Hi all, wanted to pull some ideas from the great brewing minds here on a beer I’d like to brew next week. I already bought the yeast and am getting a starter going tonight, but wanted to get the grain bill solidified soon.
My goal is a Belgian stout around 8% and then add about 2-3lbs of frozen raspberries. I figure this could be pretty awesome if executed properly.
Here’s the recipe, I welcome all criticisms and critiques!
OG: 1.078
IBU: 35
Color: 44
14 lbs American 2 row 65%
2 lbs Munich 10 9.3%
1 lb Chocolate Malt 4.7%
1 lb flaked oats 4.7%
12oz Torrified Wheat 3.5%
8oz pale chocolate malt 2.3%
8oz roasted barley 2.3%
8oz special B 2.3%
4oz black patent 1.2%
1lb D90 candi syrup @ 15 min
35 IBU of Northern Brewer @ 60 min
Wyeast 3787 3 liter starter
Mash @ 154 for an hour, ferment around 66-67
How does the recipe sound? Am I going to muddle the flavor with too many specialty grains? Will the roast/caramel balance be off? Any advice is appreciated, thanks!
For me, a good belgian stout is not as roasty as a typical American stout or even an English stout. I think they come across a bit smoother in roast flavor than their counterparts. You may want to consider subbing in some dehusked carafa malt (II) or some other smooth roasted malt (ie blackprinz, or midnight wheat - what I would use) to add that roast but keeping it softer. You also have quite a bit of chocolate malt in there, which could potentially pair well with the raspberry addition depending on how much you decide to go with.
See Steve’s post about the raspberries. 1#/gallon would be a good starting point. Just my 2 cents though. Let us know what you decide to do. The idea sounds delicious, especially for winter. Maybe some addition of cacao nibs too!
I agree. Personally, I’d drop the black patent altogether and go with 8 oz each pale chocolate, chocolate, and roasted barley and maybe some Midnight Wheat. As for the raspberries, they are very assertive, so it’s up to personal preference for how much fruit presence you want. For a light touch, I don’t think 3# is going too light. Obviously more for more fruit presence. As always, I’ll give my preference for fruit purees - no skins, seeds, or pits and best of all, no racking nightmare.
Totally agree about the suggestions of less roasty character based on my past few failed attempts at a Belgian stout. You are probably going to need at least 5-6 lbs of frozen raspberries.
Thank you all very much for the replies. I’m going to lower the roasted barley and add some midnight wheat per the suggestions and get this brewed up next week. Will update with pics/tasting notes!
That maybe why I have never been able to brew one successfully! Seriously, it’s an American take on a black Blegian ale. You know that. I haven’t found a Belgian style yeast that compliments the roasty type flavors found in a typical stout.
I’ll have to stick with the 3787 Trappist High Gravity as that is what I purchased and made a 3L starter of. Hopefully it works out! Brewing this Friday. Will update everyone!
If I were going to try something like that I’d go with a Witbier yeast. The phenolics are tamer and the esters will complement it a little more, I think.
I racked this onto 5lbs of frozen raspberries in a paint strainer bag on Friday. Figure I’ll let it age on these for about a week and then keg. Praying for no infection, I always worry when using fruit. I’ll update with tasting notes.