Strong Belgian golden ale

[Donjon]

I've had my go-to recipe for golden ale and I'd like to switch it up.

Do you guys have any suggestions for recipes? I have got Candi sugar I can add and an abv of 8% or higher is fine and dandy.

 

[phettebs]

I have one that turned out amazing. I had to let it age about 6 months before it really came into its own. I remember opening a bottle about 2-3 months in and being very disappointed. I forgot about it and ended up giving a bottle to someone 6+ months later. He begged me for more. I thought "really? That crappy beer?" So I tried one and it was completely different.

OG 1.093
FG 1.010
19.6 IBU

6.4kg Belgian Pilsner malt
110g Biscuit malt
110g carapils
.9kg Demerera sugar (candi sugar is fine as well. I just used what I had when I created the recipe)

57g Saaz @60 min
57g Saaz @0 min

Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale yeast

 

[Donjon]

Lovely. Any other suggestions??

 

[chthon]

Lovely. Any other suggestions??

• You could go simpler by removing the biscuit and carapils malts.
• You could make it paler by substituting part of the pilsner malt with wheat malt
• You could use Mangrove Jack's M41, M31 or M29 yeasts, which all finish very low (I won't say dry, I brewed a couple with M41, these beers were not dry)
• You could experiment with the hops, e.g. use English hops. I am very fond of EKG in my beers.

 

[An Ankoù]

I have one that turned out amazing. I had to let it age about 6 months before it really came into its own. I remember opening a bottle about 2-3 months in and being very disappointed. I forgot about it and ended up giving a bottle to someone 6+ months later. He begged me for more. I thought "really? That crappy beer?" So I tried one and it was completely different.

OG 1.093
FG 1.010
19.6 IBU

6.4kg Belgian Pilsner malt
110g Biscuit malt
110g carapils
.9kg Demerera sugar (candi sugar is fine as well. I just used what I had when I created the recipe)

57g Saaz @60 min
57g Saaz @0 min

Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale yeast

That's my experience, too. I make a weaker version of Duvel Tripple Hops at 7½% instead of 9% as The Wise One can neck the stuff down like mother's milk. It's just not drinkable before 3 months in the bottle and is much, much better after 6. My recipe is not a million miles from your own except that I bitter with Saaz and Savijnski (as Duvel) and use Galaxy and Citra in equal proportions for late and dry hops rather than just the Citra that Duvel use.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

• You could use Mangrove Jack's M41, M31 or M29 yeasts, which all finish very low (I won't say dry, I brewed a couple with M41, these beers were not dry)

If I was using a dry yeast for a "classic" SBGA, then WB-06 is the obvious choice - although Fermentis push it as a hefe yeast it's near-as-dammit a dry version of the Duvel yeast. It's not very suitable for hefen but classic SBGAs are the one thing it would be perfect for, it's a beast. But if using it then I would dry hop after fermentation and not during.

It's always a good rule that the stronger and more malt-led a beer is, the more time it needs to come together, so I defintely wouldn't touch this kind of style for at least 3 months.

 

[phettebs]

That's my experience, too. I make a weaker version of Duvel Tripple Hops at 7½% instead of 9% as The Wise One can neck the stuff down like mother's milk. It's just not drinkable before 3 months in the bottle and is much, much better after 6. My recipe is not a million miles from your own except that I bitter with Saaz and Savijnski (as Duvel) and use Galaxy and Citra in equal proportions for late and dry hops rather than just the Citra that Duvel use.

What yeast do you use? I was initially turned off of WY1388 when the beer was young.

 

[Horners]

I also have a strong golden ale on the 'to brew list' . generally the Belgians I have brewed I have not got on with and I suspect its a yeast thing. That said I love Duvel - the liquid yeast I bought (and I forget which one it was) got well out of date so I binned it but am interested in suggestions for yeast/ fermentation profile that could render something Duvelesque?

 

[Donjon]

I have one that turned out amazing. I had to let it age about 6 months before it really came into its own. I remember opening a bottle about 2-3 months in and being very disappointed. I forgot about it and ended up giving a bottle to someone 6+ months later. He begged me for more. I thought "really? That crappy beer?" So I tried one and it was completely different.

OG 1.093
FG 1.010
19.6 IBU

6.4kg Belgian Pilsner malt
110g Biscuit malt
110g carapils
.9kg Demerera sugar (candi sugar is fine as well. I just used what I had when I created the recipe)

57g Saaz @60 min
57g Saaz @0 min

Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale yeast

What is the batch size for this??

 

[phettebs]

19ltr