Belgian Dubbel

A while ago I became convinced that I could make any Belgian style beer with two grains and some sugar additions. I love a good Dubbel and figured that would really showcase the ability to attain the right flavour profile with a very simple recipe. After a few iterations I landed on the recipe below. I tried a little darker, using D-180 instead of D-45, and though it was good, it was a bit darker for what I thought it should be – more of a big quad without the rest of the quad characteristics.

As for methodology, I brew the base beer without the syrup in the boil and add the syrup right to the fermentor after chilling. The numbers can get a little weird since the syrup adds a not insignificant amount of volume. If those of you that are very structured about your numbers figure out a way to account for that volume, please let me know.

Sour Beer Base

I have made one sour beer with this recipe using a wild caught yeast and some pediococcus. It’s sat in my basement for over a year now awaiting my barrel to be emptied so I can start my solera. Initial tastes, though a while ago now, were quite good.