Belgian Series: Belgian Pale Ale

For this year's round of Belgian beers I decided to start off the series with a Pale Ale instead of last year's Single (which I did really enjoy). This beer is a bit higher in gravity, but will still be a good batch to build yeast for the following batches.

The big decision this year was what yeast to try. I liked the Chimay yeast from last year, but early on it was too fruity (banana ester). But later on, like 6 months down the road the fruity esters calmed down and a bigger bubblegum flavor (that I really taste in Chimay Blue) came out. This year I didn't want to have to wait 6 months before the beer was in my sweet spot. So it was time to try a new yeast. I decided to stick with White Labs yeast because I like their product and its good to support a local company. So that meant my choices were (chart comparing White Lab Belgian Strains):

WLP500 - Chimay - Described above - Fruity end of spectrum
WLP530 - Westmalle - More of a balanced yeast with esters and phenols between 500 & 550
WLP540 - Rochefort - "Fruit character is medium, in between WLP500 (high) and WLP530 (low)" - Special Edition
WLP550 - Achouffe - Opposite end of the spectrum from 500 - more spicy phenol and less fruit
WLP570 - Duvel - Balanced, cleaner ferment, and slight tartness
WLP575 - Blend of 500, 530, 550 - Let Chris White Explain in this audio clip

My taste for Belgian beers does lean toward the fruity side, but as noted above the Chimay strain was over the top for me. So for this next series I was between 530, 540 (limited) and 575 (blend). I did what every good homebrewer does and let the stock at my LHBS do the picking.

And it decided I would brew with WLP575 Belgian Style Ale Blend.







Next onto Belgian Pale Ale recipe design. It just so happen that I received a copy of Brew Like a Monk for my birthday. This is a great book and in the past few months I have read it several times (there is so much info you really need to). It also has a very nice section on recipe generation for Trappist beers.

After reading the book you get the sense that most of the Trappist breweries use very simple grain bills and rely heavily on the yeast or candi sugar to produce most of the flavors. And on the other side, most homebrewers use pretty complicated grain bills and usually only simple sugars. And a lot of these homebrew recipes are from award winning beers so there is a reason for the complex malt bills. My thought is that the Trappist breweries have really figured out how to ferment these yeasts and may use yeasts that are slightly different then what we have available.

My grain bill is a bit complex, but I have reasoning behind each addition.
Pilsner - Traditional base malt
Biscuit - Helps to boost the malt backbone
Aromatic - Traditional specialty malt and I think this malt really takes the beer aroma to the next level
Caramunich - Helps get that orange color I love in Belgian Pale Ales
Flaked Barley - My new staple because a rocky head is so important for a Belgian beer

Water profiles are also a big deal for these types of beers. I reviewed the profiles of the Trappist Breweries and tried to create something close. My water in San Diego is about as far away as possible so that means I need to dilute a lot. And if you read through Brew Like A Monk the Trappist brewers are very convinced that their water makes a big difference.

Recipe: Belgian Pale Ale
O.G.-1.054  F.G.-1.010   IBU-27 Size -7 gal
SRM-8   ABV-5.%  

Grain Bill (76% Efficiency):
11 lb Belgian Pilsner (8%)
.5 lbs Flaked Barley (4%)
.5 lbs Caramunich (4%)
6 oz Aromatic Malt (3%)
6 oz Biscuit Malt (3%)


Hops:

.45 oz Magnum, 13.5%, pellet, 90 min, 22 IBU
.5 oz Saaz, 3.7%, pellet, 30 min 3.6 IBU
.5 oz Saaz, 3.7%, pellet, 15 min 1.7 IBU

Yeast:
1 Liter Starter w 1 vial WLP575: Belgian Style Ale Blend

Brew Day:
Brewed: 7/9/11


Water:
See Profile above

Mash Details:
H2O/Grain Ratio: 1 qt/lb
Mash Volume: 3.5 gal
Sacc Rest. Temp/Time: 152F @ 60min

Sparge Volume: 6.5 ga
Sparge Temp/Time: 170F

Boil Details:
Boil Volume: 8.5 gal
Boil Time: 90min
Post Boil Volume: 7 gal

Ferment Details:

Ferment Temp: Pitched @ 64F (ramped up 1F/day up to 68F, then Day 5 free rise)
Primary Length: 21 days (more laziness than necessity)

The reason for the 7 gallon batch is because I also fermented 2 - 1 gal batches with dregs from Rochefort 8 and La Chouffe. Posts to come on those 2 batches.

