First ever mash and boil…Belgian Dubbel

[Beer Elzibub]

Made my first foray away from kit brewing at the weekend. Only an extract recipe but it did involve a mash and boil for the first time and went pretty well I think.

In honour of a recent trip to Belgium I based the recipe on Greg Hughes’ Belgian Dubbel. A decent size bag mash of Special B and Caramunich 1 (smelt fantastic) followed by a boil with Hallertau Hersbrucker and Tetnang Tetnanger, plus some light candi and a big wodge of extra light DME.

Yeast is Lalbrew Abbaye fermented at about 25C and it’s gone off at great speed. After I’d pitched, I read the Lallemand advice to use two sachets too late to do anything about it. Anyway if it gets stuck later I may put another sachet of something in to finish it off.

Next on the agenda is another extract recipe, Citra IPA, after that it will be my first all-grain, probably an ESB.

 

[An Ankoù]

Made my first foray away from kit brewing at the weekend. Only an extract recipe but it did involve a mash and boil for the first time and went pretty well I think.

Next on the agenda is another extract recipe, Citra IPA, after that it will be my first all-grain, probably an ESB.

Well done @Beer Elzibub . But, just that you don't get confused when you come to your first all-grain, your Belgian brew wasn't a mash, not even a partial mash since there's no starch conversion involved with the two caramel/crystal malts you chose. It's just a steep and the steep temperature is not critical. When you come to do your first all-grain, the temperature will be critical.
All the best.

 

[Beer Elzibub]

Well done @Beer Elzibub . But, just that you don't get confused when you come to your first all-grain, your Belgian brew wasn't a mash, not even a partial mash since there's no starch conversion involved with the two caramel/crystal malts you chose. It's just a steep and the steep temperature is not critical. When you come to do your first all-grain, the temperature will be critical.
All the best.

Thanks for the correction. Although I was controlling temperature at what would be a typical mash temp, just for the practice.

 

[Twostage]

Re: the yeast. What was your original gravity reading ? Might be too high for a single sachet of the yeast hence the advice for two packets. I'd say its not too late to put another in.

 

[Beer Elzibub]

Re: the yeast. What was your original gravity reading ? Might be too high for a single sachet of the yeast hence the advice for two packets. I'd say it’s not too late to put another in.

Yes the recommendation was 2 sachets for OG > 1050. OG measured properly with hydrometer was 1064. But it has been bubbling away like mad with just one sachet and according to the iSpindel it’s now at 1011, which will be “wrong” vs hydrometer but I think means it’s fermenting ok and is well on its way. I’ll take a hydrometer reading tomorrow.