Leffe blonde and candi sugar

[jonnymorris]

I'm planning a Leffe style Belgian and am wondering about the invert sugar. I've read much about candi sugar including but not limited to this great guide showing how to make it and this discussion on the chemistry.

My question... is it worth making candi sugar or will golden syrup or even non-inverted Tate and Lyle suffice?

The 19L recipe;

3940g Pilsner
400g Munich
133g Biscuit
88g Melanoiden
265g invert sugar
37g Styrian @ 60 mins
20g Saaz @ 30 mins
WLP530

 

[morethanworts]

Having sampled a terrific Tripel made simply of Pilsner malt, hops and table sugar (+water and a funky yeast!), I won't be bothering with candi sugar when I do it soon. If you're doing a clone as such, then I have no idea.

 

[zgoda]

Second that. Best triples I ever had was the simplest ones. And Leffe was the worst of them, just after Grimbergen. Cloning Leffe is not worth the effort.

 

[jonnymorris]

Hmmm, interesting. You got a Belgian recipe I could hijak in lieu of the Leffe clone?

 

[zgoda]

No exact recipe but that's how they are composed. Some wheat malt for head, you want this of course. Pale sugar of any type, table or glucose, or clear invert. For standard brew length 600-800 gms should be just right. And then top up with pilsner malt to desired gravity. Hops are not so important, but stay within Europe, they can be German noble, Goldings, Slovenian or Czech.

And then the single most important thing, the yeast. You need really large amount of healthy yeast. The best way is to brew small beer first, something in a line of usual 1.040 bitter, and then reuse all slurry for triple. Of course you can make starter, but it has to be quite large, like 4 ltr on stir plate. I'd rather brew me some beer...

Carbonate to 2.9 vols CO2, leave for 12 months and that's it. Yeast and patience are keys to good Belgian strong beer.

 

[jonnymorris]

Thanks. Should I be mashing up at 69-70degC with the sugar drying it out?

 

[phettebs]

Try this. I can vouch for it since it's my recipe ;-)

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=43125

 

[zgoda]

I mash Belgian strong ales normal, 66-65. This makes it dangerously drinkable. :)

 

[Asalpaws]

Agree with the above, normal table sugar is fine for pale Belgian ales. The breweries just use pilsner malt and plain old sugar. T

 

[jonnymorris]

Sounds too easy but am going to go for it. Thanks. Also planning to follow Phettebs' Dubbel recipe as a precursor to this Triple.

Plan on pitching White Labs Abbey Ale yeast WLP530 starting at 19degC and letting it ferment as hot as it wants. I'm sure I've read they don't need to be kept at 18-20... right?

 

[phettebs]

I try to keep them 18-20 for the first 2-3 days. Then I let it go as high as it wants. If you let it go right off the bat when the yeast are multiplying, they can throw off fusel alcohols at warmer temps. Once they are going to town and just fermenting, then I let it free rise.

 

[Asalpaws]

Damn, I wish you lived in the UK, there aren't many brewers interested in Belgian styles in Staffordshire! T

 

[phettebs]

There aren't many in Oconomowoc either!

 

[morethanworts]

Well there's one right here in North Yorkshire (and a pub that stocks over 100 of them)!

Planning one of these for my first AG (Cheers T), sooner than expected though I've yet to decide between getting/building a boiler or a second stockpot. Conical is on order

 

[Drunken Horse]

Rather than inverting sugar or using candy sugar couldnt you use a mix of tate and lyle fructose with brewing sugar (dextrose)? Wouldnt be much more expensive than the crystals and probably even more efficient. And less time consuming than making your own.