Hybrid Belgian Pale Recipe Development - My First Recipt

[th Cap'n]

I mean recipe. Damn you, autocorrect! I'm new to BF and the tools, so I'm not sure how to share. Here's the link I got when I selected Share:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/r ... 1016/bpa01

Replace the Citra hops with Mosaic--Mosaic isn't in the list of options.

Evaluation and constructive criticism is always appreciated. I haven't been brewing all grain for long but there is a local competition I want to enter. The category is simply "Session." My concept is a low-gravity hybrid Belgian Pale Ale with my (currently) favorite hops.

I'm brewing 5 gallon batches, infusion mash (cooler), batch sparge, with Portland, Oregon water.

 

[PZ]

Despite the high ABV of most Belgian beers, I think the yeasts make great session beers. If you added the sugar to dry it out, I would suggest that you substitute caramunich or aromatic for the caramel malts (0.5-0.75 lb) and even add a touch of biscuit. Another idea is to go with 100% pilsner malt and let the hops and yeast supply the flavor. Good luck in the competition!

 

[Smitty27]

I think I'd go with with something like what PZ said. Let the yeast and hops stand out. Belgian yeast is my favorite and they have great flavor and aroma. I haven't used wyeast 3522 and most attenuate well so I'd expect it to be a bit lower than 1.011.

Personally I think 2lbs of crystal is too much. Maybe something like

7# Pilsner
1# CaraMunich
6oz Golden Naked Oats
.5# sugar

Anyway you go with it is going to make a good beer. Good luck with the comp.

 

[Jimminator]

Cap'n, not an expert at developing recipes, but I agree with PZ and Smitty. The Belgian yeasts I've used don't need much help from the grain to make a nice complex beer.

Please let us know how it turns out. I accidently made a nice session beer recently due to a massively stuck sparge (1.042 post boil vs 1.053 target) and now plan to make another batch that way on purpose. I ended up with a 3.5% ABV belgian wit that tastes fantastic. Used the Wyeast Belgian Witbeer (3994?) yeast and fermented at 62-64. Very nice fruitiness from the yeast without any clove (I was actually trying for some clove taste, but I'll have to wait for summer temps or a different yeast.) Just make sure you have enough space in the fermenter, sometimes these yeasties go crazy for a couple of days.

 

[th Cap'n]

Thanks for the input. I neglected to mention that the 20L Crystal should be Brumalt. Like the hops, it isn't in the database. Either way, yes, the sugar is to dry it out. I'll do some homework on your suggestions.

Unrelated, I didn't get any email notifications to the replies, even though I had selected that option and my email addy is correct. Is there a known issue on this forum with that?

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

the forum email is messed up, its been that way for a year, sorry

 

[th Cap'n]

Is Brumalt the same thing as Honey Malt and/or Melanoidin?

 

[Smitty27]

They seems to be about the same thing just variation in color. Of course they are probably made by different malsters so there will be differences because of that. You could always skip the Brumalt and do a decoction mash. Those are always fun!