Session Beer Series: Belgian Single, Patersbier, Enkel

Call it what you want to call it.
Here is another session beer. I am truly excited about this one. It seems like such a great style that appears to be completely over looked. It is not really made commercially. A few of the Trappists make this style but either don't distribute or distribute very locally. (Chimay Doree, Orval Petit, Witcap Paters, Westmalle Extra). Through my internet research there seems to be a bit of confusion as to what to label these beers and also what the difference is between each. So that's why the name has three titles just so I have my bases covered. Actually some also call it a Table beer.
The history I could find behind this beer is debatable like everything in history. One idea is that these beers were the second runnings from the Triples or even Dubbels that the breweries made for the public. They would ferment these beers the same but would just be for the Monks to drink. The low alcohol allowed them to drink while still working (I wish this would still fly).
I made mine a pale version but my research showed that they can vary greatly in grain bill. The other purpose for this batch is to propagate yeast for my whole line-up of Trappist beers. Also if interested in entering this is competition, you may get away with entering it as a Belgium Pale but it seems most enter into the Belgian Specialty Category.

This one was a fun one to research and I came up with the recipe with this thinking. Belgian Pilsner  for the base malt, no explanation needed. The Wheat Malt is mainly to add a bit of protein to help get that rocky Belgian head on the beer that I really like. The CaraMunich is used to add a bit of complexity and toastiness I also like in Pale beers. Then the Acidulated Malt is added for a few reasons, one is to lower my mash pH since this is such a pale beer, but it should also help the beer have a nice crisp finish. The more I read the more it seems like the bittering hop matters very little, for this batch I used Northern Brewer because it was left from my California Common. Then for the flavor/aroma hop I used Saaz as it should give me some nice spice to match up well with the Belgian yeast. Also this is my first Belgian style beer so I decided to start with WLP500 or the Chimay yeast. I like the idea of using this for the entire Trappist series. And my plan next year is to brew the same grain bill with another yeast like WLP550. It will be fun to see the differences and maybe even try a vertical tasting in a few years.

Recipe: Belgian Single / Patersbier / Enkel
O.G.-1.039  F.G.-TBD   IBU-16.6 
SRM-5   ABV-3.8-4.2%%   Cal-127

Grain Bill (75% Efficiency):
5 lb Belgian Pilsner Malt (71.4%)
1 lb Wheat Malt  (14.3%)
.5 lb CaraMunich Malt (7.1%)
.5 lb Acid Malt (7.1%)

Hops:
.25 oz Northern Brewer, 8.8%, pellet, 80 min 12.1 IBU
.5 oz Saaz, 6.4%, pellet, 15 min 4.5 IBU

Yeast:
White Labs WLP500 Trappist Ale (Chimay)

Brew Day:
Brewed: 8/14/10
Kegged: TBD

Water:
San Diego (Alvarado) Tap Water
1 campden tablet per 5 gal.

Mash Details:
H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.4 qt/lb
Mash Volume: 2.5 gal
Sacc Rest. Temp/Time: 152F @ 60min
Strike Temp: 164F
Batch Sparge Volume: 5 gal
Sparge Temp/Time: 170F @ 30min

Boil Details:
Boil Volume: 7 gal
Boil Time: 90min
Post Boil Volume: 5 gal

Ferment Details:
O.G.: 1.043 (I got 78% efficiency)
Ferment Temp: 66-69F
Length: 14 days in primary
F.G.: TBD

Day 2

Black / Schwarz California Common

So I wanted to try something new. I have my California Common currently lagering a bit in the keg. So I have a nice pitch of California Common yeast. In my travels to Germany my beer of choice was Schwarzbier with Alt a close second. I thought that it would be neat to try to make a Schwartz beer with this yeast.
So as usual I looked at a few references started with Jamil's recipe but I also found an interesting one at this blog I have been reading for a while, Ryan Brews. I am always shooting for more malt in my beer. This beer uses all Munich 10L for its base malt. And don't worry Munich can convert itself but if you use a lot of other grains that need the enzymes then you will need to add some 2 or 6-row. I was also going to try a couple new techniques. The first idea was to try a decoction mash. I had it all planned out and then realized it will make my brew day over 8 hours. This particular weekend I did not have that much time, so my decoction will have to wait. Plus listening to the Brew Strong guys they did not seem to see any improvement in their beers. Also I wanted to try First Wort Hopping, FWH. I have done some reading and it seems like an interesting method.

