Belgian Dark Mild

[Mike37]

Hey guys. I'm brewing a simple dark mild tonight consisting of the following grain bill:

5lb 2 row
1lb flaked barley
1lb chocolate malt
~20 IBU

I've made this recipe before and I like it quite a bit. I usually use S-04 and it does fine. However, I have some washed WLP500 that I have been in love with lately. It's been giving great spicy, clove, and fruity flavors. Would this yeast go well with this sort of recipe? I've had Abbey style ales with some chocolate character, but without the exact same yeast character I'm looking at.

I have proper English yeast sitting around but got the wild idea to try the 500. Thoughts?

 

[tagz]

I personally don't think Belgian esters go with roast flavors, and 1lb of chocolate is certainly going to give you that. Dubbels and quads tend to utilize dark fruit flavors. That said there are folks who brew Belgian stouts... I'm just not one of them.

 

[Mike37]

Yeah I've heard of Belgian stouts where the roasty malts are paired with estery Belgian yeasts. Until I try one and decide I like it, I'll probably stick with English yeast for this. Or maybe I'll ferment a separate quart with the Belgian yeast and see what I think.

 

[TexasBrew88]

I did a similar deal with a pretty strong Belgiany character, albiet Englishy yeast (I like the esters and flocculation on 1968, so sue me). Posted elsewhere as well, but worth repeating.

6# Belgian 2-row
.5# carafoam
.25# Belgian aromatic
.25# Special B

.5 oz Czech saaz 3.2% aa @ 60 minutes

O.G. 1.037
F.G. 1.008

Mashed at 154 for 75 minutes with a pretty thick mash, partial decoction to keep temp steady and to do a little carmelization, mashout at 170, 75 minute boil, 1 week primary with 1968 cake from a simple blonde, 1 week on .25 oz medium toast French oak chips, bottled with 3 oz priming sugar, 1 week later in the glass.

IMHO, very fruity, very smooth, great on hot Texas afternoons. If you want it darker, I might add some carared or a bit more aromatic/Special B, but at an amberish level like it is currently, I find it just right. Run through 8 liters thus far, but at such a sessionable time of year with such a sessionable beer, can you blame me?

How did yours turn out, by the way?

 

[Mike37]

That sounds like a really nice recipe. I may have to try that.

Mine came out kind of different than I expected, but drinkable. The roast from the chocolate malt somewhat buried the yeast. If you think of it as a Belgian style dry stout, it seems much more in line.

Going back, I think I would toss most of the chocolate for caramel type malts (SB, caramunich, etc). Basically a hacked down dubbel grain bill.

 

[TexasBrew88]

Sounds like a plan. Maybe some Special B if you like that plum-y flavor. I would suggest lowish AAU. Don't be afraid to drop to 10 with the lower gravity. These are fairly delicate beers, after all.