Your best Belgian. Go.

I'm in love with the Patersbier recipe I've been brewing for a couple of years. So simple, yet delicious and it does double service as a starter for bigger Belgians.

1.050, 27 IBUs, WLP530 from a 1L starter, ferment at 63F.

100% Belgian pilsner, mash @148 for 45 min

90 min boil
60 min 25 IBU Hallertauer
10 min 2 IBU Saaz
5 min 1/2 whirlfloc tablet and 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient

Going into its first comp soon, not sure how it will do because Belgian specialty is such a brief category.

 

I haven't brewed a lot of belgians, but I have done a couple. My first brew ever was a belgian tripel kit and it went okay. It was "good beer", and even a year after brewing it was still okay. My second venture was a red farmhouse ale aged on blueberries. I had a grist of pilsner dark munich red wheat and a bit of oatmeal and pitched wlp670 american farmhouse ale. I took the fermenter up to the mid 80's for two weeks and then let it set on blueberry puree for a month. I bottled it after 4 months and enjoyed the first bottle a month later. The second bottle I had was odd, total banana and clove, so after 6 months I opened another bottle, and was amazed. Huge brett and blueberry sking tartness. I just put a couple of bottles into a comp. The last one I brewed had a similar grist, same yeast, and instead of blueberries, I added copious amounts of american hops. It placed 3rd in a local belgian only comp. I regret using chinook in that one. I will be rebrewing that one again, and instead of chinook I wil use cascade.

 

Other than the rare IPA or stout, I brew Belgian beers almost exclusively, specifically pale ales and saisons (with or without brettanomyces). Out of the dozens of batches and recipes I've experimented with, these were the ones that turned out well enough to want to repeat. Note that all recipes are for 2.5 (or 2.75) gallon batches.

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A La Campagne
(Belgian Pale Ale)

5 lbs Belgian Pale malt
0.5 lbs Belgian Caravienne
0.25 lbs Belgian golden candi syrup

Sacch’ Rest: 152° F for 60 minutes
Mashout: 170° F for 10 minutes

1 oz Tradition (60 min)
1 oz Hersbrucker (15 min)
1 oz Styrian Goldings (dry hop)

yeast: 3522 Belgian Ardennes pitched @ 72 F

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Chez Marcel
(Pale ale - 100% Brettanomyces - 100% Galaxy)

5 lbs Belgian Pale malt
.25 Weyermann Pale Wheat
.25 Weyermann Acidulated.

Sacch’ Rest: 152° F for 60 minutes
Mashout: 170° F for 10 minutes

0.5 oz Galaxy (60 mins)
0.5 oz Galaxy (20 mins)
1 oz Galaxy (5 mins)
1 oz Galaxy (dry hop)

yeast: Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois @ 72F

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Saison Desmet
(Saison)

6 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel

1 oz brewer's gold pellets @ 60
1 oz brewer's gold pellets @ 20
1 oz hallertauer whole leaf @ 10
1 oz hallertauer whole leaf @ 5

mash - 2 hours - dough in at 128 F, slow rise to 144 F, 30 min rest, slow rise to 154 F, rest 15 minutes, slow rise to 165 F, mashout 10 minutes at 165 F.

yeast: Wyeast 3724 @ 78F
Brettanomyces B (Orval dregs) added 1 week into primary

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Le Petit Bonhomme
(Biere De Table)

2.75 lbs belgian 2 row pale malt
0.25 lbs briess caramel 20
0.25 lbs weyermann pale wheat

Sacch rest: 149 F - 60 minutes
Mashout: 170 F - 10 minutes

1.0 oz Hersbrucker @ 60 mins
0.5 oz Hersbrucker @ 20 mins
0.5 oz Hersbrucker @ 05 mins

Wyeast 3724 Belgian saison - pitched @ 72 F
Brettanomyces B (Orval dregs) added 1 week into primary

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Saison Maison
(Saison)

4 lbs Belgian pilsner
2 lbs flaked wheat

mash schedule:

