Help brewing a better dubbel

[trailrider]

I've brewed a couple dubbels and the best I can say about them is "they were drinkable... not good but drinkable". Ommegang makes an excellent dubbel so my next attempt will contain most of the ingredients listed on the Ommegang web site for their Abbey Ale. I plugged the ingredients into Beer Smith and came up with the following amounts that come close to the information (OG,ABV etc) Ommegang provides about their ale. I haven't created many recipes so I would appreciate any feedback of the following recipe.

Batch Size 5.25 gal
Est OG 1.074...FG 1.017 IBU 21.5 SRM 15
12 LBS Belgium Pale Malt (2 Row)--(81.3%)
1 LB Munich Malt--(6.3%)
6 Oz Amber Malt---(3.1%)
6 Oz Aromatic Malt---(3.1%)
8 Oz Special B---(3.1%)
6 Oz Candi Sugar, Amber
1.15 OZ Willamette for 60 minutes
0.5 Oz Tettnager for 15 minutes
1 Oz Tettnager for 5 minutes
1 Ea Star Anise for 10 minutes
0.75 Oz Licorice Root for 15 minutes
1/2 Oz Sweet orange peel for 10 minutes
1/4 Oz Coriander for 10 minutes
Wyeast 1214

Using the BIAB method I've made a some successful IPAs and Stouts in the past. I just can't get it right with this style. One thing I may change is the type of yeast I use. I may "have to" get a few bottles of Ommegang Abbey Ale and harvest the yeast from the bottles. Oh....the things I force myself to do in order to brew. Thanks for the help.

 

[philosofool]

The only beer I've ever produced a BoS with was a dubbel. Here are my tips:
(1) Keep it simple.
(2) Don't use spices.
(3) Use good fermentation practices.
(4) Ferment in the high sixties.
(5) Bottle condition.

I like WLP530/Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity). My recipe is :
12# pils
1/2 # Caramunich
1 # D-90 candi syrup (end of boil)
.5 oz. noble hops, 30
.25 oz. noble hops, 15
a sixty minute addition to achieve 20-25 IBU.

You can adjust the base malt to get a stronger or weaker version of the style. I like to mash warmer, about 154.

 

[VulgarCelt]

Aerate, aerate, aerate...lots of oxygen before you pitch. 90 seconds to 120 even. Keep your fermentation temp under control don't let it climb too high for too long or you will get a ton of fusel. Blowoff tube is a must.

I don't remember if Ommegang uses a different yeast to bottle condition than they do to ferment. Its very possible but I just don't know.

You can skip the spices. Believe it or not the Trappists get all that flavor in many cases from a single malt bill and awesome yeast. The rest of us mere mortals need that specialty grain. But honestly you can get by without the spices.

Let it sit...
If you are kegging crash it and leave it alone for a month at least. If bottling it just leave it alone for a while. Wonderful things will continue to happen long after fermentation.

I totally agree the 3787 (Westmalle) is a rockstar for the darker Belgians. At warmer temps this is very "fruity". I am also a big fan of 3522 and 3684.

I don't totally agree on the the 65 temp for the entire fermentation. You will find ferment temp is a very divisive topic when it comes to brewing Belgians. Belgian yeast is extremely responsive to temps. I suggest you read as much as you can and try as much of it as you can. Experiment for yourself and see what works best for you. Stan Hieronymus has written extensively on the topic and "Brew Like a Monk" is a great place to start reading.

 

[trailrider]

Thanks for the tips and info. Skipping the spice and working on temp control will be part of my next attempt. Thanks again.

 

[Singletrack]

I like the philosofool recipe. Candi syrup -- not candi sugar, which is... just sugar.

And yeah, I think I rode that same log. Now you know who took the best user name.

A River Runs Through It?

 

[drlars]

This is a thread close to my heart. I currently have my third attempt at a Dubbel bottle-conditioning. My prior two attempts were drinkable but nothing even close to what I was going for (e.g. Chimay Red). This time, I based my latest recipe on researching threads from this site, most heavily on CSI's Chimay Red Clone thread (with a little Special B added, just because it seemed right).

I do a BIAB-style partial-mash with a dunk sparge, followed by a partial boil of 3 gal.

Anyway, here is the recipe:

2 lb Belgian - Pale Ale 19.1%
0.66 lb Belgian - CaraMunich 6.3%
0.33 lb Belgian - Special B 3.1%
1 lb Torrified Wheat 9.5%
1 lb Belgian Candi Syrup - Amber 9.5% (added at flame-out)
0.25 lb Cane Sugar 2.4%
5 lb Dry Malt Extract - Pilsen 47.7% (2 lbs. full boil / 3 lbs. at 5 min)
0.25 lb Rice Hulls
10.49 lb Total

1 oz Saaz Pellet Boil 3AA 60 min
0.75 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh Pellet 3.7AA Aroma 15 min
0.25 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh Pellet 3.75AA Aroma 1 min
0.2 oz Bravo Pellet 16.8AA Boil 60 min
Whirlfloc tab

I also used the new Safbrew Abbye DRY yeast (hydrated), which may not have been a swift move.... I guess we'll see.

I even tried to get a little fancy and do some BLAM-style temp management (with my limited capabilities): initially kept it in the basement for a couple of days, then moved it up to the main floor for a couple days before adding a brew belt for a couple more (then finally moving it back to the basement for remainder of fermentation).

Subscribed. I will update the thread when I get around to finally tasting it.

 

[rmyurick]

I would stick with the classic hop varieties, too--Saaz, Hallertau, maybe Tettnanger or Brewer's Gold.

 

[giraffe]

Really, I think most homebrew dubbel recipes are much more complicated than is necessary/traditional. Philosofool's is fine. I prefer drier with 15-20% dark candi (by extract), and mashing at 149. But these are quibbles. But really all you need malt wise is base malt (pale, pils, or pils/10%munich if the pils is bland) Optional caramunich, and Dark candi syrup.

Yeast wise, 3787(westmalle) is a great standby, and makes a great dubbel. If you prefer a less assertive yeast, the rochefort yeast (wlp540) is a good option for dark belgians.

 

[Cyclman]

+1- keep it really simple on the recipe, I use homemade, super dark candi syrup, and ferment cool and ramp it up. Oh yeah, give them some age- I had some 18 mo. dubbels I wished I would have left in the cellar for another year- each one got better and better.

My next brew- a bourbon barrel cherry quad. Yum.

 

[Calder]

No spices

Mash low

20%+ simple sugar

Ferment low 70s, and slowly raise temp to 80+ over 7 days, and keep it there for a few days,