St. Bernardus Abt 12 60th Anniversary Edition clone
This recipe is for their 60th anniversary edition, which is closer to their original recipe. Although probably not authentic, the debittered black malt will give you a much smoother product. It’s reported that St. Bernardus uses a different bottling strain than the fermentation strain, so we recommend using Westmalle’s yeast.
St. Bernardus Abt 12 60th Anniversary Edition clone
St. Bernardus Brewery, Belgium
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.094 FG = 1.017
IBU = 16 SRM = 37 ABV = 11%
Ingredients
10.5 lbs. (4.8 kg) pale ale malt
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) aromatic malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Carafa® Special III malt
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) Belgian candi syrup (Dark 2) (15 min.)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) cane sugar (15 min.)
3.5 AAU Wye Challenger hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 7% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Styrian Golding (20 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity) or White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) yeast
1 cup (200 g) dextrose (if bottling)
Step by Step
Mash with a 15-minute rest at 135 °F (57 °C), a 35-minute rest at 145 °F (63 °C), a 25-minute rest at 165 °F (74 °C) and for 5 minutes at 172 °F (78 °C). Collect 6 gallons (23 L) and boil wort for 60 minutes, adding hops and sugars at times indicated in the ingredient list. Cool wort and aerate. Pitch yeast at 70 °F (21 °C).
Let fermentation temperature rise to around 83 °F (28 °C). Rack beer to secondary and condition for six to eight weeks at 50 °F (10 °C). Carbonate to 3.0–3.5 volumes of CO2.
Partial mash option:
Substitute the Pilsner malt in the all-grain recipe with 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract and reduce the Munich malt to 2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg). Partial mash the crushed grains at 152 °F (67 °C) for 45 minutes in 5.5 qts. (5.2 L) of water. Boil wort for 60 minutes, adding hops and sugars at times indicated. Stir in liquid malt extract with 15 minutes left in boil. After cooling, top off to 5 gallons (19 L). Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.