113 F - protein rest - 30 minutes
131 F - beta rest - 15 minutes
144 F - saccharification rest - 30 minutes
154 F - dextrine rest - 15 minutes
165 F - mash out - 10 minutes

1 oz styrian goldings @ 60 mins
1 oz styrian goldings @ 10 mins

Wyeast 3726 pitched at 71 F

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Saison d'Ixelles
(Saison)

5.0 lbs Belgian Pale malt
0.25 lbs Briess Caramel 20
0.25 lbs Belgian Caravienne
0.25 lbs Weyermann Pale Wheat
0.10 lbs Weyermann Acidulated

Sacch rest: 149 F for 60 minutes
Mashout: 170 F for 10 minutes

1.0 oz Hersbrucker @ 60 min
0.5 oz Hersbrucker @ 15 min
0.5 oz Hersbrucker @ 5 min
0.10 lbs Belgian candi syrup @ flameout

Wyeast 3711 pitched @ 70 F

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note that I pretty much always do split batches with brettanomyces, even if not specified on the recipes.

Great thread, looking forward to seeing some of your recipes and trying them out.

Cheers!

 

Patersbier:

OG 1.044, BU/GU ratio 0.5:1

Pils 100% mashed low
Hallertau 60 mins
Styrian FWH & 10 mins
Ferment cool with 3787
Bottle with your favorite strain of Brett

 

My favorite is a Rare Vos clone, busy grain bill, harvested yeast from Ommegang, ferm from 77 to 82, noble hops, spices, extended aging . . . gave away as Christmas presents. Because it was corked was not eligible to compete in local comp, but judges jumped on it after turning in their grade sheets and were impressed.

My DuPont Saison clone with harvested yeast dropped from 1.055 to 1.005 in 8 days, started at 77 and finished at 85, dry hopped with Citra.

I use 3522 for my Blonds/Strong Pale Ale/Tripels, sometimes spices, usually a simple grain bill, sugar never more than 10%, ferm in the low 70s.

Made a pretty good Blond with yeast from The Bruery, bittered with Saaz, dh with Citra, in blind test it beat Mischief.

Just bottled a Houblon Choufee clone today that was dh'ed with Citra, taste was pretty good at the 6 week mark.

Have a mini-batch of Belgian amber, busy grain bill, 3522 in the upper 60s, FO/DH with styrian goldings.

Have used 3944 for Blonds, also will combine harvested yeast with commercial strains. Two infected batches came out gang-busters.

I could go on ...

 

Saison:

OG 1.055, BU/GU ratio 0.7:1

2 row 80%
Wheat malt 10%
Flaked oats 7%
Acid 3%
Mash 148 (60 mins) --> 154 (10 mins)

Amarillo FWH & 0 mins
Simcoe 10 mins

Ferment HOT with 3711

 

Quad:

OG 1.080, BU/GU ratio 0.25:1

2 row 80%
Dark candi syrup 10%
Caravienne 7%
Special B 3%
Mash hot (159-ish)

Styrian FWH

Mixed fermentation with 3787 + mixed culture + dregs
Secondary for ~ a year

 

Dark Saison:

OG 1.067, BU/GU ratio 0.3:1

2 row 68%
Vienna 10%
Flaked oats 10%
Dark candi syrup 6%
Chocolate wheat 3%
Special B 3%
Mash hot

Styrian FWH
Saaz 10
0.5 gms black cardamom at 0 mins

Mixed ferment with 3711 + mixed culture + dregs
Secondary with dried currants for ~ a year

 

I love enkels or table beers


Belgian Table Beer

6.5# Pilsner
1.5# Wheat berries/Spelt/Einkorn/Rye/Etc unmalted grain

1oz Fuggles/EKG at 10
1oz Fuggles/EKG at KO

IBU's to ~25

WY 3522

 

I took a blue ribbon for strong Belgian ales with a dubbel that was all castle pic ls with 2# of D180 syrup. Hop details will require checking but it likely was just a 60 min styrian goldings addition.g

 