Recipe: Black California Common
O.G.-1.054  F.G.-1.013   IBU-27 
SRM-25   ABV-4.8-5.2%%   Cal-182

Grain Bill (75% Efficiency):
9.5lb Munich 10L Malt (95%)
.25 lb Chocolate Malt  (2.5%)
.25 lb Carafa III Malt (2.5%)

Hops:
.75 oz Northern Brewing, 8%, pellet, FWH - 60 min 27 IBU


Yeast:
White Labs WLP810 San Francisco Lager Yeast Cake

Brew Day:
Brewed: 7/24/10
Kegged: 8/15/10

Water:
San Diego (Alvarado) Tap Water
1 campden tablet for 5 gal.

Mash Details:
H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.33 qt/lb
Mash Volume: 3.25 gal
Sacc Rest. Temp/Time: 152F @ 60min
Strike Temp: 166F
Batch Sparge Volume: 4.25 gal
Sparge Temp/Time: 170F @ 30min

Boil Details:
Boil Volume: 6.5 gal
Boil Time: 60min
Post Boil Volume: 5 gal

Ferment Details:
O.G.: 1.058 (I got 80% efficiency so I will add water)
Ferment Temp: 58-61F
Length: 14 days
Ferment Temp: 65F
Length: 7 days
F.G.: 1.013

Session Beer Series: Scottish 70-

I am continuing my Session Ale kick. I'll explain my recent obsession .

I think Session Ales are the next wave in Craft Brewing. Yes, craft beer has blown up in the past years and it will continue being a high growth business. But I personally think for craft beer to continue to grow it must be in a price range that more people can afford or at least be tempted to try. So by making a low gravity beer the customer can get the taste without the price tag. I also understand that beer ingredients are a low percentage of the actual cost to the consumer but it may help. The other issue with session beers is the shelf life because of the low alcohol level and sometimes hopping rate. So this will limit the range of the brewery to be more local or to brew smaller more frequent batches. Lastly, I am not convinced how many people are drinking beer just for the alcohol benefit, I would rather be able to taste and drink 10 session beers than 4-5 IPAs.

On to the beer style, this is my favorite because I am a fan malty, slightly sweet beer, not because of the reason my wife thinks which is I like everything Scottish. This is my second time brewing the beer and it is again a JZ recipe. It was my favorite beer of 2009. It did pretty well in competition but main complaint was the body is too low. So this year I will be mashing even higher around 158 but by using Cal Ale yeast this beer will still dry out. The thing I enjoyed in this beer last go around was it had a great sweet malt smell but was fairly dry tasting. I believe the honey malt in addition to the decent amount of crystal created this.


Recipe: Scottish Ale 70-
O.G.-1.035  F.G.-TBD   IBU-13  
SRM-15   ABV-TBD   Cal-TBD

Grain Bill (75% Efficiency):
2.5 lb Maris Otter (65.6%)
8 oz Crystal 40L (13.1%)
4 oz Crystal 120L (6.6%) 
4 oz Munich Malt (6.6%)
4 oz Honey Malt (6.6%) 
1 oz Chocolate(UK) (1.6%)

Hops:
.25 oz East Kent Goldings, 5%, pellet, 90 min 13 IBU (100%)


Yeast:
1 vial of White Labs WLP001


Brew Day:
Brewed: 03/21/10
Kegged: TBD

Water:
San Diego (Alvarado) Tap Water
1 campden tablet for 5 gal.

