Extract Dubbel first post

Beer Recipe Design
1

Hey guys,

First post on NB.

I’m looking to brew a Belgian Dubbel. I bottled a tripel about two weeks ago and I’m not super confident about it (although I have not tasted it carbonated yet as I am on holiday in Belgium.) I’m a relatively new brewer and I don’t have a stable enough living situation to make investing in all-grain equipment worth it yet so I’m still working with extract.

I’m working on a Dubbel recipe right now and taking Belgian beers as inspiration as I have tasted virtually no American Dubbels and have had my fair share of Belgians. I just tore through Brew Like a Monk and I came up with a recipe that takes a lot from Westmalle Dubbel. The recipe is for 6gal (23L):

1 lbs Aromatic Malt (Dingemans)
1 lbs Munich I (Weyermann)
9 lbs LME Pilsen Light (Briess)
2 lbs Candi Sugar, Dark
2 oz Tettnang [4.50 %]
1 oz Saaz [3.75 %]
1 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %]
1pkg WLP530 Abbey Ale yeast + 2 pint starter

OG: 1.069
FG: 1.010
SRM: 34.7
IBU: 26.8

I know the SRM is a little high according to BJCP, but as I said, I’m trying to aim for something like a Westmalle.

Am I maybe expecting too much from my Fermentables/Yeast? Will I not hit the OG and FG I want?

Any suggestions would be fantastic. Also, since I’m in Antwerp for another week or so, I was wondering if I should pick up any sugar here. I’ve done some research and it would seem Candico, produced here, is not exactly Candi sugar but my Belgian friends keep insisting that that’s what they call candi sugar. Flavour suggestions are more than welcome as well.

Thanks in advance!
:cheers:

2

I assume you are doing a partial mash with the Munich and Aromatic? If that’s the case, I would back out some of that extract and mash with some pils. Mash low, maybe around 148F to get a more fermentable wort. I think you’ll have trouble getting the FG down to 1.010 with that much LME.

3

Forget the candi sugar…it adds nothing in the way of flavor. Use candi syrup instead.

4

Thanks for the replies. I’ve adjusted a few things and I see what you mean about the candi sugar. Do you think I could pick up anything useful here in Belgium as far as that goes?

5

I really don’t know of you can or if it would be worth the hassle. The absolute best candi syrups I’ve tried come from candisyrup.com.

6

There is some stuff in the supermarkets here which is Kandijsiroop but I guess I will just make my own when I get back home. Also, my local homebrew store had clear candi syrup by the pounds at a pretty good price if necessary. Thanks!

7

You definitely don’t want to use clear in a dubbel. And I have yet to taste a homemade version that tasted anything like the real thing.

8

Oh no of course. I just meant that they had clear so should have dark and amber, while forgetting the context of the post… Thanks