The Lost Abbey Brewing Co.’s Gnoel de Abbey clone

The Lost Abbey Brewing Co.’s Gnoel de Abbey clone

Gnoel de Abbey is a blend of two different beers. To re-create Gnoel de Abbey at home, brew both base beer styles, then blend in a 70/30 blonde-to-stout ratio. Bottle or keg what you don’t blend as standalone beers.

Gnoel de Abbey Blonde (Blending Beer)

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.048  FG = 1.008
IBU = 26  SRM = 4  ABV = 5.2%

Ingredients
9.75 lbs. (4.4 kg) American 2-row pale malt
5 oz. (0.23 kg) German Vienna malt
6.3 AAU US Magnum hops (90 min.) (0.45 oz./12.8 g at 14% alpha acids) 
0.07 oz. (2 g) freshly ground coriander (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) or Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian Lager) or Mangrove Jack’s M84 (Bohemian Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Achieve a mash temperature of 148 °F (64 °C) and mash for at least 60 minutes or until conversion is complete. Recirculate enough wort to achieve wort clarity and set the grain bed for sparging. Target a sparge water temperature of 170 °F (77 °C) and collect 7 gallons (26 L) of wort. 

Boil wort for 90 minutes adding hops after hot break has ensued. Add Irish moss and coriander 15 minutes before flameout. Whirlpool and chill to 56 °F (13 °C) for fermentation. Ferment at 56 °F (13 °C) until 70–75% of the attenuation is reached. Allow fermentation to free rise to 64 °F (18 °C) for diacetyl rest.

After fermentation and diacetyl rest, cold condition the beer by dropping temperature from 64 to 59 °F (18 to 15 °C) on day one and 10 °F (5 °C) per day thereafter until reaching 32 °F (0 °C). Hold for one week and ensure all yeast and trub has been removed from the beer. When both beers are ready, rack into blending vessel and marry with the imperial stout portion of the brew in a 70/30 blonde-to-stout ratio.

Gnoel de Abbey Blonde (Blending Beer)

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.048  FG = 1.008
IBU = 26  SRM = 4  ABV = 5.2%

Ingredients
5.25 lbs. (2.4 kg) extra light dried malt extract
5 oz. (0.23 kg) German Vienna malt
6.3 AAU US Magnum hops (90 min.) (0.45 oz./12.8 g at 14% alpha acids) 
0.07 oz. (2 g) freshly ground coriander (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) or Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian Lager) or Mangrove Jack’s M84 (Bohemian Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Using a 5-gallon (19-L) kettle, start by steeping only the Vienna malt addition (placed in a muslin bag) in about 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water at 148 °F (64 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove grain bag then add more water to your boil kettle to bring it to 4 gallons (15 L). Once liquid is at or near boil, turn off the flame and slowly add half of the malt extract, stirring to avoid clumping or scorching, followed immediately after with the bittering hops. Turn flame back on, bring to boil, and with 15 minutes left in the boil, add the remaining malt extract. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe. After chilling the beer, but before pitching your yeast, remember to top up with water to 5 gallons (19 L). 

Gnoel de Abbey Imperial Stout (blending beer)

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.094  FG= 1.015
IBU = 65  SRM = 52  ABV = 10.5%

Ingredients
13.4 lbs. (6.08 kg) American 2-row malt
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) Gambrinus honey malt
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) crystal malt (70–80 °L)
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) crystal malt (120 °L)
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) crystal malt (165 °L)
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) chocolate malt
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) Weyerman Carafa® II malt 
0.8 lb. (0.36 kg) roasted barley
0.8 lb. (0.36 kg) flaked barley
1.75 lbs. (0.79 kg) dextrose
16.4 AAU US Magnum hops (90 min.) (1.1 oz./31 g at 14.9% alpha acids) 
4.9 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (0.65 oz./18 g at 7.6% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss
4 oz. (113 g) Bourbon-soaked oak chips
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or SafAle US-05 yeast
Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP007 (English Dry Ale) or LalBrew Nottingham yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
On brew day, target a mash temperature of 148 °F (64 °C) and mash for at least 60 minutes or until conversion is complete. Recirculate enough wort to achieve wort clarity and set the grain bed for sparging. Target a sparge water temperature of 170 °F (77 °C) and collect 7 gallons (26 L) of wort. Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops after hot break has ensued. Add Irish moss and Cascade hops 15 minutes before flameout. Whirlpool and chill to 68 °F (20 °C) for fermentation. 

Ferment using both yeast strains at 68 °F (20 °C) until 70–75% of the attenuation is reached, then allow to free rise to 72 °F (22 °C) to ensure beer finishes fermentation. (The English strain should produce some esters and enhance the malt in a way that the American ale strain cannot.) Add Bourbon-soaked oak chips or cubes to beer. Cold condition the beer by dropping temperature from 72 to 67 °F (22 to 19 °C) on day one and 10 °F (5 °C) per day thereafter until reaching 32 °F (0 °C). Hold for one week and ensure all yeast and trub has been removed from the beer.

Once both beers are complete, rack into a 70/30 blonde-to-stout ratio. Package beer to your preferred methods targeting carbonation levels between 2.5–2.7 volumes of CO₂. 

Gnoel de Abbey Imperial Stout (Blending beer)

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.094  FG= 1.012
IBU = 65  SRM = 53  ABV = 10.5%

Ingredients
7 lbs. (3.2 kg) extra light dried malt extract
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) Gambrinus honey malt
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) crystal malt (70–80 °L)
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) crystal malt (120 °L)
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) crystal malt (165 °L)
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) chocolate malt
0.4 lb. (0.18 kg) Weyerman Carafa® II malt 
0.8 lb. (0.36 kg) roasted barley
0.8 lb. (0.36 kg) flaked barley
1.75 lbs. (0.79 kg) dextrose
16.4 AAU US Magnum hops (90 min.) (1.1 oz./31 g at 14.9% alpha acids) 
4.9 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (0.65 oz./18 g at 7.6% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss
4 oz. (113 g) Bourbon-soaked oak chips
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or SafAle US-05 yeast
Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP007 (English Dry Ale) or LalBrew Nottingham yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Using a 5-gallon (19-L) kettle, start by steeping all the specialty grains (placed in a muslin bag) in about 4 gallons (15 L) of water at 148 °F (64 °C) for 15 minutes. Remove grain bag then bring liquid to or near a boil. Turn off the flame and slowly add half of the malt extract, stirring to avoid clumping or scorching. Turn flame back on, bring to boil and immediately add bittering hops. With 15 minutes until knockout, add the remaining malt extract. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe for boil, fermenting, and packaging instructions. After chilling the beer, but before pitching your yeast, remember to top up with water to 5 gallons (19 L). 

Tips for Success: While The Lost Abbey may have the luxury of using oak barrels for their barrel aging, most homebrewers need to find a more efficient way to replicate the process. About two weeks before your brew day, soak 4 oz. (113 g) of oak chips or cubes in Bourbon so the chips have time to absorb the Bourbon character. Using American oak may provide the closest replication to The Lost Abbey’s beer, but any origin of oak is acceptable, depending on what specific character the brewer is seeking to achieve.