Beer Style: Belgian Strong and Abbey Ales
Ode to val d’or
MEMBERS ONLYOde to val d’or (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.056 FG = 1.002IBU = 33 SRM = 9 ABV = 6.9% Orval pours orange-brown with a big, rocky head. The very spritzy levels of carbonation with a slight sour note and distinctive Brett character make the beer feel prickly on the tongue. Orval is dry
Gordon Strong’s Belgian Dark Strong Ale
MEMBERS ONLYI’m presenting a fairly complex recipe that uses layers of malt flavor to build a solid base that displays the yeast character well.
New Belgium Brewing Trippel clone
MEMBERS ONLYWeyerbacher Brewing Co.’s 20th Anniversary clone
MEMBERS ONLYBelgian Dark Strong Ale (2017 NHC Gold)
MEMBERS ONLYBelgian Dark Strong Ale 13.5 gallons/51 L, all-grainOG = 1.098 FG = 1.028IBU = 24.5 SRM = 28 ABV = 9.4 This is the gold medal recipe in the Strong Belgian & Trappist ale category for the 2017 NHC. Ingredients41 lbs. Pilsner malt2 lbs. Special B malt2 lbs. Candi Syrup, D-1802 lbs. Candi Syrup, D-9014
Gordon Strong’s Belgian Blond Ale
MEMBERS ONLYI’ve played around with this recipe several times, and like the balance it has now but I always have ideas of things I’d like to try. It’s a fairly simple grain bill, and I like to use Belgian malts (Dingemans, specifically) for the grains.
The BISness Belgian Imperial Stout
MEMBERS ONLYKyle Larson, Brewer at Double Mountain Brewery in Hood River, Oregon provides a recipe to BYO from his homebrew collection.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s Raisin D’etre clone
MEMBERS ONLYAccording to Dogfish Head’s website “A deep mahogany, Belgian-style brown ale brewed with beet sugar, raisins and Belgian-style yeast.”
Belgian Dubbel
MEMBERS ONLYWe decided on a simple grain bill for our dubbel to allow the yeast to express that Belgian character of fruity esters and some spicy phenols in the aroma that so many of us enjoy when we first take a sip of a well-made dubbel.
Belgian Tripel
MEMBERS ONLYThis tripel has a standard grain bill and a process like our Belgian dubbel with one twist —the addition of Weyermann Abbey malt. The Abbey malt gives the finished Tripel more malt character that the best commercial examples in Belgium all have.
Belgian Quad
MEMBERS ONLYWe keep the IBUs on the low side for this beer in relation to the style because we like the hops to take a backseat to the rich malt and yeast characters in this beer. The more this beer attenuates and dries out the more the hop flavor will come through in the final flavor.
Baird Brewing Belgian Strong Pale Ale clone
MEMBERS ONLYChris Poel, Lead Brewer at Baird Brewing in Numazu, Japan says this beer relies on a light body and mild hop character, but features a spiciness and subtle esters from a Belgian yeast strain that adds “just enough complexity without becoming too over-the-top with phenolics.”