Iechyd Da Brewing Co.’s Walloon Belgian Dark Strong clone: Replicator
Dear Replicator, I have spent many days traveling for work to Elkhart, Indiana. One of the best parts of the trip is visiting Iechyd Da Brewing Company for one of their many great brews. The best of these brews in my opinion is the Walloon Belgian Dark Strong, a “big sweet malty sipper with dark fruit notes like raisin & dates.” Unfortunately, my project is coming to an end, and I would love to be able to bring a recipe home and share the Welsh cheers!
Travis Buys
Coopersville, Michigan
Well, Travis, looks like you have a new project to work on — Brewing Walloon Belgian Dark Strong! Husband and wife team Chip and Summer Lewis were kind enough to share their recipe and process with us, and if you get started now this wonderful beer will be ready just in time for cold weather sipping.
But first things first . . . that name. Not “Walloon” – many beer people will recognize the name of one of the two major regions of Belgium – but “Iechyd Da.” That’s a name so oddly spelled it almost had to be (and is) Welsh – you’re lucky that yours truly grew up near places with names like Bryn Mawr and Bala Cynwyd on the banks of the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania!
Iechyd Da (pronounced “Yah-kee dah”) is a traditional Welsh toast in the same vein as “Prost” and “Skol” – a general wish for good health as a pint is raised. When Chip was in planning on the new brewpub, his Welsh heritage asserted itself and despite (or because of) the odd fit in the mouth, the name Iechyd Da became the name of the new place. And based on Travis’ experience (and that of many, many others) it’s about the only thing about Iechyd Da that’s an odd fit in the mouth.
Iechyd Da opened in 2011 after homebrewers-turned-pros Chip and Summer decided to open a brewery right on Main Street (literally). It was the first brewery in their hometown of Elkhart, Indiana, and rapidly be-came a local favorite. The welcoming atmosphere, good food, and (clearly) great beer all conspired to make Iechyd Da a central part of the “cool” atmosphere of Elkhart. Their 7-barrel brewhouse produces a wide range of styles for its ten taps (and two hand pumps!), and the beers run an impressive gamut.
Easy-drinking English pale ales. Hoppy American ambers. German lagers. Belgian strong ales. Producing any one of them well is a challenge for a brewery, and you usually find some specialization as a brewery refines its process, ingredients, and reputation around a specific regional or stylistic theme. But Chip has proven to be quite a deft hand in the brewery, producing a solid lineup of beers whose origins span continents.
The beer in question – Walloon – is a Belgian dark strong ale, a notoriously fussy beer style. Belgian dark strong ales tend to be (obviously) strong, and higher alcohol levels are both a blessing and a curse. Done well, they add a pleasant perfume aroma, a spicy flavor component, and an appreciable warming on the palate that is ready-made for a fall or winter evening by the fire. Done poorly, they’re like drinking the fire. This means that effective fermentation management is essential, which Iechyd Da obviously manages well.
But that’s just where it starts. Belgian beer usually requires a significant amount of complexity, and there are any number of ways to get it – which means that brewers are making choices on recipe and process up and down the line. Additionally, you have some added pressure in that this style is the Cadillac of Belgian beers (the world’s best-rated beer on RateBeer, Westvleteren XII, is a Belgian dark strong). Walloon meets the challenge. It gets its flavor from some unusual character malts (Carabrown® and Briess Extra Special malt) and a healthy dose of dark Belgian candi sugar (which also helps encourage the beer to ferment out fully) on top of a base of Belgian Pilsner malt. After that, the yeast take over and contribute a pleasant balance of spice and banana, rounding out the overall flavor profile. It’s heady stuff – no pun intended.
So Travis, it seems that although you may be done with Elkhart and Iechyd Da for the time being, it’s not done with you. Brew up your version, raise your glass, and say . . .
Iechyd Da Brewing Co.’s Walloon Belgian Dark Strong clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.080 FG = 1.020
IBU = 30 SRM = 38 ABV = 8.4%
Ingredients
11 lbs. (5 kg) Pilsner malt
2.25 lbs. (1 kg) aromatic malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Carabrown® malt (55 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Briess Extra Special malt (130 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) Belgian dark candi syrup (180 °L)
10 AAU Sorachi Ace hops (60 min.)
(1 oz./28 g at 10% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP500 (Trappist Ale) or Wyeast 1214 (Belgian Abbey) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 4.6 gallons (17.3 L) of 162 °F (72 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 150 °F (65.5 °C). Hold this temperature for 90 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, and lauter. Sparge the grains with 2.7 gallons (10.2 L) water at 170 °F (77 °C), stir in Belgian candi syrup until dissolved, and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort.
Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list. After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for two days. After initial fermentation begins, allow wort to free rise to 76 °F (24 °C) until fermentation is complete (a specific gravity of
about 1.020).
Once the beer completes fermentation, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity. Store carbonated beer at near-freezing temperatures for at least two weeks before drinking.
Iechyd Da Brewing Co.’s Walloon Belgian Dark Strong clone
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.080 FG = 1.020
IBU = 30 SRM = 37 ABV = 8.4%
Ingredients
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract
2.25 lbs. (1 kg) aromatic malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Carabrown® malt (55 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Briess Extra Special malt (130 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) Belgian dark candi syrup (180 °L)
10 AAU Sorachi Ace hops (60 min.)
(1 oz./28 g at 10% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP500 (Trappist Ale) or Wyeast 1214 (Belgian Abbey) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Bring 5.4 qts. (5 L) of water to approximately 162 °F (72 °C) and mix in the crushed grains placed
in grain bags for 60 minutes. Remove the grain bags and wash with 1 gallon (4 L) hot water. Let the grain bags drain fully. Add liquid extract and Belgian dark candi syrup while stirring, and top off to 6 gallons (23 L) wort. Stir until ev-erything is completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for
60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.
After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.
Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for two days. After initial fermentation begins, allow wort to free rise to 76 °F (24 °C) until fermentation is complete (about 1.020 SG). Once the beer completes fermentation, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity. Store carbonated beer at near-freezing temperatures for at least two weeks before drinking.
Tips for Success
Brewer Chip Lewis notes that the initial temperature restraint during fermentation helps with the development of more spicy/peppery phenols relative to the levels of banana and clove. This spicy, peppery note complements the dark raisin, burnt sugar, and pit fruit flavors in the beer beautifully! As Chip also says, this beer is “pretty straightforward” – like so many other Belgian beers, the complexity doesn’t have to be complicated. Iechyd Da!
