Belgian Dark Sweet N Sour

Belgian Specialty Ale

This is a 2004 BJCP style 16e beer.

This started as a Belgian Dark Strong but didn't attenuate properly. After trying several methods to get it to attenuate I decided to use Brettanomyces.

Recipe: Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Volume: 5 gallons
Dates:

Brew date: Feb 28, 2009
Transfer to secondary: Mar 15, 2009
Bottling: Oct 22, 2010
Kegging: TBD

Ingredients:

Water source: basement utility sink filtered dispenser
Yeast: Wyeast 3864PC Canadian/Belgian Ale
pitched on yeast bed from Le Milieu Du Monde

Grain bill

	Potential sg pppg	Points per gal
12.0 lbs Pilsener Malt 2.75 lb Munich Malt 0.75 lb Wheat Malt 1.0 lb Belgian Aromatic Malt 1.0 lb Caramunich Malt 1.0 lb Special B Malt 2 lb Dark Belgian Candi Sugar	1.037 1.035 1.031 1.036 1.034 1.030 1.034	444.0 101.75 26.25 36.0 34.0 30.0 68.0
20.5 lbs Total	Ideal: Pre-boil: Target:	740.0 (672.0 (672.0	/ 5 gal = 148.0 >>> 1.148 * 70% + 68)/ 6 gal = 89.7 >>> 1.090 * 70% + 68)/ 5 gal = 107.7 >>> 1.108

Hops (whole leaf)

2.5 oz Kent Goldings - 4.2% avg alpha
Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.090 = 16.1% IBU = 2.5 * 4.2 * 16.1 * 0.75 / 5 = 25.4

Total IBU = 25.4

Activity Log

Mash/Lauter/Sparge:

Heated 5.5 gallons of water to 170f and mixed in grain. Added cool water to bring temperature to 153 f. Let rest for 60 minutes. Recycled until relatively clear and collected 6.5 gallons in boil pot.

Boil:

Brought to boil and added Dark Belgian Candi Sugar. Boiled for 30 minutes and added hops. Boiled for 60 minutes and turned off heat. Ran through counterflow chiller and collected 5 gallons in 6.5 gallon carboy containing yeast bed from Le Milieu Du Monde. Took specific gravity reading of 1.100 with refractometer.

Fermentation (target final gravity = 1.024):

Observations of primary stage (70 f increasing to 75 f)
(14 days)

1 day, 70 f, 1 1/2 inches of foam, 144 bubbles per minute
2 days, 71 f, 1/4 inch of foam, 33 bubbles per minute
3 days, 72 f, 1/8 inch of foam, 14 bubbles per minute
4 days, 72 f, thin foam, 7 bubbles per minute
5 days, 73 f,

At 15 days, siphoned to 5 gallon carboy taking specfic gravity reading of 1.049. Added 5 oz of corn sugar boiled in 2 cups of water and cooled (meant for tripel in other carboy that couldn't be bottled due to underattenuation). Placed at 80f but burned out bulbs made temperature fluctuate until noticed and replaced.

Observations of secondary stage

At 21 days, took specific gravity reading of 1.050. To attenuate, poured one packet of LALVIN EC-1118 Canadian Saccharomyces Bayanus yeast Selected in Champagne region and one teaspoon of yeast nutrient and placed at 72f.
27 days: specific gravity 1.046
42 days: specific gravity 1.044
5/12/09: specific gravity 1.042
6/6/09: added 1 tsp amylaze enzyme
6/12/09: rehydrated Red Star Premier Cuvee wine yeast and added to carboy along with one tsp yeast nutrient and placed at 70f
10/24/09: after no further fermentation from previous attempts, added dregs from a bottle of Jolly Pumpkin La Roja (blend 13, 2008) to the 2 liter bottle and placed it at 70 f. Using this was a tip from the CBS mail list on the topic of sour beers.
10/25/09: pour some wort from the 2 liter bottle into my small bottle with pressure guage. Releaseed 5 to 10 lbs/sq in pressure from it and the 2 liter bottle a couple of times over the next couple of weeks.
11/11/09: specific gravity of 2 liter bottle contents 1.034 and a significant sour note.
11/19/09: racked beer into another carboy and added WLP650. Fitted airlock and placed at 70 f.
11/26/09: specific gravity of 2 liter bottle contents 1.030
12/13/09: specific gravity of 2 liter bottle contents 1.022. Transferred to another 2 liter bottle and put in fridge at 30 lbs/sq in CO2 to force carbonate.
12/13/09 specific gravity of carboy is 1.039
08/17/10 specific gravity of carboy is 1.036. Significant sour notes.

Bottling/Kegging:

Filled a 2 liter bottle on Oct 15, 2010 and force carbonated. On Oct 22 filled 2 12 oz bottles with the force carbonated beer and capped for entry in 2010 Spooky Brew competition.

See Belgian Dark Sweet N Sour labels here.

Results:

TBD

2.5 oz Kent Goldings - 4.2% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.090 = 16.1%	*IBU = 2.5 4.2 * 16.1 * 0.75 / 5 = 25.4**
	Total IBU = 25.4