I am looking for an awesome all grain Belgian Dark Strong recipe.
Who has brewed one recently? Please post your recipe!
#400 Batch 400
A ProMash Recipe Report
Recipe Specifics
Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 20.50
Anticipated OG: 1.103 Plato: 24.35
Anticipated SRM: 30.2
Anticipated IBU: 26.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 73 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Pre-Boil Amounts
Evaporation Rate: 1.50 Gallons Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 7.75 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.073 SG 17.72 Plato
Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
73.2 15.00 lbs. Pilsener Germany 1.038 2
9.8 2.00 lbs. D-180 1.032 180
9.8 2.00 lbs. Munich Malt Germany 1.037 9
4.9 1.00 lbs. Turbinado Sugar 1.047 0
2.4 0.50 lbs. CaraMunich 80 France 1.034 80
Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.
Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
2.50 oz. Hallertauer Pellet 3.90 26.0 60 min.
1.00 oz. Strisselspalt 2007 Pellet 2.50 0.0 0 min.
Extras
Amount Name Type Time
0.20 Oz Corriander Seed Spice 5 Min.(boil)
Yeast
WYeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity
Mash Schedule
Mash Name:
Total Grain Lbs: 17.50
Total Water Qts: 26.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Total Water Gal: 6.50 - Before Additional Infusions
Tun Thermal Mass: 0.13
Grain Temp: 65.00 F
Step Rest Start Stop Heat Infuse Infuse Infuse
Step Name Time Time Temp Temp Type Temp Amount Ratio
sacc 0 90 147 147 Infuse 162 26.00 1.49
Total Water Qts: 26.00 - After Additional Infusions
Total Water Gal: 6.50 - After Additional Infusions
Total Mash Volume Gal: 7.90 - After Additional Infusions
All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.
All infusion amounts are in Quarts.
All infusion ratios are Quarts/Lbs.
Hi Denny - thank you for replying.
Can you name a commercial beer that this may be similar to?
Can’t think of one off the top of my head. It’s a strong dark ale with fairly restrained esters and a rummy, raisiny flavor from the D-180. syrup.
This one is AMAZINGLY good…
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Belgian Abbeyll (Wyeast #1762)
Yeast Starter: No, I’m lazy and use two packs
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: no
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.078
Final Gravity: 1.018
IBU: 26.2
Boiling Time (Minutes): 75
Color: 27.6
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 23 days @ 69-70
Additional Fermentation: Bottle condition for at least two months
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 days @69-70
Tasting Notes: It’s everything you would expect from our monk brewing friends… great beer!
10.92 lb Pilsner (2 row) Belgian (2.0 SRM) 70.24%
1.73 lb Caramunich Malt (46.0 SRM) 11.13%
0.58 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) 3.75%
0.58 lb Special B Malt (114.0 SRM) 3.75%
0.23 lb Carafa special dehusked (302.0 SRM) 1.47%
1.50 lb Dark Belgian candy sugar (100 SRM) 9.65 %
1.73 oz Styrian Goldings [4.20%] Boil 60 min
0.75 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.50%] Boil 30 min
0.39 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.50%] Boil 5 min
0.38 oz coriander seed Boil 5 min (Crush first)
MASH PROFILE
Protein rest Add 12.64 qt water at 156.2F to get 142F for 30min
Saccrification Add 11.23 qt water at 170.2F to get 154F for 60 min
Mash out Add 9.83 qt water at 205.6 to get 168F for 5 min
Begin Vorlauf then drain Mash Tun
Sparge with 0.73 gallons of water at 168F
Carb with 4.83 oz corn sugar
This is the award winning recipe by Hermann Holtrop from a Rochefort 8 clone comp that was held in the Netherlands. I think it’s very close to the original Rochefort 8. A little darker then the original, but just as tasty… enjoy! If you can’t find Carafa Special, Carafa l (337.0 SRM) will work well but will be a bit darker so scale back a bit.
Denny, I just brewed one very similar, but my OG was 1.091. I see yours was 1.103, what did 3787 get it down to?
1.016. 11.75% ABV.
This is one of the best beers I have ever made. Scored in the mid 40’s in competition twice. It is a Westvletern 12 clone attempt. Although I’ve never actually had the beer.
Grains:
17.5 lbs Pilsner
1lb Caramunich
1lb Dark Candy Sugar (to the boil)
1lb Cane Sugar (to the boil)
0.5lb Biscuit
0.25lb Special B
0.25lb Aromatic
0.25lb Chocolate
I mashed at 145 for 40 minutes
Then 155 for 40 minutes
and then a mash out at 163 for 10 minutes.
I sparged a lot on this one. I had to add boiling water to the mash to raise the temp. All said and done I sparged 11 gallons into the boil kettle. I have a 15 gallon aluminum kettle and I can boil off 2.5 gallons per hour if I need to. I think I did a two hour boil on this one but only hopped for the last hour.
Hops:
60 min 0.7 oz Magnum 12.5%AA
15 min 0.25 oz Hallertauer 4.4%AA
15 min 0.25 oz Tettnanger 4.8%AA
1 min 0.25 oz Hallertauer 4.4%AA
1 min 0.25 oz Tettnanger 4.8%AA
Yeast:
Wyeast 1214 - I made a 1.5 liter starter with 250ml of yeast slurry that came from a Belgian Triple.
I started fermentation in the low 60s for the first three days and then let it rise to the upper 60s.
OG = 1.100
FG = 1.010
A fast ferment test was performed and confirmed the FG. With the simple sugars and the mash profile this was a very fermentable wort. The ton of yeast I pitched help too.
Water profile:
97ppm Ca
100ppm Na
94ppm SO4
150ppm Cl
180ppm HCO3
alkinity as CaCO3 147
RA as CaCO3 76
Mine fermented down to 1.013. Tasted good, but wanted it drier, so added another 1lb of table sugar (adjusted OG 1.099), and it fermented out to 1.011. 89% attenuation and just under 12% abv, sample tasted spectacular last night, though this is one of the few styles that benefits from several months of aging in my opinion.
By the way, I used 3522 Ardennes yeast. Typically not recommended for dark strongs, but was all I could get in a pinch (and I brewed a killer table beer and tripel with it as well). Let it ramp up into the 70s, seems to have pushed the fruitiness out in front, will see how it ends up.
I brewed Denny’s recipe a few months back and have it in the keg right now.
I came in around 1.096 and fermentation seemed to stall in the 20s. I pitched some additional slurry and it came down to around 1.010 (I don’t have my notes handy to be sure). I used 3787.
Tasted awesome when I kegged it. I will tap it in late August.
This was my first time trying out the candi syrups, and I am very pleased with the flavors they contribute.
I brewed Denny’s 400th batch shortly after he posted it, and split it between Wyeast 3787 and 3789. Great recipe. I bottled the 3787 after a few months of secondary, and it tastes great. The 3789 however, that is still aging, and the last sample I took was phenomenal! Love, LOVE, that D-180.