Sounds reasonable to me. That's an accurate description of English Brown Malt, too, right?
However, in big-bodied dark ales such as a Robust Porter, you can use quite a bit of Brown Malt. It all depends on what you're going for. I suspect it's just for some extra grain complexity in this IPA recipe, a little extra malt sweetness to balance the hoppy bitterness...

[sbond10]

If you where going for sweetness wouldn't you use a heavily roasted crystal malt ? Could be a substitute