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Grains/ recipe question
I am tinkering with a Strong Golden Belgian Rec and I had some question about which grains I can use and can't, and the flavor profile of some specialty grains.
I am going for an OG of about 1.100 with a golden to copper color. as far as flavor from the grains I would like it clean to earthy. I am a mini masher so I'll probably start out with 10lb of X-pale extract in a five gal batch.
With base grains can i do a single temp "mash" and still get some color and fermentables out of them or should i just start out all extract and add specialty grains for color and some flavor?
just doing some tinkering over the last few days this is the recipe that I have come up with.
10 lb Pale Liquid Extract
2 lb Extra Light Dry Extract
12 oz Caramunich
12 oz Carastan
8 oz Aromatic Malt
8 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine
I am trying to stay in the 10-15 degree SRM range I like the look of a gold to copper beer. Is there to much going on to call it clean to earthy? I would like to back down on the extract but can I add in some 2 row or something like it?
As for hops I was going to go with brewers Gold for bittering, styrian Golding for flavor and spalt for aroma.
Once again to much? I wanted some complexity and I wanted to stay in the spicy, earthy flavor profile as well but I have a tendency to over complicate things as well.
As for yeast I was thinking about using wlp565 Belgian Saison to compliment the spicy characteristics of the hops and then at about 60-75% fermentation add some wlp500 Trappist to help finish it off. Again to complex? or just interesting?
In a later version of this I was thinking about adding some spices to add further complexity, but not for now I would like to make a clean drinkable beer that will age well and tinker somewhere on down the road.
Never brewed a BGSA but when I tackle a style for the first time I usually hit up the BJCP website to check out the style description, commercial examples, and ingredients used. BJCP - Belgian Golden Strong Ale
I'm sure Thirsty can offer you some better advice but I'd suggest subbing simple sugars (cane sugar, corn sugar, candi syrup, etc) for some your extract to dry the beer out. Also I think that's a lot of crystal malt which is just going to provide more unfermentable sugars. If you're looking for grains to mash I'd suggest some Belgian or German Pilsner malt.
WLP565/Wyeast 3724 is a very finicky yeast. If you've used it before and like the flavor profile it provides then by all means use it. It'll give you crazy attenuation but it'll take weeks and temperatures in the 80s. I used Wyeast 1762/WLP540 in my Belgian Dark Strong and it came out great.
FPB is right on the money with this one. When doing big Belgians, the trickiest part is finishing low. Regardless of the OG, you really need to get an FG down below 1.015 or it will be too sweet and cloying. To get a 1.100 down to 1.015, you would need 86% attenuation. Damn near impossible. Not saying it cant be done, but optimum circumstances would need to be in play. The 3 ways to get a really low FG are:
1. A very fermentable wort. A low long mash temp, 144-146 for 1.5-2.5 hours
2. Use of simple sugars. I like to add corn sugar, up to 20% into my primary right after high krausen and violent fermentation stops. Usually 3 days or so. This will do a few things. First it will allow your yeast to work on the more complex sugars first while their strength is strong, if not they will poop out eating the simple sugars first, then not have enough metabolism to conquer what is leftover. If you make the leftover simple, it will tear through that as well, ripping up the complex that is left in its path. This process also gives you a lower initial OG at the start of fermentation, further allowing that yeast to kickoff strong. This is the time I also start ramping temp. Once the violent ferm ends, add the sugar and let it slowly rise to the mid 70s to 80 deg. (Use a heat wrap or heating pad)
3. Correct yeast strain and heat. wlp565 is a bugger. Especially on a big beer, it can crap out on you partway through, and you have to constantly rouse and make sure it is warm. It usually stalls for 1-2 weeks, about 2 weeks in. So as FPB said, you may have a loooong waited primary, maybe 5-6 weeks. (I have a saison still in primary I brewed 2/26) If it were my beer I would probably start with the wlp500 or wlp570 Belgian golden
The next tricky thing is taking down such a big beer without producing hot fusel alcohols, which will make the beer taste like jet fuel. If you havent already experimented with huge beers and their ferments and conditioning, I would lower the OG to maybe 1.080-1.085 ish- still giving you a good strong beer, but get you to your results much easier.
Last, you are doing the opposite when adding the crystals and carapils. You are adding sweetness and dextrine, which will lend to a higher FG, not lower. If color is a concern, the style calls for 3-6 SRM, to stay blond, 15 SRM is a lot closer to your copper, but out of style. Using mostly extract, you will get a darker color anyhow.
By all means, you have the beginning of a good looking recipe, but I think if you were to brew it the way it is, without having the AG capability for a long and low mash, you will wind up with a hot sweet beer.
Also if you are looking for earthiness and spicinessI would turn to your hops. Perhaps a bittering with czech saaz, and a flavoring with EKGs will give you some subtleness for that. Some grains of paradise and perhaps corriander in the end of boil would be nice too.
So to answer your question, yes, I think you are overcomplicating this at first. A tried and true easy recipe with some tweaks may be the way to go, then tinker with that. All just my $.02
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