Beer Style: Strong Ale Family
BJ’s Grand Cru clone
According to BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery their Grand Cru was designed to be a work of art. “Setting out to brew a best-in-class golden ale, we used a special Belgian yeast strain in the brewing process. Belgian yeast strains produce a lot of flavors during fermentation – fruity flavor compounds called esters or spicy flavor compounds called phenols. The Belgian yeast we brew with produces a good amount of both esters and phenols. In addition to this special Belgian yeast strain, we also spice the beer with bitter orange peel and coriander to contribute even more fruit and spice notes.”
Brewery Ommegang: Abbey Ale clone
“The crystal and roasted malts merge well together to yield soft caramel and raisin notes. These flavors will evolve gracefully as the beer ages.” — Randy Thiel, Brewer.
Brouwerij Bosteels: DueS clone
Are you ready to try brewing a Bière de Champagne, also known as a Bière Brut? If so, here is a recipe for one of the shining starts in this rare and unique category of beers.
Harpoon Brewery: English Style Old Ale clone
Inspired by the sustaining winter offerings of many English breweries, this complex and malty brew is marked by significant alcohol warmth, balanced bitterness, biscuit/roasted undertones, and sublime mouthfeel.
George Gale & Co.’s Gale Prize Old Ale clone
This opens with a deep caramel apple character with notes of plums and sultanas. The tart fruity finish has hints of raisins and a spiciness lent by the rustic hops. One of the best examples of an old ale on the market.
Great Divide Brewing Company: Old Ruffian clone
Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward barleywine with subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness.
Paper City Brewery’s Winter Palace Wee Heavy clone
One of the original microbreweries in Massachusetts, Paper City Brewery closed its doors in 2016 but you can still brew this classic Wee Heavy using this recipe.
“We use pale and roasted malt to give our ale a rich, full maltiness and a deep, dark amber color. The nature of a WEE HEAVY makes for a higher alcohol percentage but this softens and counterbalances the sweet maltiness of the ales.”
Belgian Tripel
With the popularity and availability of Westmalle Tripel in the United States over the years, it seems hard to believe that my first real taste of Westmalle Tripel was while wandering around
Belgian Strong Golden
by the numbers OG: 1.070–1.095 (17.1–22.7) FG: 1.005–1.016 (1.3–4.1 °P) SRM: 3–6 IBU: 22–35 ABV: 7.5–10.5% Duvel is considered the ultimate example of Belgian strong golden ale and I think they also
Belgian Dubbel
by the numbers OG: 1.062–1.075 (15.2–18.2 °P) FG: 1.008–1.018 (2.0–4.6 °P) SRM: 10–17 IBU: 15–25 ABV: 6–7.6% I fondly remember my very first trip to Belgium. I was already passionate about homebrewing
Odell Brewing’s Isolation Ale Clone: Replicator
Dear Replicator, I’ve been a long-time reader and subscriber and finally have a question to ask which hasn’t been answered in either your great magazine or on the interwebs. I am
Belgian Single
by the numbers OG: 1.044-1.054 FG:1.004-1.010 SRM:3-5 IBU:25-45 ABV:4.8-6.0% Trappist monasteries are rightfully known for their excellent beers. Brewed with devotion and service in mind, these beers are used to generate money
