RECIPE: #80 Dubblespeak (Belgian Dubbel)

We are homebrewers.  This means we don't simply go buy something in the store that we can make at home.   We don't buy beer, we make it.  We don't buy fully fabricated kettles and mash tuns (well, I don't at least), we make em.  We don't pay for yeast, we culture em.  We don't buy overpriced Candi sugars, we make it ourselves.  Okay, those last few are me, many brewers do pay for those things, I would just rather put my money elsewhere.  In preperation for a Quad I would like to make (Westy 12/St Bernardus abt 12 rift) I had to test the homemade Belgian Candi Syrup I made.  That is where this recipe comes into play.  I had a fair amount of syrup left over after the 2.5# needed for the Quad, so I worked up a simple Dubbel recipe to test it out.  I didn't bring in any Special B since I only wanted what the syrup brings.  This batch was split with a Blonde by adding the 2 different sugars to the fermentor at the time I racked from the kettle.  The Vienna malt should add some toasty depth.  I had originally planned to use the St Bernardus yeast but I had 3 failed attempts to culture it from bottles (old beers and higher gravities).  I finally got a good pitch built up, but it smelled off so I plated the yeast and isolated a single colony.  I didn't have time to grow it up for this beer so I woke up the Fantome strain which won't flocc for anything.  I am still waiting for the beer to clear up some so I can judge color and get a cleaner flavor profile.  Once I get that I will review it and post the Candi Syrup recipe and process too.


NAME: Dubblespeak

STYLE: Belgian Dubbel

TYPE: All Grain

SIZE: 5.7 gallons

OG: 1.063

FG: 1.005

ABV: 7.8%

SRM: 4

IBU: 24 (Modified Tinseth)

Efficeincy: 76% (clogged hop screen)

Grain Bill:

10# Weyermann Pilsener Malt (82%)

1.25# Weyermann Vienna Malt (10%)

1.42# Homemade Dark Candi Syrup (added to fermentor)

Hop Bill:

90 min 0.4 oz Magnum 13.7%AA pellets

25 min 0.5 oz Hallertau Mittlefruh 4.3%AA pellets

WP 10 min 0.5 oz Hallertau Mittlefruh 4.3%AA pellets

Yeast:

150 ml of thick slurry roughly 9 months old - 1L starter on stir plate

45 sec O2

WY3725PC Biere de Garde (Fantome strain)

Water:

Ca 36; Mg 0; Na 6; Cl 40; SO4 31; HCO3 18; pH 5.62

Added CaCl2, and Gypsum to mash and boil, Lactic Acid to mash.  New recipe program - I transferred addition amounts from a single 5 gallon brew to my double size mash and undershot my additions.

Process:

Made Dark Candi Syrup at home about 2 months prior to brewday, canned above 225*F, refrigerated until brewday (will do write up of process once this beer is cleared, carbed, and able to taste for accuracy).

1/1/2015 Mashed for 60 minutes at 150*F.  Ran off to collect entire volume of 13.25 gallons for both the Dubbel and the Blonde.  First runnings were a little low of volume so I added extra sparge water and it wasn't needed.  Boiled for 90 minutes.  Left the sugar out of the boil.  Dissolved sugar in 1 pint of hot wort from the boil, added directly to the fermentor, and racked chilled wort onto it to mix.  After whirlpool chilled to 62*F.  Hop screen sealed shut by break and pellets again, runoff was slow, and volumes were low, but OG was higher than desired.  Oxygenated and pitched yeast slurry.  Temp set to 68*F.  Raised to 72*F after 3 days.  Raised again to 77*F after 3 more days and left there to complete 3 week fermentation (dropped back to 68*F a couple times when the heat was turned off and didn't restart).  Dropped temp for 3 days after day 21 to 40s to crash out yeast for kegging).  Added 1/2 gallon of distilled water to keg to bring up volume and lower ABV slightly.

1 week of primary down to 1.026

2 weeks of primary down to 1.013

3 weeks of primary down to 1.007

Kegged at 24 days, set to 18psi @ 37*F for 3.25 vols of CO2.

2/10 Still waiting for the yeast to fully clear so I can judge the outcome of my Candi Syrup.