Can I Show you my Belgian?

[Aa760]

Hey Folks! I was lucky enough to be given some fresh westmalle yeast from a local yeast supplier. In looking at supplies, I see I have Saaz and Styrian Goldings laying around, along with some sweet orange peels and grains of paradise. Belgian pale, here we come!

I would love feedback from the more experienced brewers here. I figure if I brew at night, I can get the temp down to 65 in the garage overnight to pitch on the cold side, then move it into the house once fermentation starts, letting fermentation ramp up to the 68-70 temps in the beer closet. How did I do with specialty grains? Base constitution? Anything I may be missing?

Thanks so much!

Batch Size (fermenter): 6.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 9.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24.4 IBUs
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
5 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 43.5 %
4 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) Bel (3.0 SRM) Grain 5 34.8 %
1 lbs Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 6 8.7 %
12.0 oz Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 7 6.5 %
12.0 oz Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 8 6.5 %

1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] - Boil 60.0 mi Hop 9 16.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 10 5.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 2.4 IBUs

2.00 g Seeds of Paradise (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 12 -
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 13 -
1.0 pkg Belgian Ale (White Labs #WLP550) [35.49 Yeast 14 -


Mash In Add 15.38 qt of water at 158.4 F 148.0 F 75 min
Mash Out Add 9.20 qt of water at 206.0 F 168.0 F 10 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 3.32 gal water at 168.0 F

 

[Chromebrew]

Sounds terrific! Ive had better luck racking onto the peel and spices rather than in the boil. I feel like i get more aroma that way. I might have to do something similar now...

 

[Aa760]

Thanks for getting back to me. Yeah- I lost the orange in my last brew, too. You are saying just transferring wort onto the orange peel, or doing the vodka-soak-addition-to-secondary thing?

 

[Chromebrew]

I dont really messed with the vodka infusion thing. I just drop my peel and spice into the fermentor and let the residual alcohol do the job for me. Also, not sure if you are buying your peel. I was buying dried sweet curacao orange peel for a while, but i find just a zested mandarin or navel orange provides a better flavor.