Averagely Perfect Dubbel - Poll #3 - Grains/Fermentables

Belgian Pilsner, Caramunich, Candi syrup. Done.

 

See I was thinking pilsner, syrup, and actual Munich. Going for some maltiness but a dry finish. Complexity from the sugar. You don't think caramunich will sweeten it too much?

 

Nope - upping the syrup will dry it out a bit and caramunich will give it a touch of sweetness.

But I agree - no Special B or aromatic.

 

Pilsner
Special B
Dark Candi
Combination on toasted malts (munich/aromatic/biscuit)

Thats my go to fermentables.

 

Just Pils and Dark Candi Syrup. I know it won't fly but hope we will be fairly minimalist. My worst efforts in this style had about three too many types of grains.

 

That was exactly how I voted. A touch of Special B wouldn't be the end of the world, but if we're assuming dark candi syrup will be in the final product, Special B is redundant, IMO. There's an overlap of flavors there, and in a recipe like this, I think less is more.

 

Need Special B.

 

I included cara/crystal thinking that Special B was just a dark crystal malt. I would consider using corn sugar in place of the darker candi as well.

 

I suppose it comes down to wheher you want the belgian dark fruit/raisin character to come from the syrup or malts.

 

Sure but it's not necessarily an either/or. Can do both. I've updated my vote to include crystal malt for this reason.

 

My concern with both is that they will clash vs compliment

 

Special B, although it doesn't exactly fit in in any of the above categories. Cheers!

 

The battle lines are being drawn.

 

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Based on where the numbers are right now, it appears overwhelmingly likely that both caramel malt (including Special B) and candi syrup will be options. So in a sense this is premature, and I will probably bring it up again when the ingredients have narrowed a bit, but here's a quote from Mike Tonsmeire:

While I love the complex caramel and dark fruit that dark candi syrup brings to a beer, I have not been satisfied with the flavor it gives a dubbel without the addition of dark crystal malt.

So I think I will be voting for both candi syrup and dark caramel malts (as I am doing in this poll), although I'm keeping an open mind for future polls since people often persuade me to change my mind in these threads.

As @CarolusP observed, the battle will be fought over whether these ingredients are complementary or clashing. And so I say:

The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Our enemy knows that he will have to break us in this poll or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be freed and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit Uplands.

But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the Abyss of a new dark beer made more sinister, and perhaps more attenuated, by the absence of caramel malt. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the averagely perfect dubbel recipe lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour."

 

Some famous homebrewer must have said once that dark candi syrup is the shit, so now everyone on the interwebs spreads this around like it's truth. Well, maybe it is true. I dunno. But what I do know...

I've made some decent dubbel that's scored 40s in competition that had no syrup AND DID have Special B.

I honestly don't think it is fair for anyone to poo-poo either one. I think both can have their place. Both can play a role. I for one would vote for both as contenders. And if those ultimately brewing want to choose one over the other, hey... it's YOUR beer. All we can try to do here is to be averagely perfect.

 

Agreed. At the end of the day, it's all for fun.

While I'd prefer dark candi syrup and no Special B, my primary concern was not having overlapping flavors. If Special B makes it into the recipe, then let's really do Special B (8+ ounces) and use light syrup/cane sugar, foregoing dark candi syrup altogether.

 

I dont think anyone is poo-pooing anyone. Some people want Special B, some want Dark Candi, some want both or neither. Everyone gets their opinion, we vote and move on.

I'm going to vote Candi and no Special B but i wont lose any sleep if they both get in.