3 replies to this topic

[ncbeerbrewer]

So I am conjuring up a recipe for this coming weekend and no this is by no means a Hijack of DaBeerSox Pumpkin beer thread but I have an idea for a pumpkin beer as well. I have brewed a couple popular Belgian styled beers in the last few months Belg IPA and the Belgian Tripel that is in the recipe swap as well. I am thinking/planning to brew a series of beers using the Belgian Ardennes yeast strain. I am wanting to go Pumpkin Ale, Belg IPA, Dubbel, then Tripel. My posting here is a critique of my idea for the Pumpkin Ale. First off I am choosing this yeast strain as I feel it ferments a quality Belgian beer but does not throw the phenols and flavors to make it crazy and over the top Belgian Flavor. My overall impression for this beer is Belgian Character from the yeast along with flavors from the spicing. I would like for my grain bill to make for a solid backbone to support both flavor traits as described above. I am considering adding in my spices around 10 or less minutes in the boil. Then after fermentation I am considering respicing the beer with the same spices to enhance their profile. I would welcome feedback on this idea. I am considering the use of Pumpkin from the can but merely for a color enhancement "orange" than for flavor. If I add it I will toss it into the mash more than likely. Otherwise its just going to be spices. Here is my formulated recipe:Batch Size: 5.25 galBoil Time: 60 min Mash at 154 degreesBrewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU 10.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 81.63 % 1.25 lb Munich 10L (Briess) (10.0 SRM) Grain 10.20 % 0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 % 0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 % 0.75 oz Magnum [12.10 %] (60 min) Hops 28.0 IBU 1.00 oz Williamette [4.80 %] (15 min) Hops 7.4 IBU 1.00 oz Ground Cinnamon (Boil) Misc 1.00 oz Ginger Root (Boil) Misc1.00 oz Nutmeg (Boil)1.00 oz Ground Cloves (Boil) 1 Pkgs Belgian Ardennes (Wyeast Labs #3522) Yeast-Wheat Beer Profile Est Original Gravity: 1.064 SGBitterness: 35.4 IBU Est Color: 9.2 SRM

[Slainte]

An ounce of cloves? Holy shit man. I would decrease that significantly.I probably would cut the ginger too. I've found the spiciness of that, mixed with the spiciness of the yeast tends to clash a bit.An ounce of spices each for the nutmeg and cinnamon sounds like quite a bit too. I probably would use no more than an ounce total. And I would add it in stages to make sure I don't add too much.I like the malt bill. Only issue I have is with the Briess Munich 10 L. You really don't want to use that stuff. It tastes grainy and biscuity. Not even close to a good European Munich malt, which is what I would go for instead.Good choice on that Ardennes yeast. It's good stuff.And some Dark candi syrup might be interesting without the late hops.Just my opinion.

[ncbeerbrewer]

An ounce of cloves? Holy shit man. I would decrease that significantly. I probably would cut the ginger too. I've found the spiciness of that, mixed with the spiciness of the yeast tends to clash a bit. An ounce of spices each for the nutmeg and cinnamon sounds like quite a bit too. I probably would use no more than an ounce total. And I would add it in stages to make sure I don't add too much. I like the malt bill. Only issue I have is with the Briess Munich 10 L. You really don't want to use that stuff. It tastes grainy and biscuity. Not even close to a good European Munich malt, which is what I would go for instead. Good choice on that Ardennes yeast. It's good stuff. And some Dark candi syrup might be interesting without the late hops. Just my opinion.

Thanks Slainte. I understand your feelings for the amount of spices. Thats my fault. That was the part of this plan that I was the most unsure of to be honest. I didn't intend to use that much and will plan to cut that back for sure. As for the Briess. I am actually going to use Best Malz Munich. The Breiss was based on what Beersmith had and the grain bill is an adjustment from an Amber I brewed last year. I love the Ardennes yeast. Its done great things for me so far so I don't see any reason to abandon it for sure. Thanks for the input. I might need to give the Candi sugar a whirl as well.

[ncbeerbrewer]

Got this beer on tap and started having a few pints last night. Awesome beer according to my wife and I love it as well. Subtle spiciness from the spices and awesome Belgian character from good old 3522. Here is the official recipe. Thanks Slainte for the suggestions I like how this one turned out. Many pints to follow. The Funky Punk Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Type: All GrainBatch Size: 5.25 gal Boil Time: 60 min Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU 10.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 81.63 % 1.25 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 10.20 % 0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 % 0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 % 0.75 oz Magnum [12.10 %] (60 min) Hops 27.9 IBU 1/2 tsp Cinnamon (Boil 5.0 min) 1/4 tsp Ginger (Boil 5.0 min) 1/4 tsp Nutmet (Boil 5.0 min) 1/4 tsp Cloves (Boil 5.0 min)1 Pkgs Belgian Ardennes (Wyeast Labs #3522) Yeast-Wheat Beer Profile Est Original Gravity: 1.065 SGActual Alcohol by Vol: 6.13 % Bitterness: 27.9 IBU Est Color: 9.1 SRM