Basement Delirium

Belgian Golden Strong Ale

This is a 2004 BJCP style 18d beer.

Recipe: Delirium Tremens Clone
Volume: 5 gallons
Dates:

Brew date: Mar 18, 2006
Transfer to secondary: Apr 1, 2006
Bottling: Apr 15, 2006

Ingredients:

Water source: basement utility sink filtered dispenser
Yeast: WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale

Grain bill

	Potential sg pppg	Points per gal
10.0 lbs Pilsener Malt 0.5 lb Wheat Malt 1.0 lb Corn Sugar	1.037 1.039 1.046	370.0 19.5 46.0
	Ideal: Pre-boil: Target:	435.5 (46+389.5 (46+389.5	/ 4.5 gal = 96.8 >>> 1.097 * 70%)/ 6 gal = 45.4 >>> 1.053 * 70%)/ 4.5 gal = 70.8 >>> 1.071
0.75 lbs Corn Sugar (into primary as foam subsides)	1.046	34.5
	Effective::	(80.5+389.5	* 70%)/ 5 gal = 70.6 >>> 1.071

Whole Hops

1.5 oz Saaz - 3.5% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.053 = 22.1%	*IBU = 1.5 3.5 * 22.1 * 0.75 / 5 = 17.4**
0.5 oz Hallertauer - 4.2% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.053 = 22.1%	*IBU = 0.5 4.2 * 22.1 * 0.75 / 5 = 7.0**
1 oz Kent Goldings - 6.6% avg alpha Utilization: 5 minutes @ 1.053 = 4.4%	*IBU = 1.0 6.6 * 4.4 * 0.75 / 5 = 4.4**
	Total IBU Max = 29

Other

1 tsp Gypsum in mash
1 tsp Irish Moss (rehydrated) - 15 min 3 gms Crushed Coriander - 15 min
3 gms Crushed Grains of Paradise - 15 min

Activity Log

Yeast Starter:

About 36 hours before the brew, boiled 5 ounces of DME in 1.5 L of water and cooled. Pitched yeast, fitted with stopper and airlock and placed at 72f.

Mash/Lauter/Sparge:

Heated 4 gallons of water to 160 in mash tun and added grain. Added heat to adjust temperature to 144 and held for 45 minutes. Added gypsum. Added heat to adjust temperature to 158 and held for 30 minutes. Added heat to adjust temperature to 170 and held for 10 minutes. Opened spigot 30 degrees and recirculated runoff until clear. Captured 6 gallons of runoff.

Boil:

Boiled through break and continued for 30 minutes. Added first hops and boiled for 45 minutes. Added Coriander, Grains of Paradise and Irish Moss and boiled for 10 minutes. Added second hops and boiled for 5 minutes. Cooled with counterflow chiller into carboy. Took specific gravity reading of 1.072. Rocked on folded towel to aerate and pitched yeast. Fitted with stopper and airlock and placed at 72f.

Fermentation:

Observations of primary stage (72f)

14 hours: very active but 67f because of burnt out light bulbs in fermenting booth; replaced
1 day: 1 inch of foam, 69 bubbles per minute
2 days: 1/2 inch of foam, 20 bubbles per minute
4 days: 1/2 inch of foam, 13 bubbles per minute
5 days: 1/2 inch of foam, 12 bubbles per minute
6 days: 1/3 inch of foam, 12 bubbles per minute
7 days: 1/4 inch of foam, 12 bubbles per minute
Boiled 12 ounces of corn sugar in 2 liters of water. Cooled and added to carboy.
8 days: 1/2 inch of foam, 25 bubbles per minute
10 days: light film of foam, 10 bubbles per minute
14 days: light film of foam around edge, 6 bubbles per minute
Transferred to 5 gallon carboy. Captured 2 liter bottle and placed under 30 lbs/sq in CO2. Took specific gravity reading of 1.018.

Observations of secondary stage (72f)

15 days: no foam, 2 bubbles per minute

Bottling:

Boiled 5 ounces of corn sugar in 2 cups of water and let cool. Added sugar solution to bottling bucket and siphoned from 5 gallon carboy into bucket until 2 gallons full. Took specific gravity reading of 1.012. Filled 2 liter bottle 4/5 full, put under 30 lbs/sq in C02 and placed in fridge for forced carbonation. Siponed remainder of 5 gallon carboy into bottling bucket capturing a total of 4.5 gallons. Filled and capped 44 bottles. Placed in fermenting booth at 72f.

See Basement Delirium labels here.

Results:

This beer won first place in the Belgian Strong category at the 2006 BUZZ Boneyard Brew-off in Champaign, IL. It also won Second Best of Show in that competition.
This beer won first place in the Belgian Strong category at the 2006 Dayton Beerfest in Dayton, OH.
This beer won third place in the Belgian Abbey Ales category at the 2007 Drunk Monk Challenge