Chouffe Dobbelen Ipa Tripel

for 6 gallons

15 lbs pilsen malt
2 lbs table sugar
.75 oz. Columbus 60 min
.33 oz. Columbus 20 min
1.5 oz. saaz 7 min
1 oz. centennial 1 min

wyeast 3522

 

Karmeliet Tripel clone

for 6 gallons

11 lbs pilsen malt
2.5 lbs white wheat
1 lb flaked oats
1.5 lbs table sugar
1 oz east kent goldings 60
1 oz east kent goldings 15
.5 oz saaz 1 min
.25 oz crushed coriander
1 oz dried orange peel

Wyeast 1388

 

Orval clone

13 lbs pilsen malt
1 lb caravienne
.125 lbs special B
1 lb table sugar
.83 oz centennial 60 min
.83 oz. styrian goldings 15 min
.83 oz styrian goldings 1 min

wyeast 1214 or wlp 510

add 2 drops of brett brux, per 12 oz., before the cap goes on the bottle.

 

I do not see any pitching rates reported. I think pitching rate is a pretty important variable when using Belgian yeast. Get it together people!

Mine would have to be the Dubbel we made for the Belgian yeast experiment @Jettanbass9 . Recipe was straight from Jamil if I remember correctly. I used 3787 and I suspect my pitching rate was very low, I was just getting my starters working then.

Awesome fruity esters, apple pear and tangerine.

Worst? Another Dubbel that I pitched on an entire cake of 3787. Most bland beer ever. Pitching rates!

 

I do a one gallon starter for my 6 gallon batches, a stepped up 2 gallon for the 13 gallon batches and a stepped up 3 gallon for 18 gallon batches.

 

5# light extract
3# amber extract
2# honey at FO
3711 fermented low, about 60
forgot the hops, probably saaz

bottled with honey to carb and left a year at 55 deg

 

Belgian Witbier IPA
Step mash
3 lbs Pilsner
3 lbs White Wheat Malt
1 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt
1 lbs Wheat, Flaked
4.0 oz Corn, Flaked
4.0 oz Oats, Flaked
1.0 oz Acid Malt

0.50 oz Cascade 60.0 min
0.50 oz Citra 30.0 min
0.50 oz Cascade 5.0 min
0.50 oz Citra Boil 5.0 min
2.00 tsp Camomile (Boil 3.0 mins)
0.50 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 3.0 mins)
0.20 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 3.0 mins)

Belgian Witbier (Wyeast Labs #3944)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

French Saison
Step mash
5 lbs Pilsner
4 lbs Pale Malt
12.0 oz Wheat Malt
4.0 oz Corn, Flaked
4.0 oz Oats, Flaked
2.0 oz Caravienne Malt
1.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L
1.0 oz Special B Malt


1 lbs Candi Sugar, Clear Boil 10.0 min
1.00 oz Perle [8.00 %] - Boil 75.0 min
0.75 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min
0.75 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 1.0 min

French Saison (Wyeast Labs #3711)

 

My best would have to be my Belgian style Imperial Stout I did a few years back.

- 8 lbs Light DME
- 2 lbs dark candi syrup
- 0.75 lb roasted barley
- 0.25 lb pale chocolate malt
- 0.25 lb chocolate malt
- 0.125 lb black patent
- 0.5 lb crystal malt (120oL)
- 0.25 lb flaked oats

- 1 oz Styrian Golding hops (60 min.)
- 1 oz East Kent Golding hops (60 min.)

- Wyeast 1762 Belgian Abbey II

Typical extract batch done on a stovetop at the time. Small 0.75L starter; probably underpitched but I was just coming around to making them. I added the candi sugar once fermentation was at its peak. I can’t remember what the ambient temperature was where I stored it, or what the fermometer read. When I was bottling I filled a small 3L oak barrel that had been soaking up brandy and set that aside for a couple weeks. Initially the beer didn’t drink very well; very disjointed and I felt I may have used too much sugar since the flavor started out rich and roasty but fell off quickly. However, after a year it really started to meld and it’s still drinking quite well. The barrel aged version is definitely one of my best beers. I used this recipe as a base for a cherry chocolate stout I did this past year. That too is drinking quite nicely.