Mash Details:
H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.33 qt/lb
Mash Volume: 1.25 gal
Sacc Rest. Temp/Time: 158F @ 60min
Strike Temp: 172F
Batch Sparge Volume: 4 gal
Sparge Temp/Time: 170F @ 30min

Boil Details:
Boil Volume: 4.5 gal
Pre Boil O.G.: TBD
Boil Time: 90min
Post Boil Volume: 3 gal

Ferment Details:
O.G.: TBD
Ferment Temp: 64-68F
Length: 7 days
F.G.: TBD
App Attenuation: TBD
Actual Efficiency: TBD

Session Beer Series: Best Bitter (Haus Ale)

I have two friends that recently bought condos and are both having house warming parties in the near future. I wanted to help them celebrate so I thought I would bring a small (2.5g) keg of my beer to their parties. I was really struggling with what type of beer is the best for this type of situation. For this type of thing, I asked the wife because she isn't as "geeked out" (her words) as I am about beer. She suggested something light to appeal to more people. Well personally my taste is toward the malty and sweet and I like to brew beers that I like. Also most light beers are lagers but I don't have the capabilities (yet, stay tuned) or the time. Consequently, I had just kegged the JZ Ordinary Bitter so I had her taste it. She said, "sure".

I also like the opportunity to refine my last recipe. A Best Bitter is basically just a slightly scaled up Ordinary Bitter. In my Ordinary Bitter I enjoyed the hops/malt balance and flavor. But I do think that the beer could use more hop flavor and aroma. So for the Best Bitter I will adding a higher percentage of the IBUs at the end of the boil and dry hop in the keg (OB-Flavor(11%), Aroma(8%), BB-Flavor(24%), Aroma(4% + dry hop). By dry hopping in the keg I can keep tasting to know in the future when this beer will be at its prime.

Recipe: Haus Ale: Best Bitter (5 gal batch)
O.G.-1.044   F.G.-1.012   IBU-28  
SRM-12   ABV-4.12%  

Grain Bill (75% Efficiency):
7.25 lb Maris Otter (88.5%)
10 oz Crystal 120L (7.6%)
5 oz Special Roast (3.9%)

Hops:
.75 oz East Kent Goldings, 5%, pellet, 90 min 20 IBU (72%)
.75 oz East Kent Goldings, 5%, pellet, 20 min 6.6 IBU (24%)
.25 oz East Kent Goldings, 5%, pellet, 1 min 1.2 IBU (4%)
.25 oz East Kent Goldings, 5%, pellet, Dry Hop in Keg


Yeast:
150 ml of White Labs WLP002
Fourth pitch, pitch amount calc'd @ Mr.Malty

Brew Day:
Brewed: 03/07/10
Kegged: 03/17/10

Water:
San Diego (Alvarado) Tap Water
1.5 campden tablet for 8 gal.

Mash Details:
H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.25 qt/lb
Mash Volume: 2.5 gal
Sacc Rest. Temp/Time: 152F @ 60min
Strike Temp: 167
Batch Sparge Volume: 5.5 gal
Sparge Temp/Time: 170F @ 30min

Boil Details:
Boil Volume: 6.5 gal
Pre Boil O.G.: TBD
Boil Time: 90min
Post Boil Volume: 5 gal

Ferment Details:
O.G.: 1.044
Ferment Temp: 64-68F
Length: 7 days
F.G.: 1.012
App Attenuation: 72%

Cooking with Beer: Dark Mild Beef Stew

Maybe the title of the dish needs some work. Most commonly you will see a stew like this referred to as a Guinness or Stout Beef Stew. But since I just brewed a Dark Mild and had it on draft I thought it would work well. Being Newlyweds, Ash and I have been trying to find more recipes that we can add to our "Regulars" list. So we have been searching for recipes that we both like and don't require too many complex ingredients. Mostly we'll find a recipe by the name that sounds good and then adapt to use what we have on hand. So this led me to my good college friend's cooking blog, Cate's World Kitchen. You will see more recipes in the future adapted from her recipes.

 

Recipe fits perfectly in a 4 Quart Slowcooker:

2-2.5lbs Stewing Beef (roast) cut into bite sized pieces

Oil from browning meat

Flour to coat meat for browning(for you beer peeps (maillard reactions))

1 Onion to saute in pot after browning meat

1 Tomato sauted w onion or use 3Tb paste

1 Dark Beer (Dark Mild, need some roast in it to replace the BBQ taste) add to deglaze pan after onions

2-3 Carrots chunked up into Slow Cooker

2-3 Potatoes chunked up into Slow Cooker

Keep it Simple. Brown the meat until brown throw into slow cooker. Add onions/tomatoes till they sweat add your beer. Add the cut up carrots and potatoes to the slow cooker. 

Cook on HIGH for 3 hours then LOW for another 3 or until you are ready to eat.