Beer Style: Belgian Strong and Abbey Ales
Gordon Strong’s Belgian Blond Ale
Digital and Plus 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
Digital and Plus 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 Raison D’etre clone
Digital and Plus 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
Digital and Plus 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
Digital and Plus 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
Digital and Plus 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
Digital and Plus 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.”
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Ovila Quad clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyOvila is Sierra Nevada’s Belgian beer line that is brewed in collaboration with the monks at the Abbey of New Clairvaux. Here is a recipe for one of the beers that has been released from that series, their Ovila Quad.
Stone Brewing Co. 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyIn October 2010, Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California introduced 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale, a one-time release. The Belgian strong golden ale was brewed with chamomile, and a blend of white wine grape juice — Muscat Canelli, Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc — was added during fermentation
New Belgium Brewing Company: Abbey clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAbbey is one of the first beers brewed and released by New Belgium back in 1991. Since then it has been one of the brewery’s most award-winning beers. This Belgian-style dubbel is designed to represent the monastic beers of Belgium.
Iechyd Da Brewing Company: Walloon Belgian Dark Strong clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis Belgian dark strong ale is brewed with dark candi syrup and dark malts to create a beautiful dark amber ale with sweet, toffee-like aromas.
Black Diamond Brewing Company: Winter Ale clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyBlack Diamond Winter Ale is a classic Belgian dubbel. Perfect for the winter season, its deep garnet color accentuates its dark fruity undertones of raisins, dates, plums, and cherries.