Belgian Dark Side Strong Ale

[BelgianFreak]

Hi Everyone,

I recently brewed this Belgian Dark Ale:

Belgian Dark Side Strong Ale

I followed the recipe and bottled the beer. After about a month of conditioning I cracked one open to give it a try. It was very sweet and sugary! What happened? My thought is the yeast didn't eat all the sugars. I would like to brew this beer again and appreciate any tips on how to nail it!

 

[motorneuron]

I hope the beer is still good! My first batch was a Belgian that was a bit too sweet. It still tasted good, but I learned a few lessons from it, definitely.

Although it's hard to say for sure without knowing your whole process, there are a few big possibilities for why your beer didn't quite get down to the final gravity you expected.

One possibility is related to the yeast. Did you make a starter? Pitching a single vial of yeast for a 5-gallon batch of 1.090 OG beer might result in incomplete fermentation. When your wort is strong, you need more yeast. Similarly, yeast needs oxygen to grow. Did you take any steps to aerate your cooled wort--for example, by shaking your fermentation vessel, or by stirring it vigorously with a blender, etc.? For some yeast, it's helpful to shake the fermenter a little after a week or two. This is called rousing the yeast, and it helps put the yeast back into the beer where it can continue to ferment. Finally, what temperature was the fermentation at? Some yeast needs a higher temperature to really finish fermenting; some Belgian strains are like this.

Another possibility is the recipe. Using extract will usually give you a higher percentage of unfermentable sugars than you'd get just using grain. That can leave you with a higher final gravity. You didn't have a huge percentage of crystal in there, but that can have the same effect. For a recipe of 1.090, I would also have advised a larger percentage of simple sugar or candy syrup. Simple sugars are fermented at a rate of almost 100%, so they can help increase the alcohol of a strong beer without leaving it sweet.

Those are just some starting points. If you tell us more, we might be able to help you more.

 

[BelgianFreak]

Thanks for the reply motorneuron! The beer is flat and taste like cough syrup! Drinkable, but not advisable.

I did not use a yeast starter, I just pitched the yeast from the bottle. Perhaps that's what happened. How much more candy syruo would you use for this recipe? What that replace other ingredient amounts (e.g. extract)? I would like to try this recipe again .

 

[hellawaits77]

I wouldn't get too discouraged yet. I've read several instances similar to yours. Big beers take longer to carbonate and condition, and age will probably help this beer. I'd keep it warm and dark, and try another in 2 weeks.

Also, the more info you provide on your process, the more fellow posters can help!

 

[biodarwin]

I did not use a yeast starter, I just pitched the yeast from the bottle. Perhaps that's what happened. How much more candy syruo would you use for this recipe? What that replace other ingredient amounts (e.g. extract)? I would like to try this recipe again .

Not pitching enough yeast could have caused it to stall out prematurely, leaving sugars behind. This could attribute to sweet taste you are getting. The higher the gravity, the increased important it is to pitch a proper amount of healthy yeast.

Regarding sugars. In all of my Belgians, I am aiming for 15-20% sugar. One thing I do notice, typically pilsner is used as the base malt in AG. It seems like you might have too much Munich. I'd up the Aromatic to at least 8oz. I also like Special B in my Dark Strongs.

 

[syd138]

What was your final gravity?