Trying to make a smooth tasting Belgian Pale Ale, like draft de konick. Also going for a deep copper color. Thoughts?
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160109/8f19d5f72a98f3056174fe1e75315b37.jpg)
Belgian pale ale tops out around 15 SRM, so that's very dark for the style. Also, belgians tend to be very simple, getting a lot of flavour from candi sugars and the yeast.
Your basic starting recipe is something like:
Pilsner 90%, CaraMunich 8%, Biscuit 2%, with maybe saaz or EKG to ~25-30 IBU. Use Antwerp yeast (WLP515) and ferment at 19C
Now, if you're going for a deep copper colour, why not go with a dubbel and get the extra dark fruit flavours from some special B. Matter of fact, even the above with some Special B would give you the flavour and colour.
The oats would give a lot of protein and clouding to the finished beer again something I'm not sure you want in a pale ale...
This is all style related though. If you're going for a dark pale ale, then I'd say 3 grains max and bump the colour with some dark candi sugar, which will give flavour and also dry out the beer, keeping it as a pale ale in balance.
Have used chocolate malt a few times and really dont like it now. Why is this in a Pale?
Quote from: Mac on January 10, 2016, 12:44:36 AM
Have used chocolate malt a few times and really dont like it now. Why is this in a Pale?
I had only put it there because I've seen it in different clone recipes
Quote from: molc on January 10, 2016, 12:02:01 AM
Belgian pale ale tops out around 15 SRM, so that's very dark for the style. Also, belgians tend to be very simple, getting a lot of flavour from candi sugars and the yeast.
Your basic starting recipe is something like:
Pilsner 90%, CaraMunich 8%, Biscuit 2%, with maybe saaz or EKG to ~25-30 IBU. Use Antwerp yeast (WLP515) and ferment at 19C
Now, if you're going for a deep copper colour, why not go with a dubbel and get the extra dark fruit flavours from some special B. Matter of fact, even the above with some Special B would give you the flavour and colour.
The oats would give a lot of protein and clouding to the finished beer again something I'm not sure you want in a pale ale...
This is all style related though. If you're going for a dark pale ale, then I'd say 3 grains max and bump the colour with some dark candi sugar, which will give flavour and also dry out the beer, keeping it as a pale ale in balance.
I don't want to go into a dubbel style, I'd like to keep is sessionable.
Perhaps remove some color ingredients, up the pilsner?
I would love some 515 but I missed the boat on it.
Ok in that case, just use the Belgian yeast and use a single malt for colour adjustment. Pale chocolate in small ammounts doesn't affect flavour too much, maybe a bit toasty.
Quote from: molc on January 10, 2016, 12:30:09 PM
Ok in that case, just use the Belgian yeast and use a single malt for colour adjustment. Pale chocolate in small ammounts doesn't affect flavour too much, maybe a bit toasty.
So which malts do you think should be taken out? I could reduce the chocolate even further - I simply wanted it in there for color. Which is the reason I believe its in most De Konick clone recipes
saw your comment about dark candi - wouldn't that just add to fermentable and color? I'm at the top of the range on ABV I think
Theres two different threads here. One is making a Belgian pale ale, the other is a De konick clone.
If you're going the clone road, stick with your recipe, as I don't know enough about that beer to critique.