Beer Style: Belgian Strong and Abbey Ales
Red Hot Blond
The second place winner, Steve Hacker, was a Belgian-style golden strong ale enlivened by a healthy addition of Red Hots, the bright red cinnamon candy. Again, the actual entry was a spinoff of a 5-gallon (19 L) batch, so the amounts have been extrapolated.
Organic Dubbel
For a healthy fermentation, aerate very well before pitching yeast. This is a high gravity beer and the yeast needs extra oxygen to get a good start. Recipe submitted by Seven Bridges Organic Homebrewing Supply, Santa Cruz, California
Upstream Brewing Company Grand Cru Clone
What’s the secret to making a good barrel aged beer? “Good wood, great beer, a little imagination and lots of patience.”
—Zac Triemert
Dixie Cup Boardwalk Belgian Quadrupel
This was the beer that was given to each of the attendees of this year’s Houston Foam Ranger’s Dixie Cup Homebrew Competition. The theme was Fredopoly, based on the board game Monopoly and in honor of our annual speaker and homebrew pioneer, Fred Eckhardt.
Mike’s “Devilish” Belgian Strong Golden Ale
“You little devil, you!”
Salmon Creek Brewing Brother Larry’s Belgian clone
In 2012, Salmon Creek Brewing’s founders Ana and Larry Pratt sold their business. Today Old Ivy Brewery and Taproom stands in its place. Here is a recipe from Salmon Creek’s archives for their Belgian Dubbel.
Fermenting Big Belgian-style Beers: Tips from the Pros
What’s the difference between fermenting everyday beers and fermenting the big, strong Belgians? The yeast of course. These three professional Belgian-style brewers talk about what it takes to keep your yeast happy, healthy and productive, even in the most extreme conditions.
Corsendonk Monk’s Brown Ale clone
Corsendonk is an Abbey beer, not a Trappist beer. This designation means the beer is brewed not at an abbey, but under license from — or at least in the style of — a Trappist monastery. In the case of Corsendonk, the name is taken from an Augustine priory that produced beer from the 1600s until the 1780s. Whether the Augustine brothers brewed anything remotely resembling modern Corsendonk is debatable, but they have licensed their name to the beer since 1982.
– Brouwerij Bios, Ertvelde
Brouwerij Westmalle’s Abbey Tripel clone
The quintessential Trappist tripel, Westmalle is very pale, very strong, and wonderfully smooth. One of the brewhouse techniques that makes the Westmalle beers unique is the use of direct gas flames on the copper kettles. This creates hot spots that may caramelize the wort slightly, giving a faint burnt-sugar taste to the beers. The beers are also brewed with very hard water, which certainly contributes to the character of the tripel.
Yeast Strains for Belgian Strong Ales
Yeast strains play a defining role in shaping the character of Belgian beers. Learn how to select the right yeast strain and take control of your fermentation by varying your pitching rate, aeration level and fermentation temperature when brewing Belgian strong golden ales, trpels, dubbels and others.
Brewing Belgian-Style Beers: Tips from the Pros
Make the most of your Belgian-style beers with expert advice from the brewers at Ommegang, Allagash and Boulevard.
Tripel the Light Fantastic
Light colors and dry finishes don’t go along with most big beers, but that’s exactly what makes a Belgian tripel great. The road to homebrew heaven is littered with failed tripel attempts, but here’s your path tom salvation — use only light base malts and about 25% clear adjunct (sugar); pitch a big yeast starter and add some yeast nutrients in the boil to supply nitrogen to the yeast.
