Belgian Single

[AGbrewer]

What is your best recipe for a Belgian Single?

I'm on the hunt for a light colored beer that is refreshing but still has plenty of character without it being a hop bomb. Belgian's are some of my favorites, so let me hear what you got.

 

[Steve SPF]

Table beer?

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1011876/t-table-beer

Not everyone's thing but it was a really nice approachable beer that I would definitely brew again.

 

[AGbrewer]

Table beer?

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1011876/t-table-beer

Not everyone's thing but it was a really nice approachable beer that I would definitely brew again.

While it isn't quite in the ABV range I was looking for (probably closer to 5.5 or 6), this would actually fit the bill for my "Miller Lite" friends. I'm definitely adding this one onto the brew list.

Thanks for the idea!

 

[J A]

Here's something that'll get you in the ballpark. https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/629896/trappist-single
Sub any Pilsner or light 2-row for the base malt. Sub Vienna for the Aromatic if you can't find it. Knock down the IBUs a little if needed and sub any noble hops or maybe Willamette. Any number of Belgian yeasts will do. If you could find WLP515 it would be pretty great but that stuff is like unicorn farts. For water profile use something that will do for a lager.

 

[Nosybear]

Look for Patersbier or Patjesbier recipes.

 

[Zambi]

I'll be following as those are some of my favourites as well.
Not really enough experience yet to help you proper though

 

[AGbrewer]

Here's something that'll get you in the ballpark. https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/629896/trappist-single
Sub any Pilsner or light 2-row for the base malt. Sub Vienna for the Aromatic if you can't find it. Knock down the IBUs a little if needed and sub any noble hops or maybe Willamette. Any number of Belgian yeasts will do. If you could find WLP515 it would be pretty great but that stuff is like unicorn farts. For water profile use something that will do for a lager.

Don't know that I've ever used biscuit in a recipe before, but I like it. I think I have, but really don't recall. Your recipe looks like something that might fit the bill.

 

[J A]

Don't know that I've ever used biscuit in a recipe before, but I like it.

Biscuit and Victory are just about the same. They're a toasted malt probably more like Munich than Crystal malt. Whereas Munich tends, in my experience to be toasty and a little fruity, Biscuit tends to be toasty and nutty but still adds some sweetness. It fits extremely well in Belgian malt bills. If anything this recipe might turn out just a little on the sweet side but if you mash low and can get really good attenuation it should finish very crisp and clean.
Because there's not a lot of big malt flavor, the yeast you choose will really jump out. Do some research and see what might give you a little more neutral character. For dry yeast I've used Fermentis T-58 (very fruity with a little spice, not bad but a little bland) and S-33 (probably not really a Belgian strain but really useful for a neutral flavor profile, light pear esters and very malt-friendly and if you let it sit long enough it'll give decent attenuation).

 

[Mark Farrall]

85-90% pilsner, 10-15% table sugar, hops basically for bitterness. Though the overwhelming majority of the challenge is controlling your mash and fermentation to give you the result you want, as the grist and hops are basically a blank canvas. I target a bit of bitterness, some yeast esters and dry as a bone. Highly carbonated and cold for summer.

 

[AGbrewer]

Okay, here is what I've got. Copied it from @J A and modified it just a bit. I still want to do the 90% Pilsner and 10% sugar in the future as @Mark Farrall suggested. Just need to do another barrel aged stout first to keep enough of them in the cycle as winter is coming. Probably going to do the 90/10 just before Christmas.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1077430/trappist-single-blondie-

 

[Mark Farrall]

I use the single as the starter for a coffee imperial stout. Summer is just round the corner so it must be time to add it to the schedule.

 

[AGbrewer]

I use the single as the starter for a coffee imperial stout. Summer is just round the corner so it must be time to add it to the schedule.

I might could use it as a starter for a belgian quad. I've been wanting to do another one of those. Simply dump the quad on top of the yeast cake and be done with it.

 

[Bubba Wade]

Here’s a link to my standard recipe. Similar to some I have had in Belgium. https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1028825/b-ale-2

 

[AGbrewer]

Here’s a link to my standard recipe. Similar to some I have had in Belgium. https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1028825/b-ale-2

I think you may need to make it public. I tried to click on it and it won't let me see it.

 

[Bubba Wade]

I think you may need to make it public. I tried to click on it and it won't let me see it.

Thanks. I didn't realize that it was set to private.

The recipe is pretty simple. Vienna base malt, Special B for the color and flavor, Caravienne for residual destroy sweetness, and a bit of wheat. It's very lightly hopped. I use the T-58 yeast. The T-58 is not a Belgian yeast per se, but balances out well with the grain bill.