Belgian Strong

[Reviled]

Hey guys, im piecing together a Belgian Rye recipe which is gonna be my next brew after another Pale Ale, but im not really sure about the hopping cos I never do Belgians :o( I know theyre not supposed to be very bitter, so what sort of IBU/OG ratio would I be looking at here? What hops are good? Ive got some Super Alpha??

This is what im considering for my grist, would love some feedback on it also :o) pretty simple really..

4kg NZ Pils
2kg Rye
500g-1kg Munich??? Not sure how much
500g Brown Sugar
Wyeast 3787
Beer recipator gives me a rough OG of about 1079?? But that may be wrong cos its pretty shit (but free) online software

[Mike Neilson]

Styrian, Saaz, East Kent?

[Reviled]

Got some Styrians.. Hmm, that sounds good actually reckon styrian character would work well with the phenols and the rye.. So bitter to ???IBU's with Super Alpha, then some flavour styrians? Or you reckon all Styrians?

[jt]

Aw mate, you know that Super Alpha will be good to go in any beer you brew !

Please note that I have never attempted to brew a Belgian and my Belgian experiences are mostly limited to reading (well looking at the piccies) Tintin books, but I just couldn't resist the plug for that supurb hop

[Mike Neilson]

Bitter with super Alpha and Flavour with Styrian, funny enough im doing my old mans Belgian Strong Kit beer and I usualy use Saaz but im going to spice this one up and get all crazy on it and add Styrian instead of Saaz!! Also I like Super Alpha in dark beers

[Reviled]

So the main question remains, what IBU/OG ratio should I be looking at u reckon?

Man the more I think of it the more I think Styrians are gonna be awesome in this!!! Cheers :o)

[denimglen]

Buy Brewing Classic Styles bro, choice as book when it comes to this situation.

Or check out one of these.

[Mike Neilson]

Depend on your intended finished gravity?

[Reviled]

shit now youre confusing me Mike?? what should I expect?? Around 1020 maybe?? I have no idea eh?? The rye gives a bit of extra body..

And im gonna borrow that book off barry when he finds it DG.. cheers :o)

[Doublehoppy]

I think your FG will be lower. The five Tripels I've done with that strain were:

1.082 to 1.014
1.073 to 1.007
1.076 to 1.008
1.082 to 1.014
1.084 to 1.008

So they attenuated between 83% - 90%. However these included between 11% and 14% white sugar or dextrose which will drop the FG more than your grain bill, so I know it's not a straight comparison. I'd guess somewhere in the 1.014 range.

As regards bitterness, if it was me I'd be going for about 35IBUs. The strong Belgians are quite often around there.

[Soren]

Yes, about 35 IBU for a 1.079 brew. IBU/OG of 0.5 is IMO the standard for this style.

[Mike Neilson]

I just bottled my Dubel tonight and I just looked at the recipe
1.081 to 1.010

20 Ibus at 60
13 Ibus at 15

and a flame out addition for a bit of brightness ????dont know if its to style????

Thoughts are bitterness seemed spot on, I used 80% Styrian for my flavor additions. All in all its tasted allright?

[JoKing]

You're Tripels are awesome, Doblehoppy - I remember them from the AGWB... a real standout.