1GAL batch 2.5lbs belgian pale 2.0oz caramunich 1.0oz flaked wheat 0.5oz special b 0.3oz aromatic 0.3oz chocolate 0.2oz hallertauer - 60MIN 0.2oz styrian - 30MIN 1.0oz dark candi sugar - 15MIN wyeast 3787 OG: 1.060 FG: 1.010 Mashed at 150°F, sparged with 165°F. Boil was a little weak, I admit, had a boil over in a previous batch. Final result's carbonated water with a real mild tea flavor. How did this go so, so wrong? Should I give up brewing and go back to vodka & purple kool-aid?
Not enough special B, aromatic or dark candi. Abv is on the low end for a dubbel. A little more boil off would have made it more robust, but I think your recipe is short on the ingredients that give it the flavor you are looking for. You have the right ingredients, but not the right amounts.
This is Tomme Arthur's Dubbel recipe. (Lost Abbey) http://www.brew-journal.com/recipe/147/dubbel It's for 10 gallons.
Brew Betty nailed it. You don't need everything but the kitchen sink, but you do need more specialty malts. If you look in the recipe section, I have a dubbel recipe there that is fairly simple, but it scored a 39 and won the category at statewide contest. (That's me, tooting my own horn!). The key to that one is the dark candi syrup.
Another trick that I've been told for dubbels is to wait to add the candi sugar until after the fermentation begins to slow. The yeast like the simple sugars and waiting to add them means the yeast will better utilize the complex sugars from the malts. I have a St. Bernardus clone that I brewed about a month ago like this and initial tastings were really positive. I'm letting it age a few more weeks in bottles before I really start drinking the batch.
I am sorry but I can not understand why a beer with an OG 1060 and FG 1010 has so little flavor, are you exaggerating cos you are angry ?. Did you check these OG 1060 and FG 1010 or is it just what was expected to get according calculations/beer software? . Also , how much carbonation vols did you tried to get?. A weak boil doesn´t help coagultion but it doesn´t mean your beer should taste like you have described it.
I have not read anything but the title and 1 gal batch and I can tell you your pitching rate was too high.
IMO, @NiceFly nailed it with his post. A smackpack for a 1 gallon batch is a HUGE overpitch. The fermentation products of esters (fruity flavors) and phenols (spicy type flavors) will not be proper here. Net result is lack of yeast produced flavors. Cheers!
@NiceFly & @JackHorzempa Didn't pitch the entire smackpack, promise. You get like a half cup in the wyeast and I put in less than half. I eyed it, though. I know, I should be more exact about that. @Tebuken I did measure those gravities. Though I only took one reading after OG, that was at bottling. It's tough with only one gallon! You lose a fair amount with a single reading!
