Belgian Ale

Classification: Belgian ale, all-grain

Source: Robert Aves (robert.aves@softnet.com), r.c.b., 2/26/95

In response to your request about a recipe for Belgian style Ale, here is a full grain recipe that i brewed and actually came out quite close to style.!

Ingredients:

8.5 lbs. 2-row pale malt
1.5 lbs. Munich Malt
4 oz. Crystal Malt (35 Lovibond)
1 oz. Chocolate Malt
1 lb. Demerrara sugar
1/2 tsp Gypsum Mash & Sparge each
1 oz. Hallertau (3.8%)
3/4 oz. Stryian Goldings(5.0%)
1/2 oz. Saaz (3.5%)
1 Tsp Irish Moss
Chimay Yeast starter (1.5 Qts.)

Procedure:

Mash in with 12 qts. water @ 122 degrees F. and rest 30 min. Raise to 140 F and rest 10-15 min. Raise to 150 F and wait till starch is converted(90 min.) Mash out at 168 F and rest 10 min. Sparge with 168 F water to collect 23-24 litres(5.75-6.0 Gallons) Boil for 70-90 min. with the following hop schedule.-- 1 oz. Hallertau for 65-70 min. 1/2 oz. Stryian Goldings for 65 min.-- 1/4 oz. S. Goldings for 40 min. 1/2 oz. Saaz for the final 3 min. -- Cool to pitching temperature(68-70F) and pitch yeast starter. I racked this brew when primary fermentation was done and added 1/4 oz. of Saaz to the secondary (dry hop) and let sit for 2 weeks before bottling. Added 3/4 cup of dextrose to prime. Make sure you let this beer condition in the bottle for at least 3 months before sampling. Actually it gets better after 6 months in the bottle. By the way, this recipe is for 5 U.S. gallons and you may want to increase or decrease the amount of grains depending on the efficiency of your system. My starting gravity was 1.068 and finished off at 1.012.( about 7.4% A/V).

Specifics:

OG: 1068
FG: 1012