AG#60 - Belgian Honey Beer (Duvel Yeast)

[jmc]

Hi Floyd

I'm thinking of trying my first Belgian and so I found your 2 other Belgian brew threads very interesting as well
AG#27 - Strong Dark Belgian Ale - With Pics (Chimay Yeast)
AG#42 - Typhon (Spiced Belgian Pale Ale) PICS! Duvel Yeast

I've cultured a bottle of Chimay and was thinking of starting that first on a 5% brown ale to build up the yeast and then use the primary FV yeast cake on an 8% brew.

Alternatively I have a couple of bottles of Duvel and I could culture and just go for it directly with them.
Decisions, decisions..

I't should be fun either way.

Thanks for all the advice.
ATB John

[floydmeddler]

You're right. It's great fun. I had lots of problems with the Chimay. However, I now have some slanted and reckon it's healthy so shouldn't happen again... hopefully!

The Duvel is great. Really takes off.

[Barley Water]

Good work there, that beer should be bone dry. I suspect adding the honey late really helped you out there. What is your impression of the yeast derived flavors, hopefully you are getting some interesting fruity/spicey action going? I hope you have some really stout bottles so you can really jack up the carbonation level for that great big luffy head. I really should play around with that yeast strain to see what I can get out of it.

[floydmeddler]

I'm getting fruit but I did add orange zest so can't say if it's yeast based. I'll have a proper tasting session when it's in the bottles. Really glad it fermented down to this. It's exactly what I was hoping for.

[floydmeddler]

Racked to Better Bottle to age for 8 weeks. I did bottle one though with a tsp of sugar to sample in a few weeks time.

[Spud395]

Are you leaving betterbottle in the warm or cold Floyd?
Just curious, as I was wondering about doing similiar with the Dubbel I've on at the minute.
However I couldnt allow that type of time with the temp controled freezer, more beer to be making

[Barley Water]

I never leave my Belgian beers in the fermenting fridge to lager, I keep them at room temperature and it does not seem to cause any problems. Even at room temperature, my beer is probably getting better treatment that most Belgians that are sold at retail. Over here, I can actually buy Chimay Blue in the grocery store, and that's in Texas were we have some seriously strange laws concerning frothy fermented beverages. You know those grocery store guys do not give those beers the respect they deserve.

[floydmeddler]

Spud, I do the same as BW and leave at room temp. I don't have a dedicated brew fridge sadly as I live in a 1 bedroom flat. My Belgians have all turned out great though.

BW, do you think 8 weeks sounds good or should I leave it longer?

[Barley Water]

Well if it were me, I would just bottle it now. I have yet to understand why storing beer in the fermenter to age is necessarily better than storing it in a bottle, especially if the beer is being naturally carbonated (assuming of course that it has cleared). I know that most of the commerical brewers get their stuff in packages quickly for monitary reasons and it doesn't seem to hurt the product. I taste everything I make just to make sure I don't have a diacetyl problem for instance before I do this but otherwise I tend to age in bottles. Cool space is at a premium for me so I try to get beer keged (or bottled) relatively quickly so I can ferment something else. I like to get up a decent supply of ales then I tend to do two or three lagers in a row which of course require the cool storage.

[floydmeddler]

Cheers. My reason for storing in a Better Bottle is due to the fact that I would start drinking them straight away if it were in bottles. I can't trust myself!

[Kp2]

Lots of great info chaps, now if only I had found this before brewing the BarBar clone (yesterday).

[onelegout]

I had my first bottle of Barbar the other day from The Rake in london, it completely took me by surprise. I ususally hate sweet beer, but this was just incredible! How close to barbar has your clone turned out? Anything you'd do differently? : )

[floydmeddler]

No idea yet! It's still ageing in secondary and I intend to keep it there for another month or so before bottling. Will then be ready around 2-3 weeks after that. HOWEVER! I still have my sneaky bottle in the cupboard that's ready for sampling. Will sample it next week when I'm positive the carbonation has completely taken place.

[floydmeddler]

OK, so had my sneaky 'test' bottle. First thing to report is - I'm dizzy There's nothing like the friendly dizziness you get from a bottle of high strength Belgian ale. I can only ever drink around 2 in one sitting. Because of this, it lasts for months and months; a treat

Appearance: Light and cloudy (I swirled the bottle to get the yeast into suspension) with a thick foamy head that laced the glass throughout.



Aroma: Sweet with an alcoholic vapour lingering in the background. Hint of a faint orange zest burst.

Taste in order of appearance: Honey - Deceptively sweet. Mildish maltiness. Very slight 'tanginess' from the orange zest coupled with the crushed coriander. Gentle sting of the Grains of Paradise and alcohol. Only upon swallowing is it realised that this beer is deceptively sweet. I get a dry (almost puckered) finish. As the beer comes to an end and reaches room temp the orange zest comes into play a little more. All the time, the honey is in the background. It hasn't dominated this beer. It is more like a canvas for the other flavours to spread across. Do I sound like an a**hole? Hahahahahaha Sorry. Always seem to go into one with my Belgians.

Great thing is that this beer is young so will get even better. Sad thing is, it tastes super duper already and I only bottled one. The rest is still in secondary. Will bottle the rest in 4 weeks time. 2 weeks in the bottle and this puppy is ready for enjoying and will hopefully taste even better.

[Spud395]

Super Floyd, looking forward to my Dubbel now.
Looking like a long secondry for me as well, broke my collor bone last weekend and will be weeks before I can bottle